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A 

NEWHISTORY 

OF    T  H  E  Q^jfeAyi^^/r' 


HOLY   BIBLE, 

FROM    THE 

Beginning  of  the  World, 

T  O    T  H  E 

Establishment  of  Christianity. 

WITH 

Answers  to  moft  of  the  Controverted  Queftions, 
Dissertations  upon  the  moft  remarkable  Passages, 
and  a  Connection  of  Profane  History  all  along. 

To  which  are  added. 

Notes,  explaining  difficult  Texts,  reaifying  Mif-Tranflatlons,  and 
reconciling  feeming  Contradidions. 

The  Whole  illuftrated  with  proper  Maps. 


By  the  Reverend  THOMASSTACKHOUSE, 

A.  M.  Vicar  of  Beenham  in  Berkftiire. 


VOL.    III. 


T>    U    B    L    I    Ni 

Printed  for  Edward  and  John  Exsiiaw  at  the  Bilk  on 
Cork-Hill     M,DCC,XLviii. 


>  - 


ERR  AT  A  to  VOL.   III. 

Ploy./er  is  hard  r.  it  is  hard  2p  1.  p.  lyt,  L  7.  /or  Sefera  r.  Sifera. 
^  p.  283  1.  1  for  Chmpion's  r.  Champion's,  p.  284  ].  15,'  note,  for 
where  r,  were,  p.  360  1.  29,  for  Phaniton  r.  Phantom,  p.  465  1.  14, 
note  for  Supulchre  r.  Sepulchre,  p.  490,  laft  word  for  Lomcu  r.  Losutn. 
509,    1.    7,    note  for  Tour   r.  Tower, 


THE 

HISTORY 

O  F    T  H  E 


B  I  B  L 


J* 


B  O  O  K  IV.     Continued. 


CHAP.     III. 

From  the  Death  of  Korah,  /o /)?>/? Israelites  En- 
trance into  Canaan.     In  all  38  Tears. 

The  History. 

AFTER  the  Eftabliftiment  of  the  High  Priefl's  a.  m. 
Office  in  Jaron,  and  his  Family,  the  IfrasUtes'^'i^Sy  (^c. 
moved  about,  from  Place  to  Place,  in  the  Defarts  "^^g  ^^^' 
of  Arabia.^  but  chiefly  about  the  Mountains  of  Idumtsa^  FromNumb. 
until!  God,  *  by  ftiortening  the  Period  of  human  Life,  had  '^''"'-  ^^  ^e 
taken  away  almoft  all  that  Generation,  (a)  of  whom  he  had^^^^^l^^"^' 
/worn  in  his  Wrath  (as  the  Pfalmijl  exprefles  it)  that  they '_— ^-'__f 

Tiflfraelites 

*  -After  the  many  Judgments  and  Calamities  fent  upon  IMelJ^l''"''!i"f. '" 
by  Reafon  of  their  Rebellions  againft  God,  Mo/es,  perceiving  ^1 
the  divine  Threatnings  to  be  daily  accompliftied,  by  the  frequent 
Deaths  of  thofe  who  came  out  ot  Egypt,  and  nx>hofe  Carcajfes^ere 
to  fall  in  the  Wildernefs,  compofed  the  Ninetieth  Pfalm,  where- 
in he  mentions  the  Reduftion  of  human  Life  to  the  Term  of 
Years,  wherein  it  has  ever  fmce  ftopped,  and  makes  feveral  whol- 
fome  Refleftions  thereupon :  The  Days  of  our  Age  are  three/core 
Years  and  ten ;  and  though  Men  he  Jo  Jlrong,  that  they  co?ne  to 
four/core  Years,  yet  is  their  Strength  then  but  Labour  and  Sorrciv  j 
Jo  foon  pajjeth  it  a-way,  and  <zve  are  gone.  O,  teach  us  therefore 
to  number  our  Days,  that  ive  may  apply  our  Hearts  unto  Wifdom  ! 
Ver.   10,   12. 

(a)  Pfal.    xcv.    II. 

Vol.  III.  A  Jkould 


a  i:he  Hijiory  of  //^^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  IV. 

A.  M.    Jhouldtiot  enter  into  his  Rejl.     And  indeed  good  Reafon  had 
Ant^^Chrlft.^^  to  be  angry  with  them»  fince,  during  the  Remainder 
1485,  &c  of   their  Peregrination,    they    were  guilty  of  manj    more 
f'^°™^™^''-Murmu rings,  and  Idolatries,  thz-n.  Mojes  has  thought  pro- 
■^^'^-Q^^.j^tt  to  r&coxd,  which  are  neverthelefs  mentioned,  with  no 
teronomy.     fmall  Severity,  (b)  by  other  infpired  Writers. 
^— -%'~*^     A'i  the  Time  however  for  their  Entrance  into  th»  Holy 
^^^"l^^^'^'^Z^W  now  drew  near,  from  Ezion  Geber  they  advanced  to- 
j&a^e/Arad.  wards  Kadejh  in  the  Wildernefs  of  5/n,  defigning  very  pro- 
bably to  ent^r  the  Country  through  thofe  narrow  Paflages, 
which,  at  that  Time,  were  called  the  Ways  of  the  Spies  ; 
but  (c)  they  were  repulfed  by  the  King  of  Jrad,  who  com- 
ing out  againfl  them  with  a  ftrong  Force,  flew  a  confidera- 
ble  Number,  and  took  from  them  much  Booty.     In  their 
fecond  Attempt    however  they  fucceeded  better;  for  they 
defeated  the  King's  Army,  fackcd  fome  of  his  Towns,  and 
vowing  at  another  Opportunity  (f  which  happened  in  the 
Time  of  (d)  Jo/hua)  the  utter  Deftrudlion  of  the  whole 
Nation ;  they  took  their  Rout  for  the  prefent  another  Way, 
and  fo  arrived  again  at  Kadefl), 

Here 

(h)  Vid.  Amos  v.  26.  Ezek.  &  Pfal.  paflim,  Afts  vii.  43. 
(c)  Numb.  xxi.   i,   11. 

•f-  The  Jcvjs  have  a  Tradition,  founded  on  an  exprefs  Text 
Jn  Deuteronomy  (Chap.  XX.  10,  iSc^  that  the  Ifraelites  were 
obliged  to  fend  an  Herald  to  offer  Peace  in  their  Name,  to  every 
City  and  People,  before  they  attempted  to  conquer  them  by 
the  Sword ;  that,  in  Cafe  they  accepted  it,  they  only  became 
Tributaries  to  them  ;  but,  if  they  refufed  their  Offer,  they 
were  then  to  be  vonved  to  Deftruftion.  Maimonides  has  taken 
great  Pains  to  prove  that  all  thofe  Nations,  which  were  cut  off 
by  the  Ifraelites,  owed  their  Deftruftion  to  their  chufmg  to  try 
the  Fortune  of  War,  rather  than  accept  of  Peace  upon  fuch 
Terms.     There  is  one  Objeftion  however,    that  feems  to  Hand 

a  little  in  his  Way,  and  that  is, the  Stratagem,  which  the 

Gibeonites  made  ufe  of  to  obtain  Peace  from  Jfrael,  which  would 
have  been  needlefs,  had  the  latter  been  obliged  to  offer  it,  before 
they  began  any  Hoftilities :  But  to  this  the  learned  Rabbi  anfwers 

■'  that  the  Reafon  of  the  Gibeonites  Policy  was,  that 

they  had,  in  common  with  their  Neighbours,  refufed  the  firft 
offer  of  Peace,  and  were  confequently  doomed  to  the  fame  pate 
with  them  ;  and  that,  for  the  Prevention  of  this,  their  Ambaf- 
fadors  feigned  themfelves  to  come  from  a  Country  vaftly  diftant 
from  any  of  the  other  feven,  and  by  that  Means  obtained  the 
defired  Peace.  Maimon.  ap.  Cunsum,  &  Ba/h^.  Rep.  Heb. 
Tom.    I.  Lib.  z.  c.    20.  ^ 

(dj  Jolh.  xxii.  14. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelltes  Departure  from  Egy^t^  ^c.  9 

Here   it   was,  that  Miriam^  the   Sifter  of  Mofes  and     A.  m. 
Jlaron  (*  who  was  older  than  either  of  them)  in  the  hundred  Anc^  Ch^ft 
and  thirty-third   Year  of  her  Age  dyed,  was  buried   with  1489,  gfc' 
great  Pomp,  and  by  the  Ifraelhes  lamented  for  the  Space  of  ^f?."^ Numb. 
a  whole  Month.     Here  it  was,  that  the  People   fell  again En'dof Det- 
into  their  old  Way  of  murmuring  for  Want  of  Water,  teronomy. 
which  God  ordered  Mofes  to  fupply,  by  fpeaking  only  to  a '— — v*"^ 
certain  Rockj  but,  fome  Way  or  other,  he  deviating  from  ^^^""^  "-^ 
his  Inftrudtions,  either  through  Impatience,  or  Diffidence,  Mofes'/ 0/- 
ofFended  God  to  fuch  a  Degree,  as  to  deferve  a.  Denuncia-/'""-  '""' 
tion,  that  neither  he,  nor  his  Brother  Aaron  (who  feems  to^^"^"?'* 
have  been   equally  in  the  Offence)  fhquld  be  permitted  to 
enter  into  Canaan.     Hence  likewife  it  was,  that  Mofes  fent 
an  EmbafTy  to  the  King  of  Edom,  defiring  a  free  Paflage 
through  his  Country,  and  promifmg  to  commit  no  Hofli- 
lities,  nor  give  the  leaft  Moleftation  to  any  of  his  Subjefts. 
But  the  haughty  Edomitew?is{o  far  from  granting  his  Re- 
queft,  that  he  came  out  with  a  ftrong  Army  to  oppofe  him; 
which  Mofes,  no  doubt,  would  have  refented  as  the  Thmg 
deferved,  had  not  God  (whom  heconfulted  upon  this  Oc- 
cafion)  ordered  him,  for  the  prefent,  not   to  engage  with 
the  Eclomites:   So  that,  decamping  from  Kadejh,  became 
to  Mount  Hor,  not  far  from  the  Borders  of  Edom,  where 
God  gzveJaron  Notice  of  his  approaching  Death,  and,  not 
long  after,  commanded  i^<j/^j  to   take  him,  and   Eleazar 
his  Son,  (who  was  to  fucceed  him  in  the  Office  of  the  High- 
Prieft)  to  the  Top  of  the  Mount,  and  there  to  ftrip  Aaron 
of  his  facerdoial  Robes,  and  put  them  upon  his  Son ;  which 

A  2  when 

*  Miriam  was  older  than  either  Aaron  or  Mofes.  Mofes  was 
the  youngeft  :  And,  when  he  was  born,  Ihe  might  probably  be 
about  twelve  Years  of  Age,  becaufe,  when  he  was  expofed  up- 
on the  Banks  of  the  River  Nile.,  fhe,  we  find,  had  j(^ddrefs 
enough  to  offer  her  Service  to  Fharaoh\  Daughter  to  go  and  fetch 
her  a  Nurfe,  which  can  hardly  be  fuppofed  of  one  younger. 
Some  of  the  antient  Fathers  are  of  Opinion,  that  fhe  dyed  a 
Virgin,  and  was  the  Legiflatrix,  or  Governefs  of  the  Jenx:ifJ? 
Women,  as  Mofes  was  of  the  Men  ;  but  the  more  probable  Opi- 
nion is,  that  fhe  was  married  to  Hur,  a  Man  of  chief  Note  in 
the  Tribe  of  Judah,  and  on  feveral  Occafions  a  Perfon  of  great 
Confidence  with  Mofes  ;  but  it  does  not  appear  that  fhe  had  any 
Children  by  him.  She  was  buried,  as  Jofephus  tells  us,  with 
great  Solemnity,  at  the  Charge  of  the  Publick,  and  her  Sepul- 
chre (as  Eufebius  reports)  was  extant  in  his  Time  at  Kadefh,  not 
far  dillant  from  the  City  Petra,  the  Metropolis  of  Arab, a  Petraa, 
Umverfal  Hiftory,  Lib.  i.  c,  7.  and  Ca/»«^/'s  Dictionary. 


4.  the  Hifiory  ^/  /^^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.    when  Mofes  had  done,  jlaron  ||  dyed  on  the  Top  of  Mount 
Arit^'chriil.  ^°^^  being  an  hundred    and  twenty  three  Years  old  ;  and 
1485,  &c.  when  the  People  underftood  that  he  was  dead,  *  they  be- 
FromNumb.  mailed  him  thirty  Days. 

xvui.  to  the  -^  •^  . 

EndofDeu-  -^S 

teronomy. 

II  The  Mount  Hor  was  on  the  Coaft  of  the  Land  of  Edom  to- 
wards the  Eaji,  in  fome  Part  of  that  Trad,  which  was  after- 
wards denoted  by  the  Mount  Seir.  In  Deuteronomy  ii.  12.  we 
are  told  exprefsly,  that  the  Horims  dijuelt  in  Seir  before-time, 
and  accordingly  we  read.  Gen.  xiv.  6.  that  Chedorlaomer,  King 
of  Elam,  with  his  Confederates,  fmote  the  Horites  in  their  Mount 
Seir.  Now  it  feems  very  probable,  that,  as  Places,  at  firft, 
were  wont  to  take  their  Names  from  their  Inhabitants,  both  this 
Place,  and  the  People  might  derive  their  Names  from  one  Hor, 
whom  they  defcended  from,  and  who,  in  the  early  Ages  of  the 
World,  inhabited  this  Country ;  and  that  tho',  in  Procefs  of 
Time,  the  Name  of  Mount  Seir  came  to  be  ufed  to  denote  the 
fame  Traft,  yet  the  old  Name  of  Mount  Hor  was  preferved  in 
that  Part  of  it,  where  flood  the  Mountain  here  fo  called  by  Mofes, 
and  on  which  Aaron  dyed.  There  feems  to  be  however  no  fmall 
Difficulty  in  reconciling  this  Paflage  in  Numbers  xx.  23 — 28. 
with  what  we  read  in  Deut.  x.  6.  That  the  Children  of  Ifrael 
i9ok  their  Journey  from  Beeroth,  of  the  Children  of  Jaakan,  to 
Mofera  :  There  Aaron  died,  and  there  he  ivas  buried.  So  that 
Mofes  feems  to  have  forgot  himfelf,  when,  in  one  Place,  he  tells 
us,  that  his  Brother  Aaron  was  buried  on  Mount  Hor,  and  in 
another  in  Mofera.  To  reconcile  this,  fome  have  fuppofed,  diat 
Mount  Hor  was  fo  near  to  Mofera,  where  the  Ifraelites  had  their 
Encampment  when  Aaron  dyed,  that  either  Place  might,  with 
Propriety  enough,  be  called  the  Place  of  his  Death,  and  his  In- 
terment. It  feems  however,  from  the  Account,  which  we  have 
of  their  Encampments  in  A^z^OT^.  xxxiii.  very  plain,  that  Mount 
Hor  and  Mofera  were  two  diilinft  Places  ;  and  therefore  others 
have  maintained,  that  the  fixth  and  feventh  Verfes  in  the  tenth 
Chapter  of  Deuteronomy,  in  the  common  Hebreiv  Text,  have 
been  extremely  corrupted  by  the  Ignorance  of  fome  Tranfcribers, 
becaufe  the  Hebre'^'u  Samaritan,  or  old  Hebrew  Text,  makes  the 
Account,  in  Deut.  x.  6,  7.  exadlly  agree  with  the  Order  of 
the  Encampments,  mentioned  in  Nu/nb.  xxxiii.  32,  38.  and 
there  it  is  faid,  that  Aaron  dyed,  and  was  buried  in  Mount  Hor. 
Wells's  Geography  of  the  Old  Tellament,  Vol.  II. 

*  The  Author  of  Ecdefeafiicus,  having  given  us  a  long  Com- 
mendation of  Aaron,  and  his  Veitments,  comes,  at  laft,  to  tell 
us,  that  "  God  choie  him  out  of  all  Men  living,  to  offer  Sa- 
*'  orifices  to  the  Lord,  Incenfe,  and  a  fwect  Savour,  for  a  Me- 
*'  morial,  and  to  make  Reconciliation  for  his  People  ;  that  he 
"  gave  unto  him  the  Commandments,  and  Authority  in  the 
"  Statutes  of  Judgments,  tliat  he  ihould  teach  Jacob  the  Telti- 

"  monies, 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelltes  "Departure from  Egypt,  ^c,  5 

As  foon  as  the  Days  of  Mourning  were  over,  they  re-    ^'  ^ 
moved,  and  encamped  at  Zalmanah^  which  took  its  Name  Ant. 'chriit. 
from  the  Image  of  the  Serpent^  which  Mofes  caufed  to  be  ^^^9,  &c- 
fet  up  there.     For  the  Ifraelites,    being   tired   with   the^^JJ^f^^jJ;- 
Length  of  their  Journey,  the   Narrownefs  of  their  PafleSjEndofDcu- 
and  the  Barrennefs  of  the  Country,  began  to  relapfe  into^"°]^"^y- 
their  old  Humour  of  Murmuring  and  Repining,  which  pro-yi^^^J^^^ 
voked  God  to  fend  great  *  Swarms  of  fiery  Serpents  among  Serpent /<« 

A  3  themjV' 

"  monies,  and  inform  Ifrael  in  the  Laws ;  tliat  Strangers  con- 
*'  fpired  together  againft  him,  and  maligned  him  in  the  Wilder- 
*'  nefs  "-this  the  Lord  faw,  and  it  difpleafed  him,  and,  in 
"  his  wrathful  Indignation,  they  were  confumed  :  — — —  But 
"  he  made  Aaron  more  honourable,  and  gave  him  an  Heritage, 
"  and  divided  unto  him  thejirji  Fruits  of  the  Increafe ;  fo  that 
"  he  did  eat  the  Sacrifices  of  the  Lord,  which  he  gave  unto 
"_  him  and  to  his  Seed,  b'f."  He  dyed  in  the  Arms  of  Mofes 
his  Brother,  and  Eleazar  his  Son,  and  Succeffor  in  the  High- 
Priefthood,  They  buried  him  in  feme  Cave  belonging]  to 
Mount  Hor,  and  kept  the  Place  of  his  Interment  from  the 
Knowledge  of  the  Jfraelites,  perhaps  from  an  Apprehenfion, 
that,  in  After- Ages,  they  might  pay  fome  fuperftitious  Worfhip 
to  him  ;  or,  rather,  that  the  Arabians,  among  whom  they  then 
dwelt,  might  not,  at  any  Time,  take  it  in  their  Heads  to 
violate  the  Sanftity  of  his  Grave,  Ecclus.  xlv.   13,  ^c. 

*  Some  Authors  are  of  Opinion,  that  thefe  Serpents  were 
only  little  Worms,  which  bred  in  the  Skin,  and  were  of  fo  ve- 
nomous a  Nature,  tliat  they  immediately  poifoned  thofe,  who 
were  infefted  by  them.  But  it  is  very  evident,  that  not  only 
the  original  Words,  Necajhi?n  Seraphim,  fignify  a  burning  or 
'winged  Serpent,  but  that  thefe  Creatures  are  very  common  both 
in  Egypt  and  Arabia,  infomuch  that  there  would  be  no  living  in 
thofe  Countries,  if  thefe  Serpents  had  not  by  Providence  been 
debarred  from  multiplying,  as  other  Serpents  do.  For  the  Ara- 
bians, tell  us,  that,  after  they  have  coupled  together,  the  Female 
never  fails  to  kill  the  Male,  and  that  her  young  Ones  kill  her,  as 
foon  as  they  are  hatched.  Herodotus,  who  had  feen  feveral  of 
thefe  Serpents,  tells  us,  that  they  very  much  refemble  thofe, 
which  the  Greeks  and  Latins  call  Hydra  ;  and  Bochart  has  quot- 
ed a  great  Nmpber  both  of  antient  and  modern  Authors  to  prove, 
that  they  really  are  the  Hydra.  They  are  but  {hort,  are  fpotted 
with  divers  Colours,  and  have  Wings  like  thofe  of  a  Bat.  The 
Ibis  is  their  mortal  Enemy:  And  Herodotus  tells  us,  that,  at 
Butos  in  Egypt,  he  had  feen  a  vaft  Quantity  of  their  Skeletonsy 
whofe  Flefh  thefe  Birds  had  devoured.  They  love  fweet  Smells, 
frequent  fuch  Trees  as  bear  Spices,  and  the  Marfnes,  where  the 
aromatick  Reed  (or  CaJJta)  grows  ;  and  therefore,  when  the  Ara- 
hians  go  to  gather  the  CaJJiay  they  clothe  themfelves  with  Skins, 

and 


6  ^e  Hijiory   of  the  J^l^l.  E,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.    them  ;  but,  after  the  Death  of  feveral,  and  upon  the  Hu- 
*5'5>  ^"^^  mil'ation  of  the  reft,  he  commanded  Mofes  to  caft  a  *  bra>- 
1489.  &c.  zen  Serpent,  of  the  fame  Size  and  Figure  with  thofe,  that 
From  Numb,  infefted  them,  and  to  fix  it   upon  a  Pole,  fituate  on   fome 
End'of  Deu- ^"^''"^"'  Ground,  that  as  many,  as  were  bitten  by  the  living 
teronomy.     ^erpents,  might  look  up  to  the  brazen  one,  and  be  healed. 
*— — V*'—'  Which  accordingly  was  done,  and  had  its  intended  mira- 
culous EfFe6l. 
Ti&f  iiraeiites     SEVERAL  Were  the  Marches  and  Encampments,  which 
overcome  Si- the    Ifraelites^    without   committing  the  leaft  Hoftilities, 
hon  j'"^Og,ni?de  between  the  Countries  of  Moab  and  Amtnon^  till  they 
TbJllwntT-^^'"^^-'  ^^  length,  to  the  Country  of  the    Amorites.     And 
from  hence  Mofes  ||  fent  Ambafladors  to  ^ihon  their  King, 
demanding  a  Pafiage  through  his  Country,  and  offering  to 
pay  for  all  Manner  of  Neceflaries,  without  giving  him  the 

leaft 

and  cover  all  their  Heads  over,  except  their  Eyes,  becaufe  their 
biting  is  very  dangerous.  Bochart,  de  Animal,  facr.  Part.  II, 
Lib.  3.  c.   13. 

*  This  brazen  Serpent  continued  among  the  ye'ws  above  feven 
hundred  Years,  even  to  the  Time  of  Hezekiah,  King  of  Judah  ; 
but,  when  it  came  to  be  made  an  Obje£l  of  Idolatry,  and  the 
People,  for  feme  Time,  had  paid  their  Incenfe  and  Adoration 
to  it,  that  pious  Prince  caufed  it  to  be  broken  in  Pieces  ;  and,  by 
way  of  Contempt,  called  it  Nehujhtatty  that  is  to  fay,  a  brazen 
Baivble  or  Trifie,  At  Milan  however,  in  the  Church  of  St. 
Amhrofe,  they  pretend  to  fhew  you  a  Serpent  made  of  Brafs, 
which  they  tell  you  is  the  fame  with  that  of  Mofes.  But  every 
one  may  believe  of  this  as  he  pleafes.  Calmefs  Diftionary,  un- 
der the  Word  Serpent. 

If  It  may  here  be  propofed  as  a  Difficulty,  how  Mofes  came  to 
offer  the  Amorites  Terms  of  Peace,  confidering  that  the  Ifrae- 
lites  were  commanded  to  deftroy  them,  and  to  take  Pofleffion  of 
their  Country.  But  to  this  it  has  been  anfwered  by  fome  learned 
Men,  that,  notwithftanding  God  had  exprefsly  doomed  this 
People  to  an  Extermination,  yet  Mofes  thought  himfelf  at  Li- 
berty to  indulge  his  ufual  Meeknefs,  and  to  begin  with  gentle 
and  amicable  Meafures,  though  he  might  at  the  fame  Time  be 
perfuaded,  that  they  would  avail  nothing  ;  and  this  probably  at 
the  Suggeftion  of  God  himfelf,  to  cut  off  all  Occafions  or  Pre- 
tence of  Complaint  from  the  Amorites,  as  if  they  had  not  been 
honoirably  :;!...  lairiy  dealt  with,  and  that  the  Equity  and  Righ- 
teoufnefs  of  God's  Proceeding  with  a  Prince  of  fo  favage  and  ob- 
ilinate  a  Temper  might  appear  in  a  ftronger  Light,  when  the 
Confequence  of  his  refufing  a  free  Pafiage  to  the  Ifraelites,  and 
bringing  his  Army  into  the  Field  againft  them,  fhould  happen  to 
be  his  own  Defeat  and  Deftruftion.  Bibliotheca  Bibl.  on  Numb. 
xxi.  21. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  IfraeJItes  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  7 

leaft  Diflurbance.     But  f  the  Amorite  Prince,  not  thinking    A.  M. 
it  fafe  to  receive  fo  numerous  a  People  into  the  Heart  of  Antf'chrift. 
his  Kingdom,    not  only  denied  thern  a  Paflage,   but  ac-  1489,  &c. 
counting  it  better  Policy  to  attack,  than  to  be  attacked,  ^'^°.^'^^'^- 
gathered  what  Forces  he  could  together,  and  marched  out  gnd  of  Deu- 
to  give  them  Battle.     But  not  far  from  Jahazy  u^here  theteronomy. 
Engagement  was,  the  Jfra^lites  overthrew  him  j  and,  ha-  ^ 
ving  made  themfelves  Mafters  of  his  Country,  put  all,  both 
Man,  Woman,  and  Child,  to  the  Sword  j  And  not  long 
after  this,  Og,  f  King  of  Ba/han,  ■\  a  Man  of  a  prodigi- 

A  4  ous 

'f-  Grottus  (in  his  fecond  Book  de  Jure  Belli  (ff  Pads,  Cap.  2. 
Seft.  13.)  is  of  Opinion,  that,  according  to  the  La'^  of  Nati- 
ons, the  Highways,  Seas,  and  Rivers  of  every  Country  ought 
to  be  free  to  all  PafTengers,  upon  juft  Occafions.  He  produces 
feveral  Examples  from  Heathen  Hillory  of  fuch  Permiffion  being 
granted  to  Armies,  and  thence  he  infers,  that  Sihon  and  Og, 
denying  the  Ifraelites  this  Privilege,  gave  a  juft  Ground  of  War  ; 
nor  does  he  think,  that  the  Fear,  which  thefe  Princes  might 
conceive,  is  any  Excufe  at  all  for  not  granting  the  Thing,  be- 
caufe  no  Man'sFear  can  take  aivay  another  Mans  Rights  efpeci- 
ally,  when  feveral  Ways  might  have  been  found  out  to  have  made 
their  Paflage  fafe  on  both  Sides.  But,  when  all  is  faid,  it  feems 
not  clear,  that  all  Men  have  fuch  a  Right  as  this  great  Man  thinks 
they  may  claim.  No  Man,  we  know,  can  challenge  a  Paflage 
through  a  prin;ate  Man's  Ground  without  his  Leave  ;  and  every 
Prince  has  the  fame  Dominion  in  all  his  Territories,  that  a  pri- 
vate Man  has  in  his  Land.  As  for  tKe  Examples  therefore  of 
thofe,  who  had  permitted  Armies  to  pafs  through  their  King- 
doms, they  are  Examples  of  FaB,  rather  than  of  Right,  and  of 
fuch  as  were  not  in  a  Condition  to  refufe  what  was  demanded  of 
them.  For  the  Thing  is  notorious,  that  feveral  Countries  have 
fufFered  very  grievoufly  by  granting  this  Liberty ;  and  there- 
fore no  Prince,  who  confuks  his  Subjefts  Safety,  is  to  be  blam- 
ed for  not  granting  it ;  nor  was  the  War  with  the  Amorites 
founded  upon  this  Reafon,  as  we  Ihall  fee  hereafter.  Patrick ■^ 
Commentary. 

f  The  Land  of  Bajhan  was  one  of  the  moft  fertile  Cantons 
of  Canaan,  which  reached  on  the  Eaji  to  the  River  "Jordan,  on 
the  Weft  to  the  Mountains  of  Gilead,  on  the  South  to  the  Brook 
Jahhock,  and  on  the  North  to  the  Land  of  Gejhur.  The  whole 
Kingdom  took  its  Name  from  the  Hill  of  Bajhan,  which  is  fitu- 
ate  in  it,  and  has  fmce  been  called  Batanaa,  Jt  had  no  jefs  than 
fixty  walled  Towns  in  it,  befides  Villages.  It  afforded  an  ex- 
cellent Breed  of  Cattle,  and  {lately  Oaks,  and  v/as,  in  fhort,  a 
plentiful  and  populous  Country.     Univerfal  Hiftory,  Lib.  i .  c.  7. 

\  The  Defcription  of  this  gigantick  King,  who  was  the  laft 
•f  the  Race  of  the  Rephaims,  or  vajt  prodigious  Men,  we  have 

m 


'S  The  Hipry  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.    ous  gigantick  Size,  attempting  to  obfl:ru6l  their  Pafiage, 
Antf 'chrift.  ""'^^'■w^^'  the  fame  Fate.     For  they  feized  his  Country, - 
1485,  &c.  and  utterly  deftroyed  the  Inhabitants  tiiereof,  referving  only 
FromNumb^  {^e  Cattle,  and  Spoil  of  the  Cities,  as  a  Prey  to  themfelves. 
End  of  Deu-  ^^  they  had  done  before  in  the  Cafe  of  Slhon. 
teronomy.        Encouraged  by  thefe  Succefles,  the //r^^AV^5  march- 
*— -V""*^  ed  to  the  Plains  of  Moab,  and  encamped  on  the  Banks  of 
^^^°"'"^^g the  River  Jordan,  oppofite  to  Jericho.     This  put   Balak 
Borden     o/(  who  was  then  King  of  Moab)  into  a  terrible  Confternation  : 
Moab,  Baiaic  _Pqj.^  fuppofing  hlmfelf  not  able  to  engage  the  mighty  Force 
laam.       ^"  '^'^  Ifrael,  he  had  not  only  made  a  ftrong  Alliance  with  the 
Midianites  and   Ammonites,  his  Neighbours,  in   order  to 
flop  their  Progrefs,  but  thought  it  advifeable  likewife,  be- 
fore he  began  any  Hoftilities  againft  them,  to  try  how  far 
the  Power  of  Balaam's  Enchantments  (a  noted  Magician 
in  Pethor,  a  City  of  Mefopotamia)   might  go,    in  turning 
^the  Fortune  of  the  War  towards  his  Side. 

To  this  Purpofe  he  difpatched  a  feleft  Number  of  his 
loobies,  with  coftly  Prefents,  to  |1  Balaam,  intreating  him  in 
the  King's  Name  to  come,  and  curfe  him  a  People,  who 

were 

in  Deuteronomy  iii.  1 1 .  and  from  the  Size  of  his  Bed  (which  was 
preferved  a  long  Time  in  the  City  of  Rabbal,  the  Capital  of  the 
Ammo7iites)  we  may  guefs  at  his  Stature.  It  was  nine  Cubits 
long,  and  four  Cubits  broad,  /.  e.  fifteen  Feet  four  Inches  and 
a  half  long,  and  fix  Feet  ten  Inches  broad.  But  the  Je^^ijh 
Doftors,  not  content  with  fuch  Pigmy  Wonders,  have  improved 
the  Story  to  their  own  liking.  For  they  tell  us,  that  this  Bed  of 
nine  Cubits  could  be  no  more  than  his  Cradle,  fince  himfelf  was 
fix  Score  Cubits  high,  when  full-grown  ;  that  he  lived  before 
the  Flood,  and  that  the  Waters  of  it,  when  at  the  higheft,  reach- 
ed only  up  to  his  Knees ;  that  however  he  thought  proper  to  get 
upon  the  Top  of  the  Roof  of  the  Ark,  where  Isloah  fupplyed 
him  with  Provifion,  not  out  of  any  Compaffion  to  him,  but  that 
the  Men,  who  came  after  the  Deluge,  might  fee,  how  great  the 
.  Power  of  God  was,  who  had  deftroyed  fuch  Monjiers  from  the 
Face  of  the  Earth.     Calmet  and  Munfier  in  Deut.  Chap.  iii. 

II  In  2  Pet.  chap.  ii.  ver.  15.  Balaam  is  faid  to  be  the  Son 
^  BosOR,  according  to  our  Verlion;  but  as  the  Words,  the  Son, 
are  not  found  in  the  Original,  but  were  inlerted  by  the  Tran- 
flators,  to  fupply  the  Senfe,  as  they  imagined ;  the  Word  Bofor 
may  denote  a  Place,  as  well  as  a  Per/on,  and  accordingly,  Groti- 
us  underftands  St.  Peters  Words,  not  as  li  Bofor  was  the  Father, 
but  the  City  of  Balaam  ;  For  what  was  antiently  called  Pethor, 
the  Syria?is,  in  After-Ages,  called  Bofor,  by  an  eafy  change  of 
two  Letters,  which  is  a  Thing  not  unufual.  Univerial  Hiftory, 
Lib.  1.  c.  7. 


Ch  A  p .  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  "Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  9 

were  arrived  upon  the  Borders  of  his  Territories;  but  God,    A.  M. 
for  that  Time,  would  not  permit  him  to  go  :  Whereupon ]^nt^'(|[[^^ 
Balak,  fuppofmg  either  that  the  Number  and  Quality  of  1489,  &c. 
his  Meflengers  did  not  anfwer  Balaam's  Ambition,    or  the^".^^"™^« 
Value  of  the  Prefents  his  Covetoufnefs,  fent  Meflengers,  of  e^j  of  Deut 
a  more  honourable  Rank,  with  larger  Propofals,  and  Promi-teronomy. 
fes  of  high  Promotion,  if  he  would  but  gratify  him  in  this  *-*"v*^ 
one  Thing. 

{e)  BALAAM  loved  the  Wages  of  Unrl^hteoufnefs ',  andBaiaam'i 
therefore  blinded  with  this  Paflion,    he  addrefled  God  ior  Journey, and 
Leave  to  go  ;  which  God  in  his  Anger  granted,  but  under  ^**''''^''*"' 
fuch  Reftri£tions,  as  would  neceflarily  hinder  all  his  Fafci-  „-^J,  * 
nations  from  doing  the  Ifraelites  any  Harm. 

With  this  Permiflion  he  fet  forward  with  the  Princes  of 
Moab ;  but  as  he  was  on  the  Road,  an  Angel  met  him,  whom 
(tho'  he  perceived  him  not  j  his  Afs  plainly  faw,  and  there- 
fore turned  afide  into  the  Field  to  avoid  him.  With  much 
ado,  Balaam  beat  his  Afs  into  the  Road  again ;  but  when  the 
Angel  ilood  in  a  narrow  Paflage  between  two  Walls,  which 
inclofed  a  Vineyard,  the  Afs  for  Fear  ran  againlt  one  of  the 
Walls,  and  crufhed  Balaam's  Leg,  which  provoked  him 
fo,  that  he  beat  him  again.  At  lafl:,  the  Angel  removed, 
and  flood  in  a  Place  fo  very  narrow,  that  there  was  no 
Poffibility  of  getting  by  him,  whereupon  the  Afs  fell  down  ^ 
under  his  Rider,  and  would  go  no  farther.  This  enraged 
the  Prophet  ftill  more ;  and,  as  he  was  beating  and  bela- 
bouring the  poor  Creature  moft  unmercifully,  God  was 
pleafcd  to  give  the  Afs  the  Faculty  of  Speech,  wherein  he 
expoftulated  the  hard  Ufage  he  had  met  with  ;  and,  as  Ba~ 
laam  was  going  to  juftify  himfelf,  he  was  likewife  pleafed 
to  open  the  Prophet's  Eyes,  and  let  him  fee  the  Angel 
Handing  in  the  Way  with  a  nftked  Sword  in  his  Hand, 
which  fo  terrifyed  him,  that  he  fell  down  upon  his  Face, 
alked  Pardon  for  his  Trefpafs,  and  offered  to  return  home 
again,  if  fo  be  his  Journey  was  difpleafing  to  God. 

That  his  Journey  was  difpleafing  to  God,  he  himfelf 
could  not  be  ignorant,  becaufe,  in  his  firft  Addrefs,  God 
had  exprelTly  interdidled  his  going.  Being  refolved  how- 
ever, out  of  the  Man's  wicked  Inclination,  to  raife  fome 
Kind  of  Advantage,  and  to  make  him,  who  was  hired  to 
curfe,  the  Inftrument  of  pronouncing  a  Bleffing  upon  his 
People,  God  gave  him  now  free  Leave  to  proceed.  When 
Balak  underflood  that  Balaam  was  on  the  Road,  himfelf 
went  to  receive  him  upon  the  Confines  of  his  Dominions ; 

and 

(p)  2  Pet.  ii.  1 5, 


lo  ^he  Hijiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  IV. 

A.  M.  and  having,  in  a  friendly  Manner,  blamed  him  for  not  co- 
^tf'cSi^ft."^'"?  at  his  firft  fending,  which  Balaam  excufed  upon  Ac- 
1489,  &c.  count  of  the  Rejiraint,  which  God  had  laid  on  him,  he  con- 
FroriiNumb.du(a:ed  him  to  his  capitaiCky,  and  there  entertained  himpuB'- 
mtofTfl^^-^^^^^y*  w^*^  ^'5  Princes  and  Nobles,  that  Day;  and  the  next 
teronomy.  Morning,  carried  him  to  the  high  Places  confccrated  to  * 
'  Baal,  that  from  thence  he  might  take  a  View  of  the  Extremity 
of  the  Ifrael'ttifh  Camp.  Whilft  they  were  here,  the  Prophet 
ordered  f  feven  Altars  to  be  eredted,  and  feven  Oxen,  and 

feven 

*  The  Word  Baal  fignifies  Ltrd,  and  was  the  Name  of  {%- 
veral  Gods,  both  MaleZxA  Female,  as  Selden  [de  Diis  Syrif,  c.  I.) 
fliews.  The  God  of  the  Moabites  was  Chemoft,  but  here  very 
probably  is  called  by  the  common  Name  of  Baal,  And,  as  all 
Nations  worfhipped  their  Gods  upon  high  Places,  fo  this  God 
of  Moab,  having  more  Places  of  Worfhip  than  one,  Balak 
carried  Balaam  to  them  all,  that  from  thence  he  might  take  the 
moil  advantageous  Profpeft  of  the  Ifraelites.  Thefe  high  Pla- 
ces were  full  of  Trees,  and  Ihady  Groves,  which  made  them 
commodious  both  for  the  folemn  Thoughts,  ahd  Prayers  of  fuch 
as  were  devout,  and  for  the  filthy  Inclinations  and  abominable 
Praftices  of  fuch  as  affefted  to  be  wicked.  Patrick'^  Commen- 
tary. 

f  According  to  the  Account,  which  both  FeJIus  and  Servius 
give  us  of  antient  Times,  the  Heathens  facrificed  to  the  Celejiial 
Gods  only  upon  Altars :  To  the  Herrejirial,  they  facrificed  upon 
the  Earth  J  and  to  the  Infernal,  in  Holes  digged  in  the  Earth. 
And  tho'  the  Number  fe--ven  was  much  obferved  among  the  He- 
hreivs,  even  by  God's  own  Appointment,  Levit.  iv.  6.  yet  we 
do  not  read  of  more  than  one  Altar  built  by  the  Patriarchs,  whei^ 
they  offered  their  Sacrifices,  nor  were  any  more  than  one  allowed 
by  Mofes  :  And  therefore  we  may  well  fuppofe,  that  there  was 
fomething  of  heathen  Superftition  in  this  Ereftion  of  /even 
Altars,  and  ihcLt  the  Moahites,  in  their  Worfhip  of  the  Sun,  (who 
is  here  principally  meant  by  Baal)  did  at  the  fame  Time  facrifice 
to  the  feven  Planets.  This  was  originally  a  Part  of  the  Egyptian 
Theology ;  for  as  they  worfhipped  at  this  Time  the  Lights  of 
Heaven,  fo  they  firft  imagined  the  feven  Days  of  the  Week  to  be 
under  the  refpedlivp  Influence  of  thefe  feven  Luminaries.  Belus, 
and  his  Egyptian  Priefts,  having  obtained  leave  to  fettle  in  Baby- 
lon, about  half  a  Century  before  this  Time,  might  teach  the 
Chaldeans  their  Aftronomy,  and  fo  introduce  this  Egyptian  No- 
tion of  the  Influence  of  the  feven  ruling  Stars,  which  Balaam, 
being  no  Stranger  to  the  Learning  of  the  Age  and  Country  he 
lived  in,  might  pretend  to  Balak  to  proceed  upon  in  his  Divi- 
nations and  Auguries.  Le  Clerch  Commentary  in  Locum,  and 
Shnckford\  Connexions,  Vol.  III.  Lib,  xii. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  "Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  1 1 

feven  Rams  to  be  got  ready  ;  and  having  *  offered  an  Ox    ■^-  ^• 
and  a  Ram  on  each  Altar,  he  left  Balak  to  ftand  by  the  Sa-  Anc?'chri(t. 
crifices,  while  himfelf  withdrew  to  confult  the  Lord  ;   and  1489,  &c. 
upon  his  Return,  acquainted  the  King,  "  How  impoffible^'^°JJ^Numb^ 
*'  it  was  for  him  to  do  the  Thing,  that  he  might  expedi  from  End  of  Deu- 
*'  him,  viz,  the  curfing  a  People  who  were  fo  fignally  un-  teronomy. 
*'  der  the  Protection  of  Heaven;  and  fo  magnifying  their' 
*'  Profperity  and  Increafe,  he  concludes  with  a  Wifti,  that 
**  his  Fate  might  be  theirs,  both  in  Life  and  Death." 

BALAK,  at  thefe  Words,  exprelTed  no  fmall  Surprize ; 
but  ftill  not  difcouraged  he  hoped  that  the  Change  of  the 
Place  might  poffibly  produce  fome  better  Luck  :  and  there- 
fore taking  Balaam  to  the  Top  of  Mount  Pifgah,  he  tryed 
whether  he  might  not  be  permitted  to  curfe  them  from  thence. 
But  all  in  vain.  The  fame  Number  of  Altars  were  eredled, 
the  Bullocks  and  Rams  were  offered,  and  the  Prophet 
withdrew  to  confult  God,  as  before  ;  but  ftill  he  returned 
with  no  better  News  :  For  the  Purport  of  his  Declaration 
was,  *'  That  God  was  fixed  and  immutable  in  his  Favour 
''  to  the  Ifraelites ;  that  he  would  not  fuffer  any  bloody 
*'  Defigns,  or  any  Frauds,  or  Inchantments  to  prevail 
*'  againft  them,  but  would  finally  make  them  viftorious, 
*f  wherever  they  came." 

This  was  fo  great  a  Mortification  to  Balak,  that,  to 
filence  Balaam,  he  forbad  him  either  to  curfe  or  blefs ;  but 
he  foon  changed  his  Mind,  and  defired  him  to  make  a  far*- 
ther  Trial  at  another  Place.  Accordingly  another  Place 
was  made  Choice  of.     Frefh  Altars  were  raifed,  and  frefh 

Sacrifices 

*  In  the  Text  It  is  faid,  that  Balak  and  Balaam  offered  on  e'very 
Altar  a  Bullock  and  a  Ram,  Numb,  xxiii.  2.  But,  though  it  was 
cuftomary,  in  thofe  early  Days,  for  Kings  to  officiate  as  Priefts, 
yet  it  is  rather  to  befuppofed,  that  Balak  only  prefented  t\iG^  Sacri- 
fices, and  that  Balaam  performed  the  Office  of  facrificing  them  ; 
but  then  it  may  be  made  a  Queftion,  to  whom  the  Sacrifices  were 
offered.  And  to  this  it  may  be  anfwered,  that  they  might  both 
have  a  different  Intention  ;  that  Balak  might  fupplicate  Baal, 
while  Balaam  was  making  his  Addrefles  to  the  Lord,  though  with 
fuch  fuperftitious  Ceremonies,  as,  it  is  likely,  were  ufed  by  the 
Worfhippers  of  Baal.  Or  why  may  not  we  fuppofe,  that  Ba- 
laam, telling  Balak,  that  he  could  effeft  nothing  without  the 
Lord,  the  God  of  I/rael,  perfuaded  him  to  join  with  him  at  that 
Time  in  his  Worfhip,  that  they  might  more  powerfully  prevail 
with  him  to  withdraw  his  Prefence  from  the  Ifraelites  P  For  there 
is  no  Reafon  to  imagine,  that  Balaam  wo  aid  go  to  enquire  of  the 
Lord,  immediately  after  he  had  facrificed  to  other  Gods.  Patrick^s 
Commentary. 


12  ^he  Hifiory  of  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  IV, 

A.  M.    Sacrifices  offered,  but  all  to  no  Purpofe  :    Balaam.^   percei- 
Ant!"chr[ft.'^^"S  '^at  God  was  refolved  to  continue  bleffing  Ifraely 
148c),  &c.  without  retiring,  as  aforetimes,  under  Pretence  of  conful- 
F^°°^^"^^jting  God,  at  the  firft  Caft  of  his  Eye  upon  the  Tents  of  the 
En'dof  Deu--(^^^'''^^-f>  brake  out  into  Ejaculations  of  Praife  ;  and  then, 
terouomy.    in  proper  and  fignificant  Metaphors^  foretold  their  Extent, 
*—'V"*-' Fertility,    and  Strength,    and  that  thofe  that  bleffed  them, 
Jhould  be  hlejfed^    and  thofe  that  cur  fed  them,  fhould  be 
curfed. 
Uh  Prrfhe-     By  this  Time  Balak,  enraged  to  hear  Balaam,   whom 
cui  ccrcern.\\e  had  fent  for  to  curfe  the  Children  of  Ifrael,  thus  three 
Ikes'  '        Times  fuccej/ively  blefs  them,  could  no  longer  contain  him- 
felf,  but  fmiting  his  Hands  together,  he  bad  him  hafte,  and 
be  gone,  fince,    by  his  foolifh   Adherence  to  God's  Sug- 
geftions,  he  had  both  abufed  him,  and  defrauded  himfelf. 
*  Balaam  had  Recourfe  to  his  old  Excufc,  of  not  daring  to 
tranfcend  the  divine  Commands ;    but,    being  willing  to 
gratify  the  King,  and,  in  Compliance  to  his  covetous  Tem- 
per, to  gain  fome  Reward  to  himfelf,  he  offered  to  advertife 
him  of  what  the  Ifraelites  would  do  to  his  People  in  fubfe- 
quent  Ages  5  but  ftill,  (againft  his  own  Inclination)  he  be- 
ftowed  Bleflings  on  Ifrael,  and  prophefyed,  "  That  a  Star 
* '  fhould  come  forth  from  facob,    and  a  Rod  from  Ifrael ; 
"  that  it  fhould  fmite  the  Chiefs  of  Moab,  and  deflroy  the 
**  Children  of  Seth;  that  Edom^oxA^  fall  under  its  Power; 
*'  and  that  the  Amalekites  and  Kenites  fhould  be  extirpated: 
**  In  fine,  that  the  weft  em  Nations,  the  Greeks  and  Romans, 

««  fhould 

*  Jofephus  brings  in  Balaam  making  his  Apology  for  himfelf, 
in  order  to  pacify  Balakh  Rage,  for  his  having  bleffed  the  Ifrae- 
lites, inftead  of  curfing  them.  "  And  does  King  Balak  think, 
*'  that,  where  Prophets  arc  upon  the  Subjeft  of  Fatalities,  or 
**  Things  to  come,  they  are  left  to  their  own  Liberty,  what  to 
**  fay,  and  what  not,  or  to  make  their  own  Speeches  ?  We  are 
*'  only  the  paflive  Inftruments  of  the  Oracle.  The  Words  are 
*'  put  in  our  Mouths ;  and  we  neither  think,  nor  know  what  we 
**  fay.  I  remember  well,  fays  he,  that  I  was  invited  hither  with 
**  great  Earneftnefs,  both  by  yourfelf  and  by  the  Midianites  ; 
h  "  and  that  it  was  at  your  Requeft  I  came,  and  with  a  Defire  to 

"  do  all,  that  in  me  lay,  for  your  Service.  But  what  am  I  able 
"  to  do  againft  the  Will  and  Power  of  God  ?  I  had  not  the  leaft 
"  Thought  of  fpeaking  one  good  Word  of  the  Ifraelites  Army; 
"  or  of  the  Bleffings,  which  God  hath  in  Store  for  them  ;  but, 
"  fince  God  has  decreed  to  make  them  great  and  happy,  I  have 
*'  been  forced  to  fpeak,  as  you  have  heard,  inftead  of  what  !-> 
"  had  otherwife  defigned  to  fay."  Jeivijh  Antiq.  Lib.  iv. 
cap.  6. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  ICrsithtes Departure  fromEgyipt,  &c.  i  j 

*'  fhould  vanquifh  the  Jj/yrians,  deftroy  the  Hebrews,  and     ^-  ^-^ 
"  perifh  themfelves."  Ant.  'chrift. 

After  thefe  Prediftions,  as  if  vexed  at  his  own  Difap- 1489)  ®'c- 
pointment  in  miffing  the  Reward  he  expefted,    and  with  a^^J^j"^^^""^^ 
Purpofe  to  revenge  himfelf  on  the  Ifraelites,  as  the  Occafion  End  of  Deu- 
of  it,  he  inftruded  the  Moabites  and  Midianites  in  a  wicked  *  teronomy. 
Device  ;  which  was  to  fend  their  Daughters  into  the  Camp^^'^'J^^^J^^ 
of  the  Ifraelites,  in  order  to  draw  them  firft  into  Lewdnefs,  commit 
and  then  into  Idolatry,  the  fure  Method  to  deprive  them  o^Whoredorn 
the  Affiftance  of  that  God,    who  proteaed  tliem.     This^";;^^;-^;^-V 
Artifice  fucceeded  ;  (for  the  very  next  Account  we  have  oi Women,  and 
the  Ifraelites,  is,  that  they  lay  encamped  at  Shittim,  whtxe^re  punijhed 
many  of  them  f  were  dehided  by  thefe  flrange  Women,'' *'^  "* 
not  only  to  commit  Whoredom  with  them,  but  to  affift  at 

their 


*  Tkough  Mo/es  mzhes  no  Mention  of  this  Contrivance,  where 
he  defcribes  the  Interview  between  Balaam  and  Balak  %  yet  in  the 
xxxift  Chapter  of  'Numbers,  Ver.  16.  he  lays  the  whole  Blame 
upon  Balaam;  and  Jofephns  accordingly  informs  us,  that,  after  he 
had  gone  as  far  as  the  River  Euphrates,  he  bethought  himfelf  of 
this  Projeft,  and  having  fent  for  Balak,  and  the  Princes  of  Midi- 
an,  he  thus  addreffed himfelf  to  them.  "  To  the  End  that  King 
•'  Balak,  fays  he,  and  you  the  Princes  of  Midian,  may  know  the 
*'  great  Defire  I  have  to  pleafe  you,  though,  in  fome  Sort,  againft 
*'  the  Will  of  God ;  I  have  thought  of  an  Expedient,  that  may 
**  perhaps  be  for  your  Service.  Never  flatter  yourfelves  that  the 
"  Hebre<zvs  are  to  be  deftroyed  by  Wars,  Peftilence,  Famine,  or 
<*  any  other  of  thefe  common  Calamities  ;  for  they  are  fofecure 
**  under  God's  fpecial  Providence,  that  they  are  never  totally  to 
**  be  extinguiflied  by  any  of  thefe  depopulating  Judgments :  But, 
*'  if  any  fmall,  and  temporary  Advantage  againft  them  will  give 
*'  you  any  Satisfaftion,  hearken  to  my  Advice.  Send  into  their 
"  Camp  a  Proceffion  of  the  lovelicft  Virgins  you  can  pick  up  ; 
**  and  to  improve  Nature,  drefs  them  up  with  all  the  Ornaments 
*'  of  Art,  and  give  them  their  Leffons,  how  to  behave  themfelves 
*'  upon  all  Occafions  of  Court/hip  and  Amour.  If  the  young 
*'  Men  ftiall  make  Love,  and  proceed  to  any  Importunities,  let 
*'  them  threaten  immediately  to  be  gone,  unlefs  they  will  aftually 
*'  renounce  their  Country's  Laws,  and  the  Honour  of  that  God, 
*'  who  prefcribedthem,  and  finally  engage  themfelves  to  worfliip 
*'  after  the  Manner  of  the  Midianites  and  Moabites.  This,  fays 
"  he,  will  provoke  God,  and  draw  Vengeance  upon  their  Heads." 
Je-ivi/h  Antiq.  ibid. 

f  The  Jenvijh  Dodlors  tell  us,  that,  on  a  great  Feftival,  which 
the  Moabites  made  in  Honour  of  their  God  Baal-peor,  fome 
Ifraelites,  who  happened  to  be  there,  cafting  their  Eyes  upon 
their  young  Women,  were  fmitten  with  their  Beauty,  and  cour- 
ted 


14  ^he  Hidory  of  the^llil.  E,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.  their  Sacrifices,  and  worfhip  their  Gods,  even  *  Baal-peor) 
Ant?'chr?ft.  3"^^  was  a  Crime  fo  deteftable  to  God,  that  he  punifhed  it 
1489,  &cy  with  a  Plague,  which,  in  a  fhort  Time,  carryed  off  ||  about 
From  Numb,  t^gjjty.  four  Thoufand  of  the  Offenders.  This  however 
Ead'of  Deu-  was  HOt  the  Only  Punifhment,  which  God  exaded :  For  he 
teronomy.  Commanded 

ted  their  Enjoyment  j  but,  that  the  Women  would  not  yield  to 
their  Motion,  upon  any  other  Condition,  than,  that  they  would 
worlhip  their  Gods.  Whereupon,  pulling  a  little  Image  of  Peor 
out  of  their  Bofom,  they  prefented  it  to  the  Ifraelites  to  kifs,  and 
then  defired  them  to  eat  of  the  Sacrifices,  which  had  been  offered 
to  him.  But  Jofephus  tells  the  Story  otherwife,  ^iz.  That  the 
Women,  upon  fome  Pretence  or  other,  came  into  the  Ifraelitijh 
Camp,  and,  when  they  had  enamoured  the  young  Hebrenvs,  ac- 
cording to  their  Inftruftions,  they  made  a  Pretence,  as  though 
they  muft  be  gone;  but,  upon  paffionatc- Entreaties,  accompani- 
ed with  Vows  and  Oaths  on  the  other  Side,  the  fubtle  Enchav- 
trejfes  confented  to  ftay  with  them,  and  grant  them  every  Thing 
that  they  defired,  upon  Condition  that  they  would  embrace  their 
Religion.     P^^^rzc/^'s  Commentary,  zxA  Jofephus,  ibid. 

*  The  Jenvijh  Doftors  are  generally  of  Opinion,  that  this 
Baal-peor  was  the  fame  with  Priapus,  the  Idol  of  Turpitude  ;  and 
that  the  Worlhip  of  him  confifted  in  fuch  obfcene  Pradtices,  or 
Poftures  at  leaft,  as  were  not  fit  to  be  named.  Others  have  afler- 
ted,  that  this  God  was  the  fame  with  Saturn,  a  Deity  adored  in 
Arabia ;  nor  is  it  unlikely,  that  the  Adventure  related  of  Saturriy 
and  his  Caftration  by  his  own  Son,  may  have  introduced  the  Ob- 
fcenities,  that  are  practifed  in  the  Worfliip  of  this  Idol.  But 
others,  with  great  Afiurance,  maintain,  that  Pcor  was  the  fame 
with  Adonis,  whofe  Feafts  were  celebrated  in  the  Manner  of 
Funerals,  but  the  People,  who  obfervei  them,  at  that  Time, 
committed  a  Thoufand  diflblute  Aftions,  particularly  when  they 
were  told,  that  Adonis,  whom,  they  had  mourned  for  as  dead,  was 
returned  to  Life  again.  However  this  be,  it  is  very  probable, 
that  as  Peor  was  the  Name  of  a  Mountain  in  the  Country  oiMoaby 
the  Temple  of  Baal  flood  upon  it,  and  thence  he  was  called 
Baal-Peor.  C«/?-vf /'s  Comraentaries  and  Differtations.  Patrick\ 
Commentary,  and  Selden  de  Diis  Syris. 

II  St,  Paul,  in  his  Obfervation  upon  the  Judgments,  which  be- 
fel  the  Ifraelites  in  the  V/ildernefs,  tells  us  exprelly,  that  the 
Number  of  thofe,  who  were  cut  off  in  this  Plague,  was  no  more 
than  three  and  twenty  Thoufand,  1  Cor.  x.  8.  Whereas  Mofes 
makes  them  no  lefs  than /oar  and  t^wenty  Thoufand.  But  this  Dif* 
ference  is  eafily  reconciled,  if  we  do  but  confider,  that  in  the 
four  and  fwenty  Thoufand,  which  Mofes  computes,  the  Thoufand 
who  were  convifted  of  Idclatry,  and  thereupon  were  Ilain  with 
the  Sword,  in  the  Day  cf  the  Plague,  (Numb.  xxv.  5,  1 8  )  are 
comprehended;  whereas  the  Apoflle  fpeaks  of  none,  bu^  thofe, 
that  died  of  the  Peftilence.    Pef rick's  Commentary. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  1 5 

commanded  Mofes  %  to  ere£l  a  Court  of  yudicature  confif-     A.  M. 
ting  of  the  Heads  of  all  the  Families,  and  to  try  and  ^^^g)lnt.'ch.dA. 
all,  that  had  been  guilty  of  this  Whoredom  and  Idolatry,  1489,  &c. 
without  Refped  to  Friendfhip  or  Kindred  ;  which  was  ac-F^°™Numb. 
cordingly  done,  and  about  one  Thoufand  more  were  in  this^j^^  of  Deu- 
Manner  put  to  Death.  teronomy. 

By  this  Time,  the  greateft  Part  of  the  People,    being''— -v—*^ 
come  a  little  to  themfelves,  were  bewailing  their  Folly  and  ^^^^^  ^"J 
Wickednefs,  at  the  Door  of  the  Tabernacle ;  when  they  Puni/hment 
were  furprized  with  *  an  Inftance  of  the  moft  unparallelled»/Z."»r'- 
Boldnefs  in  one  of  the  Chiefs  of  the  Tribe  of  Simeon,  nam- 
ed Zimri,  who,  in  the   Sight  of  Mofes,  and  the   whole 
Congregation,  had  brought  a  young  Midianitijh  Princefs, 

whofe 

%  According  to  our  ^ranjlation,  the  Command,    which  God 

gave  Mofes,   runs  thus :  -^ T^ake  all  the  Heads  of  the  People^ 

And  hang  them  up  before  the  Lord,  againf  the  Sun,  that  the  fierce 
Anger  of  the  Lord  may  he  turned  anvay  from  Ifrael,  Numb.  xxv.  4. 
But  unlefs  we  can  fuppofe,  that  the  Heads  of  each  Tribe  were 
guilty  of  this  Lewdnefs  and  Idolatry,  the  Sentence  here  de- 
nounced would  have  been  highly  unjuft  :  And,  what  others  al- 
ledge,  that  they  were  guilty  of  a  Ihameful  Neglefl  in  not  oppo- 
fing  the  growing  Mifchief,  and  punifhing  the  Ofienders  ;  this 
might  be  very  probably  out  of  their  Power,  fmce  even  Mofes  him- 
felf,  very  frequently,  found  them  too  headftrong  for  him.  It 
was  fomewhat  ftrange  therefore,  that  our  Tranfators  fhould  take 
the  Paflage  in  this  Senfe,  when  the  Samaritan  Copy,  the  Jeru- 
falem  Targum,  moft  of  the  antient  Tranfations,  and  feveral  later 
Commentators  of  great  Note,  have  made  the  Word  Otham,  i.  e. 
them,  not  to  refer  to  the  Heads  of  the  People,  but  to  fuch  as  had 
joined  themfelves  to  Baal-peor  :  And  fo  the  Meaning  of  the  Com- 
mand will  be,  that  the  Heads  of  the  People  fhould  divide  them- 
felves into  feveral  Courts  of  Judgment,  and  examine  who  had 
committed  Idolatry,  and,  after  Conviftion,  caufe  them  to  be 
hanged,  /.  e.  hanged  after  they  were  ftoned ;  for  among  the  He- 
hrenjos  none  were  hanged  alive,  but  in  the  Cafes  of  Idolatry  or 
Blafphemy,  were  ia^  ftoned,  and  then  hanged  up  again  ft  the  Sun, 
i.  e.  publickly  and  openly,  that  all  the  People  might  fee,  and  fear 
to  fin,     PatricFs  Commentary. 

*  When  the  Ifraelites,  at  the  Inftigation  of  the  ftrange  Wo- 
men, they  had  received  into  the  Camp,  were  fallen  from  Luft 
into  Idolatry,  Mofes  (according  to  Jofcphus)  perceiving  that  the 
Infedlion  began  to  fpread,  called  the  People  together,  and,  in  a 
general  Difcourfe,  reminded  them  how  unworthy  a  Thing  it  was, 
and  how  great  a  Scandal  to  the  Memory  of  their  Anceftors  for 
them  to  value  the  gratifying  their  Lufts  and  Appetites,  above 
the  Reverence,  they  owed  to  their  God,  and  their  Religion ; 
how  incongruous  a  Thing,  for  Men,  that  had  been  virtuous  and 

modeft 


i6  The  Hipry  of  the  "BIB  I.  E,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.  whofe  Name  was  Cozbi^  into  the  Camp,  and  was  leading 
Ant^'chrift.^^"^  into  his  Tent.  Their  Impudence  however  did  not 
1485),  &c.  go  unpuniflied;  for  Pbineas,  the  Son  of  Eleazar  the 
FromNumb.fjigh.Pj.igfl.^  fired  with  a  juft  Indignation  and  holy  Zeal, 

EndofDeu-^o^'ow^'^  ^h^"^  "^'^o  ^^^1"^"^  with  a  Javelin  in  his  Hand, 
teronomy.  where,  in  the  very  Adl  of  Whoredom  *,  he  thruft  them 
'both  through  the  Body,  and,  by  this  Adlion,  not  only  ob- 
tained an  high  Commendation  from  God,  but  an  Eftablifh- 

ment 

modeft  in  the  Defart,  to  lead  fuch  profligate  Lives  In  a  good 

Country,    and  fquander  away  that  in  Luxury,    which  they  had 

honeftly  acquired  in  the  Time  of  their  Diftrefs  ;    and  thereupon 

he  admoniflied  them  to  repent  in  Time,  and  to  ftiew  themfelves 

brave  Men,  not  in  the  Violation  of  the  Laws,  but  in  the  Maftery 

of  their  unruly  AfFedlions.     This  he  fpoke  without  naming  any 

one  :    But  Zi/nri,    who  took  himfelf  to  be  pointed  at,    lofe 

up,  and  made  the  following  Speech.     "  You  are  at  Liberty, 

*'  Mofes,  fays  he,  to  ufe  your  own  Laws :    They  have  been  a 

**  long  Time  in  Exercife,  and  Cuftom  is  all  that  can  be  laid  for 

*'  their  Strength  or  Credit.     Were  it  not  for  this,  you  would, 

"  to  your  Coft,  have  found  long  fxnce,  that  the  Hebrenxis  are  not 

*'  to  be  impofed  upon ;  and  I  myfelf  am  one  of  the  Number, 

*'  that  never  will  truckle  to  your  tyrannical  Oppreffion.     For 

*'  what's  your  Bufmefs  all  this  while,    but,  under  a  bare  Pre- 

"  text,  and  Talk  of  Laws,  and  God,  to  bar  us,  not  only  from 

**  the  Exercife,  but  the  very  Defire  of  Liberty  ?    What  are  we 

**  the  better  for  coming  out  of  Egypt,  if  it  be  only  in  Exchange 

**  for  a  more  grievous  Bondage  under  Mo/es  ?  You  are  to  make 

*'  here  what  Laws  you  pleafe,  and  we  to  abide  the  Penalties  of 

*'  them,  when  at  the  fame  Time,  'tis  you  only,  that  deferve  to 

"  be  puniflied  for  abolilhing  fuch  Cuftoms,  as  are  authorized 

"  by  the  common  Confent  of  Nations,  and  fetting  up  your  own 

*'  Will  and  Fancy  againft  general  Practice  and  Reafon.     For 

*'  my  own  Part,  what  I  have  done,  I  take  to  be  well  done,  and 

*'  Ihall  make  no  Difficulty  to  confefs  and  juftify  it.     I  have,  as 

*'  you  fay,  marryed  a  Jlrange  Woman.     I  fpeak  this  with  the  Li- 

"  berty  of  an  honell  Man  ;  and  I  care  not  who  knows  it.     I 

"  never  meant  to  make  a  Secret  of  it,  and  you  need  look  no 

*'  farther  for  an  Informer.     I  do  acknowledge  too,    that  1  have 

*'  changed  my  Way  of  Worfhip,    and  reckon  it  very  reafonable 

"  for  a  Man  to  examine  all  Things,    that  would  find  out  the 

*'  Truth,  without  being  tied  up  (as  if  it  were  in  a  defpotick  Go- 

*'  vernment)  to  the  Opinion  and  Humour  of  one  fmgle  Man." 

JeiJuiJh  Antiq.  Lib.  iv.  c.  6. 

*  Upon  this  Faft  the  Jeivs  found  what  they  call  the  Judgment 
\  of  Zeal,  which  authorized  fuch,  as  were  full  of  this  holy  Fer- 
fvour,  to  punifh  any  violent  Offenders,  thofe,  to  wit,  who  blaf- 
phemed  God,  or  profaned  the  Temple,  ^c.   in  the  prefence  of 

ten 


Gh  A  p .  III.  from  the  Ifrael I tes  'Departure from  Egypt,  ^c.  1 7 

ment  likewife  of  f  the  Aaronical  Priefthood  in  himj  and     A.  m. 
his  Pofterity,  for  ever  after,  Antfchriit 

As  foon  as  this  Diforder  was  quieted,  and  the  Offenders  1489,  (gc' 
puni(hcd^  Mofes  began  to  bethink  himfelf  of  revenging  the  ^'■?.'."^'^"'""- 
Indignity,  which  the  Moabites  and  Midianites  had  put  "p- Eri'd'ol-Deu- 
on  Ifraehi  aftd  to  this  Purpofe,  commanded  a  Detachment  teronomy, 

^he  total  De~ 
ft«t   and 

ten  Men  o^  Ifrael,  without  any  formal  Procefs.     But  thisEx- i/aa^^/'^r  of 
ample  of  Phineas  countenances  no  fuch  Praftice  j  nor  can  this  '^«  Moabitej 
Adtion,  done  upon  an  extraordinary  Occafion,  by  a  Perfon  in  ^.""^  ^^^'■^' 
publick  Authority,  moved  thereunto  by  a  ftrong  divine  Impulfe,  "'^'^'* 
and  (what  is  a  Circumftance,  that  fome  People  add)  in  a  Com- 
monwealth not  perfeftly  fettled,  be  made  a  Precedent   for  pri- 
vate Men,  under  a  different    Situation,  to  invade  the  Office  of 
the  Magiftrate,  and,  with  enthufiaftick  Rage,  to  pcrfecute  even 
thofe,  that  are  moft  innocent ;  as  we  plainly  find  it  happened 
among  the  Jenjcs,  when,  in  the  latter  Times  of  their  Govern- 
ment, they  put  this  Precedent  in  Execution  ;    of  v/hich  St.  Ste- 
phen, whom  they  inhumanly  ftoned,  and  St.  Paul,  whom  they 
vowed  to  afTaffinate,  without  any  Form  of  Juftice,  are  notorious 
Inllances      Patrick''^  and  Le  Clerc\  Commentaries. 

-f-  This  however  is  to  be  underftood  with  a  certain  Limitation  ; 
becaufe  it  is  manifeft,  that,  after  fome  Succeffions  in  the  Line  of 
Phineas,  the  Priefthood  came,  for  a  while,  into  the  Family  of 
Eli,    who  was  defcended  from  Ithamar,    the  youngeft  Son  of 
Aaron.     The  Reafon  of  this  Interruption   is  not  mentioned  in 
Scripture  ;  but  fome  great  Sin,  'tis  reafonable  to  fuppofe,   pro- 
voked God  to  fct  afide  the  Line  of  Eleazar  for  fome  Years, 
till  EWi  Sons  likewife  became  fo  wicked,    that  the  Priefthood 
was  taken  from  them,  and  reftored,  in  the  Days  of  Solomon,  to 
the  Pofterity  of  Phineas,  with  whom  it  continued,  as  long  as  the 
Priefthood  lafted.     And  this  is  enough  to  verify  the  Promife  of  an 
e'verlajiing  Priefthood,    iince  the  Words,  E^erlafiing,  Perpetual, 
and  the  like,  in  a  general  and  indefinite  Senfe,  denote  no  more 
than  a  long  Duration.     But  there  is  another  Way  of  folving  this 
Difficulty ,  God  had,  before  this  Time,  limited  the  Priefthood  to 
Aaron  and  his  Defendants,  and  to  them  it  was  to  be  an  e^erlaf- 
ting  Priejihood,  throughout  their  Generations,  Exod.  xl.   1 5.   upon 
this  Account  it  might  properly  enough  be  call'd,  as  limited  to  that 
Family,  the  enierlafiing  Priefhood.     So  that,  God  does  not  here 
promife  Phineas,  and  his  Seed  after  him,    an  e'verlafting  Grant 
of  the  Priefthood,  as  fome  Commentators  take  it ;  nor  a  Grant 
of  an  e'verlafting  Priefthood,  as  our  Englijh  Verfion  renders  it, 
but   rather  a   Grant  of  the   ^-vcrlafting  Priefthood,    i.  e.  of  tlie 
Priefthood  limited  to  Aaron  and  his  Defcendants  by  that  Appel- 
lation.    Selden,  deSaccefT.  Pontif.  Lib.  i.  c.  2.  and  Sbuckfsrd's 
Connexion,  Vol    IIL  Lib.  xii. 
Vol.  III.  B 


1 8  The  Hiftory  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,    Book  IV. 

A.  M.  of  twelve  Thoufand  choice  Men,  /•  e.*  z  Thoufand  out  of 
Ant?'ch/iit.^v^''y  Tribe,  to  go  againft  them  ;  among  whom  was  the  f 
1485),  (gc.  gallant  Ph'meas^  who  took  with  him  the  Ark,  and  what 
FromNumb.  ^y^g  jepofited  therein,  together  with  the  facred  Trumpets^ 
Endof  Deu-^o  blow  in  the  Time  of  Adion,  in  order  to  animate  the 
teronomy.  Men.  The  fewijh  Army  was  but  fmall  in  Comparifon  of 
'the  vaft  Numbers  they  marched  againft ;  but  God,  who  put 
them  upon  the  Expedition,  blefl'cd  them  with  fuch  Succefs, 
that  they  flew  five  Kings,  and,  among  them,  the  wicked 
Prophet  Balaam ;  put  every  one  to  the  Sword,  except  Wo- 
men and  Children ;    and  returned   to  Mojes  with  a  very 

confiderable 

*  The  Scripture  gives  us  no  Account  of  the  Order  of  Battle 
between  thefe  two  Armies  ;  but,  in  all  Probability,  they  were 
difpofed  according  to  the  Method  of  the  antient  People  of  AJia ; 
and  therefore  we  may  range  the  Ifraelites  upon  one  Line,  formed 
of  twelve  Corps,  confifting  of  a  Thoufand  Men  each,  at  the 
Head  of  which  was  the  Jrk  of  the  Co'uenant,  furrounded  by  the 
Priefts  and  Levites,  whofe  Bufinefs  it  was  to  found  the  Charge, 
as  well  as  defend  the  Ark.  The  Midianites,  we  may  fuppofe, 
were,  in  like  Manner,  ranged  in  a  Phalanx,  upon  one  Line, 
and,  as  the  Ifraelites  were  doubtlefs  much  inferior  in  Number  to 
their  Enemies,  they  made  much  larger  Intervals  between  the 
Corps  of  a  thoufand  Men  each,  in  order  to  penetrate  the  Ene- 
mies Front  in  different  Places.  This  was  the  conftant  Praftice 
of  the  feivs,  whenever  they  were  inferior  in  Number  to  their 
Enemies.     Calmeth  Didlionary  under  the  Word  Midianites. 

-f-  Whether  this  Phineas  was  fent  to  command  the  Troops, 
which  were  appointed  by  God  to  take  Vengeance  on  the  Midi- 
anites, or  whether  he  went  along  with  the  Army,  only  to  per- 
form fuch  facred  Offices,  as  Ihould  be  required  by  the  General, 
(who  with  more  Probability  perhaps  is  thought  to  be  Jojhua)  are 
Queftions  arifmg  from  the  Silence  of  Scripture  concerning  the 
chief  Commander.  Phineas  indeed  was  a  Man  of  great  Cou- 
rage, and  had  lately  performed  a  fmgular  Piece  of  Service, 
which  had  gained  him  great  Reputation,  and  from  hence  fome 
have  imagined,  that  he  was  the  fitter  Perfon  to  be  fent  with  an 
Army  to  a^venge  the  Lord  of  Midian ;  as  it  is  certain,  that,  in 
After-Ages,  the  Maccabees  (who  were  of  the  Family  of  ths 
Priefts)  were  appointed  chief  Commanders.  But  then  it  muft  be 
confidered,  that  thefe  Maccabees  were  the  fupreme  Governors  of 
the  People,  and,  as  fuch,  had  a  Right  to  the  military  Command ; 
that,  in  the  War  with  the  Amorites,  Mofes  had  fent  the  Forces 
under  Jojhua's  Conduft  ;  and  that  Phineas,  in  fhort,  had  ano- 
ther Province  appointed  him,  which  was  to  take  care  of  the 
holy  Inftruments :  But  what  thefe  Inftruments  were,  is  another 
iQueftion.  Several  Interpreters  are  of  Opinion,  that  they  were 
Ihe  Urim  and  Thutnmim,  which  Phineas  might  take  along  with 

him» 


Chap.  HI.  from  the  If]  aeii  tes  Departure  from  Egy  pr,  ^l.  19 

confiderable  Booty  j    one  fiftieth  Part  of  which  he  ordered     A.  M. 
to  be  given  to  the  Priejisy  another  fiftieth  to  the  Levites,  Ant"  Cb-p^ 
and  the  reft  to  be  divided  among  the  Soldiery.  14B9,  &c. 

The  Remembrance  however  of  wiiat  Damage  the  ilfz-i''^mi'^^n:b. 
dianitijh  Women  had  done,  by  alluring  the  Ijr^^ittes  \.o^^^'^^q^^_ 
Idolatry,  made  him  think  it  unfafe  to  fpare  their  Lives  ;  andtaoaomy. 
therefore  he  ordered  al!  thofe,  that  had  ever  known  Man, 
as  well  as  all  the  f  Male-children,  to  be  immediately  dif- 
B  2  patched, 

him,   in  order  to   confult  God,  in  cafe  of  any  Difficulty  that 
might  arife  in  the  Management  of  the  War ;    and  to  counte- 
nance this,  they  ilippofe  that  Eleazar  was  fuperannuated,  and  his 
Son  fubflituted  in  his  Room.     But  it  may  be  juftly  doubted, 
whether  Phineas,   being  the  only  Son  of  the  High-Prieft,  and 
not  yet  capable  of  that  Office,  could  be  fubilituted  to  perform 
this  great  Charge,    which  belonged  to  the  High-Prieft  alone  : 
Nor  do  we  find  any  Warrant  for  confulting  the  Lord  ky  Urim  and 
Thummim,    but  6nly  before  the  Tabernacle.     It  ieems  there- 
fore much  more  likely,  that,  by  the/^o/y  hifiru?netits,  Mofes  means 
the  Ark  of  the  Co'venant,  and  what  was  included  in  it,  which,  in 
the  following  Ages,  was  wont  to  be  carried  into  the  Field,  when 
the  People  went  to  fight  againft  their  Enemies.     Nay,   "Jojhua 
himfelf,  not  long  after  this,  ordered  the  Ark  to  be  carried,   with 
Priefts  blowing  Trumpets  before  it,  when  he  furrounded  "Jericho, 
(Jofh.  vi.  4,  l^c.)  And  therefore  fincethe^o/y  Inftrwnentszxt  here 
joined  with  the  Trumpets,  it  looks  very  probable,  that  they  fhould 
iignify  the  Ark.  Nor  can  we  apprehend  that  Mofes  ran  any  Rifque 
in  venturing  the  Ark  upon  this  Occafion,  becaufe  God  had  aifii- 
red  his  People,   that  they  fhould  obtain  a  compleat  Viftory  over 
the  Midianites.     It  muil  be  confeffed  however,  that  the  Ark  is 
never  thus  expreiTed  in  any  other  Part  of  Scripture,  and  therefore 
perhaps  they  give  as  true  a  Senfe  of  the  Words  as  any,  who  make 
the  holy  Injlruments  and  Trumpets  to  be  One  and  the  fame  Thing, 
and  the  latter  no  more  than  an  Explication  of  the  former  \  which .. 
Trumpets  the  Priefts  were  commanded  to  take  with  them,    that 
they  might  found  a  Charge,  when  the  Engagement  begun,    ac- 
cording to  their  Direftion,  Numb.  x.  8.  9.  and  as  the  Pradicewas 
in  future  Ages,   z  Chron.  xm.  12. 

f  Mofes  ordered  the  Male-children  to  be  flain,  that  thereby 
he  might  extirpate  the  whole  Nation,  as  far  as  lay  in  his  Power, 
and  prevent  their  avenging  the  Death  of  their  Parents,  in  cafe 
they  were  fuffered  to  live  to  Pvlan's  Eftate.  For  it  is  no  h^ard 
Matter  to  conceive,  how  dangerous  fuch  a  Number  of  Slaves, 
confcious  that  they  were  born  free,  and  had  loft  their  Liberty 
with  the  MafTacre  of  then-  Parents,  might  have  proved  to  a  Com-  , 
mon wealth,  every  where  furrounded  v/ith  Enemies.  Why  he  was 
fo  fevere  againft  the  Women  we  need  nol  wonder,  if  we  do  but 
confider,  that,  either  by  proftituting  themfeives,  or  their  Daujh 

u-rs. 


20  The  Hijlory  of  the  ^l^L  E,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.  patched,  and  none,  *  but  Virgins,  to  be  faved  alive  ;  And 
Ant^chHft.y^^  (what  (hews  theGreatnefs  of  the  Vidory)  the  Virgin- 
1489,  &c.  Captives  amounted  to  two  and  thirty  thoufand,  and  the 
FromNumb.  Plunder  of  Cattle  and  Flocks  confifted  of  fix  hundred  and 
En'd'ofDeu-^'^^^^^y  ^^^  thoufand  Sheep,  feventy  and  two  thoufand 
teronomy.  Oxcn,  and  fixty  one  thoufand  Affes,  befides  a  great  Quan- 
tity of  rich  Goods  and  Ornaments ;  And  (what  makes  the 
Victory  ftill  more  miraculous)  not  *  one  Man  on  the  Ifrae- 
lites  Side  (as  appears  from  the  Report  of  the  Officers  made 
upon  the  Mufter)  was  loft  in  this  Engagement. 

Th  e  Officers  of  the  Army  were  very  fenfible,  that,  in 
"■faving  the  Captive- Women  alive,    they  had  tranfgrefled 

their 

tcrs,  they  had  been  the  chief  Inftruments  of  drawing  the  I/raelites 

into  Idoiatr/i 

Etfi  nullum  memorabile  Nomen 

Fceminea  in  pcena  eft,  nee  habet  viftoria  laudjrti ; 
Extinxiffe  nefas  tamen,  &fumpfifre  merentis 
Laudabor  poenas. ^  Vifg.  Mn.  Lib.ii.ver.  $83.  i^c. 

iihliotheca  Bibl.  and  Le  Clerc\  Commentary  On  Numb.  xxxi.  17. 

*  The  Jews  have  a  Tradition,  that,  in  order  to  find  out 
v/ho  were  real  Virgins,  the  young  Women  were  placed,  at  a 
proper  Diftance  with  other  Women,  and  all  commanded  to  fix 
their  Eyes  upon  the  High-Prieft's  Mitre ;  whereupon  thofe,  who 
had  knonxin  Maii,  turned  inftantly  as  pale  as  Afhes,  and  thofe,  that 
had  not,  became  as  fed  as  Fire.  But  there  feems  to  be  no  great 
Occafion  for  this  Miracle,  When  either  the  Appearance  of  an 
unqualifyed  Age,  or  the  Examination  of  fome  feleft  Matrons 
might  determine  the  Matter  as  well.  BiUiothtca  Bibl.  on 
Numb.  xxxi.  18. 

*  In  the  vth  Chapter  of  the  1  ft  Book  of  Maccabees,  we  have 
an  Account  of  another  Vidlory  of  the  like  Nature,  when  Judast 
after  having,  feveral  Times,  defeated  Timotheus  the  Heathen  Ge- 
neral, a/Taulted  the  City  of  Ephron  a  whole  Day  and  a  Night, 
and  all  without  the  Lois  of  a  Man.  For  they  'went  up  to  Mount 
Sion  nvith  Joy  and  Gladnefs,  -where  they  offered  Burnt-Offerings, 
b'ecauft  not  one  of  them  nvasjlain,  until  they  had  returned  in  Peace. 
And  (if  other  Hiftorians  may  be  credited)  the  Hke  has  happened 
among  other  Nations.  After  the  famous  and  bloody  Battle  of 
LcuSira,  the  Lacedamonians  and  Arcadians  had  a  very  (harp  En^ 
gagement,  in  which  the  latter  loft  many  Thoufands  of  Men,  and 
the  former  not  ohe  :  And,  in  a  Sea-Engagement,  between  the 
Portuguefe  and  the  Indians,  Oforius  Lujitanus  tells  us,  that  the  Por- 
tuguefe  Admiral,  Pacheco,  fucceeded  fo  well,  that  he  killed  above 
fifteen  Hundred  of  the  Infidels,  without  the  Lofs  of  one  Man. 
De  Rebus  Emman.  Lib.  iii.  But  whether  this  had  any  Thing 
miraculous  in  it,  or  was  only  the  EfFeft  of  God's  ordinary  Provi- 
dence, we  fhall  not  pretend  to  determine.  Bibliotheca  Bibl. 
OP.  Numb.  xxxi.  ^g. 


Ch  A  p .  III.  from  the  Ifraelltes  'Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c,  2 1 

their  Commiffion ;  and  therefore  *  they  prefented  a  great    ^-  ^ 
Quantity  of  Jewels,  and  other  rich  Spoils,  both  as  an  <"•*■- Ant  chrift. 
piatory  Offering  to  atone  for  their  Offence,  and  for  a  ^ra-1589,  Sff. 
tulatory  Offering^  in  Acknowledgment  of  God's  Goodnefs,^^JJ™Numbj 
in  giving  them  fo  great  and  fignal  a  Vidory.  Bad  of  D«u- 

The  Ifraelltes y  by  this  Time,  had  made  themfelves'^onomy. 
Mafters  of  the  Country,  that  lay  on  the  Midianitijh  Side  of'.""^";*^ 
Jordan  ;  and  the  Tribes  of  f  Reuben  and  Gad^  together ^,^^,  ,^,  * 
with  the  half  Tribe  of  ManaJJeh,  obferving  that  the  Coun-  *'.ountry  of 
try  was  fertile,  and  ftored  with  good  Pafturage,  defired  of |^^""" , "' 
Mofes  that  they  might  be  permitted  to  fettle  there,  as  a  Place  7>;^„. 
very  commodious  for  them>  who  had  large  Stocks  of  Cat- 

B  3  tlei 

•  The  Jerufalem  Targum  fuppofes,  that  when  thefe  Officers 
made  their  Offerings,  they  addrefT^d  themfelves  to  Mofes  in  the 
following  Manner.  "  Forafmuch  as  the  Lord  has  delivered  the 
"  Midianitts  into  our  Hands,  and  we  have  fubdued  the  Country, 
*'  entered  ihto  their  Chambers,  and  feen  their  fair  and  charming 
*'  Daughters,  took  their  Crowns  of  Gold  from  off"  their  Heads, 
"  their  Rings  from  their  Ears  and  Fingers,  their  Bracelets  from 
**  their  Arms,  and  their  Jewels  from  their  Necks  and  Bofoms ; 
"  therefore  far  be  it  from  us  to  have  turned  our  Eyes  towards 
"  them.  We  had  no  Manner  of  Concern  or  Converfation  with 
*'  them,  left  we  fhould  thereby  die  the  Death  of  the  Wicked  in 
"  Gehenna.  And  let  this  be  had  in  Remembrance  on  our  Be- 
*'  half,  in  the  Day  of  the  Great  Judgment,  to  make  a  Reconcilia- 
"  tion  for  our  Souls  before  the  Lord." 

f  In  the  Divifion  of  the  Country,  which  the  Ifraelites  took 
from  Sihon  and  Og,  two  vanquifhed  Kings,  that  lived  on  the  Eaft 
Side  of  "Jordan,  and  whofe  Dominions  extended  from  the  River 
Arnon,  even  as  far  as  Mount  Herman,  Deut.  iii.  8.  Mofes  gave  to 
the  Tribe  of  Reuben  the  Southern,  or  rather  the  South-ivejl  Part 
of  the  Country,  fo  that  they  were  bounded  to  the  South  with  the 
River  Amon  j  to  the  Wefi,  with  Jordan  ;  and  to  the  North  and 
Eafi,  with  the  Tribe  of  Gad.  In  this  Tribe  ftood  Hefbon,  the 
capital  City  of  the  Kingdom  of  Sihon,  fituate  on  the  Hills  over 
againft  Jericho,  about  twenty  Miles  diftant  from  the  I^iver  Jor- 
dan. The  Tribe  of  Gad  was  bounded  \yith  the  River  Jordan,  to 
the  Wefi  ;  with  the  half  Tribe  of  Manaffeh,  to  the  North  ;  with 
the  Ammonites,  to  the  Eafi ;  and  with  the  Tribe  of  Reuben,  to  the 
South.  In  this  Tribe  ftood  Afiaroth,  the  capital  City  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Og,  which  very  likely  obtained  its  Name  from  an 
Idol,  which  was  much  worfliipped  in  thofe  Times  and  Parts.  How 
the  half  Tribe  of  Manaffeh  came  to  chufe  to  ftay  on  the  Eaft 
Side  of  Jordan,  the  facred  Hiftory  makes  no  Mention  ;  but  it  is 
reafonable  to  fuppofe,  that,  after  they  found  that  the  Tribes  of  ' 
Reuben  and  Gad  had  fucceeded  in  their  Petition,  they  likewife 

might 


0,1     .  The  Hijlory  <?/  /y&^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.    tie  ;  which  (uoon  Condition  that  they  fhould  go  over  Jor- 
Ant^'chritt.^^"'  ^"'^  ^^'^  their  Brethren  in  the  Conqueft  of  the  Land 
1489,  Sff   of  Canaan)  Mofes  confented  to.     And,  as  they  were  now 
^f°!^"'^^"?^; in  the  Neighbourhood  of  Canaan^  and  juft  ready  to  enter 
EndofDeu-"P<^'''  the  FofTeffion  of  it,   he  took  this  Opportunity  to  ap- 
tcronomy.     point  ihe  Limits  of  what  they  were  to  conquer,    and  the 
*— *~v~~'Diftribution  of  it  by  f  Way  of  Lot,  which  he  committed 
to  the  Njanagement  of  Jojhua  and  Eleazar^  at  the  Head  of 
the  Chiefs  of  each  Tribe. 
J^ahs  "Jojlma  was  appointed  by  God  to  fucceed  Mofes  in  his 

Jofhua  hh  Commiffion;  and  therefore  to  prevent  any  Conteft  after  his 
s«agor  z«  Death,  he  firft  laid  his  ovm  Hands  upon  him,  and  then 
wtTit.  prefented  him  to  Eleozar  the  High-Prieft,  who,  in  a  folemn 

Form  of  AdmilHon,  and  in  the  Prefence  of  all  the  People, 
inverted  him  with  the  Office  of  being  the  Leader  and  Ge- 
neral of  all  Ifrael^  after  Mofes  had  given  him  feveral  Di- 
rections relating  to  his  Office,  and  one  more  efpecially, 
■which  concerned  his  confulting  of  God  by  Way  of  Urim 
and  Thummim  upon  every  great  Emergency.     In  the  Divi- 

fion 
♦ 
might  reprefent  to  Mofes  the  great  Stock  of  Cattle  which  they 
had  ;  that  the  Country  would  be  equally  commodious  for  them, 
and  was  over  large  for  two  Tribes  alone  to  occupy  :  Nor  is  it  to 
.be  doubted,  but  that  Mofes  was  inclinable  to  liften  to  their  Alle- 
.gation,  becaufe  the  Sons  of  Machir,  the  Son  of  Manaffeh,  had, 
by  their  Valour,  fubdued  a  great  Part  of  the  Country,  where  they 
iettled ;  which  was  bounded  by  the  Tribe  of  Gad,  to  the  South ; 
with  the  Sea  of  Cir.ncreth  (afterwards  called  the  Lake  of  Genne- 
fareth,  or  the  Sea  of  Galilee)  together  with  the  Courfe  of  the  Ri- 
ver Jordan,  from  its  Head  to  the  faid  Sea,  to  the  Wefl ;  with 
Mount  Lebanon,  or  more  peculiarly  Mount  Herman,  to  the  North, 
and  North-Eaji ;  and  with  the  Mountains  of  Gilead  to  the  Eajl. 
Welti  h  Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  II. 

f  Nothing  could  m.ore  prudently  be  contrived,  than  this  Par- 
tition of  the  Country  by  Lot,  and  making  Jojhua  and  the  High- 
Prief  Supcrintendants  of  it  j  fince  it  was  the  only  one  that  could 
effedually  prevent  all  Murmurings  and  Quarrellings  among  fuch 
an  obfiinate  People,  as  the  Je^-s  were.  However,  as  the  Lots 
were  to  bear  a  Proportion  to  the  Eignefs  of  each  Tribe  and  Fa- 
mily, it  is  fuppofed  from  what  followed,  that  every  Tribe  firft 
drew  its  Lot  for  its  own  Canton,  and  that  then  there  were  proper 
Perfons  appointed  to  meafure  out  a  Quantity  of  Land  for  each 
Family,  according  to  their  Bignefs :  But  whether  this  laft  was 
done  by  this  or  any  other  Method;  whether  the,  Subdii'ifons  be- 
tween the  Families  were  likewife  carried  on  by  Lot,  or  otherwife, 
hire  it  is,  tjiat  we  read  of  no  Broils  or  Jealoufies,  that  it  ever  oc 
cafioned among  them.     Univerfal  Hillory,  Lib.  i.  c.  7. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  23 

fion  of  the  Country,  Mofes  affigned  eight  and  forty  Cities,    A.  m. 
together  with  their  Suburbs,  for  the  Levites  to  live  in,  and  Ant.^'chvift. 
withal  ordered,  that  fix  of  thefe  ftiould  be  made  Cities  of  1489,  afr 
Refuge^  whither  t  the  innocent  Manflayer,  who  had  killed^^^lj^^^^* 
his  Neighbour  by  Chance,  might  betake  himfelf,  and  live  ;EndofDett- 
tho'  at  the  fame  Time,  he  made  all  proper  Provifion,  thattcronomy. 
the  wilful  Murtherer  (hould  certainly  be  put  to  Death  :  But'***^V**^ 
in  this,  and  all  other  capital  Cafes,  he  made  it  a  Law,  that 
none  (hould  be  convidled  upon  the  Evidence  of  one  fingle 
Perfon. 

The  nearer  that  ji^a/^jr  approached  his  Death,  the  more  Ma^«  hh 
he  exprefled  his  Concern  for  the  Welfare  of  the  People,  ^iecbtt  t» 
and  therefore,  on  the  firji  Day  of  the  eleventh  Month,  '^*  ^^'^^'' 
(which  anfwers  our  ^anuary)z.x\A  in  theybr/;V//j  Year  from 
their  Departure  out  of  Egypt.,  being  then  encamped  on  the 
Plains  of  Moah  by  the  Banks  of  the  River  Jordan,  he  cal- 
led them  all  together,  and,  at  different  Times,  made  two 
very  tender  and  pathetick  Speeches,  wherein  he  briefly  rela- 
ted to  them  all  that  had  befallen  their  Fathers,  fmce  the 
Time  they  left  Egypt ;  the  gracious  Dealings  of  God  with 
them;  their  continual  Murmurings,  and  Rebellions  againft 
him ;  and  the  many  fevere  Judgments,  that  had  followed 
thereupon,  even  to  his  own  Exclufion  from  the  promifed 
Land.  He  gave  them  a  Summary  of  all  the  Laws,  which 
the  divine  Goodnefs  had  calculated  for  their  Happinefs ; 
and,  having  repeated  the  Decalogue  almoft  Word  for  Word, 
he  reminded  them  of  the  folemn  and  dreadful  Manner,  in 
which  it  was  delivered  from  Mount  Sinai^  and  of  the  mani- 
fold Obligations,  they  lay  under,  to  a  ftri£l:  Obfervance  of 
it.  He  encouraged  them  to  be  faithful  to  God,  by  afTuring 
them,  that  if  they  kept  his  Commandments,  they  fhould 
not  fail  of  having  inumerabic  Bleflings  heaped  upon  them, 
and  by  threatning  them  with  all  Manner  of  Calamities,    if 

B  4  fo 

t  The  Perfon,  who,  without  any  premeditated  Malice,  kil- 
led his  Neighbour  accidentally,  had  the  beft  Provifion  imaginable 
made  for  his  Efcape.  For  the  Ways,  that  led  to  the  Cities  of 
Refuge,  were  to  be  made  very  plain  and  broad,  and  kept  in  good 
Repair.  Two  Students  of  the  La^  were  to  accompany  him, 
that,  if  the  Avenger  of  Blood  fhould  overtake  him  before  he  got 
to  the  City,  they  might  endeavour  to  pacify  him  by  wife  Perfua- 
fions  ;  and  that  he  might  not  mifs  his  Way  to  the  Place,  whither 
he  intended  to  flee,  there  were  Polls  erefted,  where  two  or  three 
Ways  met,  with  the  Word  Miklal,  i.e.  the  City  of  Refuge,  in- 
fcribed  on  them,  to  direft  him  into  the  right  Road,  that  led  to  it, 
Patrick^  Commentary,  on  Numb,  KKKV.  13. 


24  'J^he  Hiftory  cf  the  "Ql^l.  E,    Book  IV. 

2<;tc  ^'c  ^*^  ^^  ^^^y  departed  from  them.  He  renewed  the  Covenant, 
Anc.  Chrift.^vhich  tlieir  Fathers  had  made  with  God  at  Horeb  ;  com- 
14S9,  &c  manded  them  to  prcclaim,  on  f  the  Mountains  of  Gerizim 
xviiT^toThe^"'^  i:/^/"^/  beyond  Jordan,  Bleffings  to  thofe,  that  obferved, 
liid  oi" Den- and  Curfes  to  thofe,  that  broke  this  Covenant  ;  and  to 
tcronqmy,  ere<3:  an  Altar  there,  whereon  they  were  to  f  write,  in  a 
'legible  Charadler,  the  Terms  and  Conditions  of  it. 

These,  and  feveral  other  Directions,  relating  to  their 
future  Conduct  in  the  Land  of  Canaan^  Mofes  not  only  de- 
livered to  the  People  by  Word  of  Mouth,  but  ordered  to 
be  written  in  a  Book,  which  he  committed  to  the  Care  and 
Cuftody  of  the  Levites,  who,  by  God's  Appointment,  laid 
it  up  on  the  Side  of  the  Ark,  there  to  remain  a  Witnefs 
againft  the  Children  of  Jfraely  in  cafe  they  ftiould  rebel. 
And,  that  they  might  never  want  a  proper  Fund  of  Devo- 
tion, he  compofed  a  Song,  or  Poem,  which  he  not  only 

repeated 

f  Thefe  two  Mountains  are  fituate  in  the  Tribe  of  Ephraim, 
near  Shechem,  in  the  Province  of  Samaria,  and  are  fo,  near  to 
one  another,  that  nothing  but  a  Valley  of  about  two  hundred 
Paces  wide  parts  them ;  fo  that  the  Priefts,  ftanding  and  pronoun- 
cing the  BleiTings  and  purfes,  that  were  to  attend  the  Doers  or 
Violators  of  the  Law,  in  a  very  loud  and  diftinft  Manner,  might 
well  enough  be  heard  by  the  People,  that  were  feated  on  the  Sides 
of  the  two  Hills,  efpecially  if  the  Priefts  were  advanced  upon 
Pulpits,  (as  Ezra  afterwards  was,  Nehem.  viii.  4.)  and  had  their 
Pulpits  placed  at  proper  Diftances.  Patrick^  and  Cahnet's 
Commentary,  in  Deut.  xxvii. 

-f-  In  this  twenty- feventh  Chapter  of  Deuteronomy,  the  Ifrae- 
litei  were  commanded  to  ivrite,  upon  certain  Stones,  all  the  Words 
cf  the  Lanv  'very  plainly,  ver.  8.  How  many  thefe  Stones  were 
the  Scripture  makes  no  Mention ;  but  fome  are  of  Opinion,  that 
they  were  tivel^e,  according  to  the  Number  of  the  Pillars,  which 
rJo/es  employed,  {Exod.  xxiv.  4.)  when  he  made  the  Covenant 
between  God  and  his  People.  Knew  we  for  Certainty  the  Num- 
ber of  the  Stones,  we  might  better  guefs,  what  Part  of  the  Law 
it  was,  whifh  Mofes  ordered  to  be  engraven  upon  them  ;  fxnce, 
by  Reafpn  of  this  Uncertainty,  fome  will  have  it  to  be  the  whole 
Pentateuch  ;  pthers,  pp  more  than  the  Decalogue  ;  fome,  that 
Nummary  of  the  1  awj,  which  is  contained  in  this  Book  of  Deu- 
tcromny ;  and  others,  the  Curfes,  which  follow  from  Deut.  xxvii. 
I  5.  fo  the  End  of  Chap,  xxyiii.  which  feem  to  be  more  likely, 
btcaufe  they  contain  feleft  Precepts,  and  the  laft  of  them  feems 
to  comprize  the  whole  Law,  ver.  26.  and  Jo/^^  viii.  34.  But 
however  we  underftand  this,  it  is  certain,  that  before  the  Ufe  of 
Paper  was  found  out,  the  Jntients,  particularly  the  Phceniciatts, 
and  E^pticmy  were  wont  to  write  their  Minds  upon  Stones,  as 

feveral 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  45 

repeated  to  the  People,  but  gave  Orders  likewife  that  they    A.  m 
fliould  all  learn  it  by  Heart :  For  therein  he  had  exprefled,  in  An'^^'chrift. 
a  very  elegant  Manner,  the  many  Benefits  and  Favours  of  1485,  Sff. 
God  to  his  People  j  their  Ingratitude  and  Forgetfulnefs  of^'j;|||^^^; 
him;  the  Punifhments,  wherewith  he  had  afflided  them  j  End  of  Den- 
and  the  Comminations  of  greater  Judgments,  if  they  per-  teronomy. 
ilfted  to  provoke  him  by  the  Repetition  of  their  Follies.  ~»~ 

Such  was  the  Care  and  Concern  of  tht  Jewifl)  Law- Mofesrd<i«i<t 
giver  for  the  Welfare  of  the  People,  after  he  was  gone; ^'"^^''?^ 
And  therefore,  perceiving  that  the  Time  of  his  DjffolutionaJ'^^o',  „^% 
was  now  at  hand,  he  called  them  together;    and,  having Pifgah,  to 
taken  a  folemn  Farewel  of  them,  ina/>ro^^^//Vi  Bleffing,^j*^*/J^,^ 
which  he  pronounced  upon  each  Tribe,  as  yacob  had  done  Land,  and 
juft  before  his  Death,  he  went  up  *  to  the  Top  of  Pifgah,  tbert  4icu 
over-againft  Jericho,    from  whence  he  might  take  a  full 
View  of  the  Country,  which  God  had  promifed  to  Abra^ 
ham's  Pofterity.     For,  though  he  was  an  hundred  and  twen- 
ty Years  old,  yet  his  natural  Strength  and  Vigour  was  not 
impaired,  nor  had  his  Eye-fight  in  the  leafl:  failed  him ;    fo 
that  he  was  able  to  furvey  the  beauteous  Profpeft,  which  the 
deh'ghtful  Town  and  Plains  of  Jericho,  and  the  fair  Cliffs, 
and  lofty  Cedars  of  Lebanon  afforded  him  ;    and,    having 
done  this,  he  refigne^  his  Soul  into  the  Hands  of  Seraphimsy 
who  were  waiting  to  convey  it  into  a  happier  Canaan,  than 

what 

feveral  Authors  mentioned  by  Huetius  (Demonflxat.  Evang. 
Propof.  4  Chap.  2,)  do  abundantly  teftify.  Nay,  he  obferves, 
that  this  Cuftom  continued  long  after  the  Invention  of  Paper,  ef- 
pecially  if  Men  defired,  that  any  Thing  Ihould  be  publickly 
known,  and  tranfmitted  down  to  Pofterity.  ShuckfortTs  Con- 
nexion, Vol.  III.  1.  12.  and  Pa^r/Vi's  Commentary. 

*  The  Mountains  of  Abarlm  were  a  Ridge  of  Hills  between 
the  two  Rivers  Amort  and  Jordan.  One  Part  of  thefc  Mountains 
was  diftinguilhed  by  the  Name  of  IJebo,  as  appears  from  Deut. 
xxxii.  49.  and  comparing  this  with  Deut.  xxxiv.  1 .  we  (hall  find 
that  J<lebo  and  Pifgah  were  one  and  the  fajne  Mountain,  and, 
that  if  there  was  any  Diftinftion  between  the  Names,  it  was  pro- 
bably this,  that  the  Top  of  the  Mountain  was  more  peculiarly 
called  Pifgah,  becaufe  it  comes  from  a  Root,  which  fignifies  to 
elevate,  or  raife  up,  and  fo  may  very  properly  denote  the  Top  or 
Summit  of  any  Mountain.  Not  far  from  Uebo,  was  Beth-peor, 
which  very  probably  was  fo  called  from  fome  Deity  of  the  fame 
Name,  that  was  worfhipped  there.  But  of  all  thefe  Mountains 
it  muft  be  obferved,  that  though  they  are  faid  to  be  in  the  Land 
of  Moab,  yet  they  really  ftood  in  the  Territories  of  Sihon,  King 
of  the  Amorites,  however  they  retained  their  old  Names,  becaufe 
once  they  belonged  to  the  Meabites.    Numb.  x?d.  z6. 


•26  the  Hipry  */  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.  what  he  had  been  furveying  ;  and,  to  prevent  the  Danger  of 
Ant^'chrift.^^-  People's  idolizing  him  when  he  was  gone*,  God  him- 
1489,  &c.  felf  took  Care  to  bury  his  Body  in  fo  fecret  a  Manner,  in 
FromNumb.  fj^^  L^j^j  of  Jl^oab,  over-againft  Beth-peor,  that  the  Place 
^^''of^Deu-of  his  *  Soulchre  was  never  yet  difcoverecJ. 
teroQomy.         Thus  died  *  Mofes^  the  illuftrious  Prophet  and  Ser- 

*  vant 

*  This  very  Reafon  we  have  in  R.  Lew  Ben  Gerjhom.  "  Fu- 
"  ture  Generations,  fays  he,  might  perhaps  have  made  a  God  of 
"  him,  becaufe  of  the  Fame  of  his  Miracles :  For  do  we  not 
"  fee  howfome  of  the  Ifraelites  erred  in  the  brazen  Serpent,  which 
"  Mofes  made  ?  And  what  then  would  they  not  have  done,  had 
"  they  but  known  where  his  Remains  were  laid  ?"  For  this  Rea- 
fon, very  likely,  it  was,  that,  how  much  foever  Mofes  was  in 
love  with  Canaan,  he  did  not  defire  to  be  carried  thither,  to  be 
buryed  with  his  Anceftors,  as  Jofeph  did  ;  becaufe  his  Interment 
in  that  Country  might  have  proved  of  dangerous  Confequence, 
if  in  their  Diftrefs  (efpecially  in  the  Captivity  of  the  Land)  the 
Children  of  Ifrael  fhould  have  run  to  his  Sepulchre,  and  begged 
of  him  to  pray  for  them,  whofe  Prayers  and  Intercefiion,  in  their 
Behalf,  they  had  found,  in  his  Life -Time,  fo  very  prevalent. 
Patrick^  Commentary,  on  Dent,  xxxiv.  6. 

*  But,  notwithftanding  all  this  Precaution  of  God,  theChrifti- 
ans  boaft  that  tliey  have  difcovered  the  Sepulchre,  which  has  been 
kept  fecret  for  fo  many  Ages.  For  in  the  Year  165  5,  fome  Goats, 
that  were  feparated  from  the  reft  of  the  Flock,  went  to  feed  in  a 
certain  Place,  in  the  Mountain  Nebo,  and  returned  from  thence 
fo  odoriferous  and  perfumed,  that  the  Shepherds,  aftonifhed  at 
fo  wonderful  a  Prodigy,  ran  prefently  to  confult  with  the  Patriarch 
of  the  Maronitcs,  who  fent  thither  two  Monks  from  Mount  Le' 
hanon,  and  they  difcovered  a  Monument,  on  which  was  this  In- 
fqription,  Mofes,  the  Ser-ziant  of  the  Lord.  But  there  is  too  much 
Reafon  to  think,  that  this  is  all  a  Fidlion,  on  Purpofe  to  raife  the 
Reputation  of  the  Maronites ;  as  Bafnage,  in  his  Hiftory  and  Re- 
ligion of  the  ^fc-wj,  has  fufficiently  proved.  Lib.  iv.  cap.  17. 

*  Nothing  can  be  plainer  from  the  Text,  than  that  Mofes  did 
ie,  and  was  really  buried  ;  nay,  Jofrphus  tells  us,  that  the  Scrip- 
ture affirms,  that  he  died,  left  People  ftiould  think,  becaufe  of 
the  Excellency  of  his  Perfon,  that  he  was  ftill  alive,  and  with 
God.  And  yet,  notwithftanding  this,  fome  of  the  Je'wijh  Doc- 
tors do  pofitively  affirm,  that  he  was  tranflated  into  Heaven, 
where  he  ftands,  and  minifters  before  God  :  And,  of  thofe, 
who  admit  of  his  Death,  and  that  his  Soul  and  Body  were  really 
feparated,  the  7ntijor  Part  will  not  allow,  that  he  died  a  common 
Death  ;  for  their  Notion  is,  that  his  Soul  departed  ixith  a  Kifs, 
becaufe  lie  is  faid  to  die,  al pi,  at  the  Mouth  (as  it  is  literally  in 
the  Hebrew,  /.  e.  according  to  the  Word)  of  God ;  but  if  there  be 
any  Senfe  in  the  Expreffion,  it  muft  be,  that  he  parted  with  his 
Soul  with  great  Chearfulnefs  and  Serenity  of  Mind,  Witfius\ 
Mifcel.  facra. 


Chap.  III.  from  the,  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  ly 

yant  *  of  God;  and,  when  the  People  of  Ifrael  came  to  un-    ^'  ^' 
derftand  that  he  was  dead,  with  great  Solemnity,    they  la- Ail.^'chriftl 
mented  for  him,  for  the  Space  of  thirty  Days.  1489.   ©"f. 

FromNumb. 
xviii.  to  the 

Tbe    Objection. 

«  T  T  rHOEVER  wrote  the  Charaaer  of  Mofes,  at 
"  VV  the  Conclufion  of  Deuteronomy,  (for  we  can 
**  hardly  prefume  that  it  was  Mofes  hlmfelf)  has  not  perhaps 
**  tranfcended  the  Truth,  in  calling  him  a  Prophet,  fuperior 
*'  to  any,  that  had  then  arofe  in  Ifrael,  highly  in  Favour 
**  of  God,  and  admitted  to  a  nearer  Communion  with  him; 
**  but  certainly  he  means  to  put  a  Banter  upon  our  Faith, 

*'  when 

*  The  Commendation,    which  the  Author  of  Ecckftafikui 

gives  Mofes,   is  conceived  in  thefe  Words : "  Mofes  was 

"  beloved  of  God  and  Men,  and  his  Memorial  is  blefTed.  The 
"  Lord  made  him  like  to  the  glorious  Saints,  and  magnified 
**  him  fo,  that  his  Enemies  flood  in  Fear  of  him,  and  by  his 
"  Word  he  caufed  the  Wonders  to  ceafe,  and  he  made  him  glo- 
*'  rious  in  the  Sight  of  Kings,  gave  him  Ordinances  for  his 
"  People,  and  fhewed  him  Part  of  his  Glory.  He  fandtified 
**  him  in  his  Faithfulnefs  and  Meeknefs,  and  chofe  him  out  of 
"  all  Men.  He  made  him  to  hear  his  Voice,  and  brought  him 
"  into  the  dark  Cloud,  and  gave  him  Commandments  before 
"  his  Face,  even  the  Law  of  Life  and  Knowledge,  that  he 
"  might  teach  Jacob  his  Covenant,  and  Ifrael\i\s,  Judgments,'* 
Chap.  xlv.    I .  ^f.  The  Charafter  which  Jofephus  gives  him  is 

to  this  EfFeft  : "  He  was  a  Man  of  admirable  Wifdom, 

"  and  one,  that  made  the  heft  Ufe  of  what  he  underftood : 
"  An  excellent  Speaker,  and  no  Man  better  {killed  in  moving 
"  the  AfFeftions  of  the  People  than  himfelf :  And  fo  great  a 
"  Matter  of  his  Paflions,  that  he  lived  as  though  he  had  none, 
"  or  as  if  he  only  knew  them  by  their  Names,  or  by  obferving 
"  them  in  others.  Never  was  there  a  greater  Captain,  nor  a 
"  Prophet  equal  to  him ;  for  all  his  Words  were  Oracles."  So 
true  is  the  Charafter,  which  the  facred  Writer  has  given  of  him. 
There  arofe  not  a  Prophet  fince  in  Ifrael,  like  unto  Mofes,  nuhom 
the  Lord  kne^w  Face  to  Face,  in  all  the  Signs,  and  the  Wondersy 
tvhich  the  Lord  fent  him  to  do  in  the  Land  of  Egypt,  to  Pharaoh, 
and  to  all  his  Ser<vants,  and  to  all  the  Land,  and  in  all  that  mighty 
Hand,  and  in  all  that  great  Terror,  -which  Mofes  fhe^wed  in  the 
Sight  of  all  lir2ie\,  Deut.xxxW.  10,  &c.  "  Nor  was  he  lefs  fa- 
"  mous  to  Pofterity  for  his  Writings,  than  he  was  to  the  Age 
"  he  lived  in  for  his  Aftions."  For,  befides  the  Pentateuch, 
(which  is  all  of  his  own  Compofition,  except  the  conclufive 
Chapter)  the  Ancients  generally  thought,  that  he  was  the  Author 

of 


2^  Ibe  Htftory  of  the  BIBLE,    Book  IV. 

A.  M.  <<  when  he  would  perfuade  us,  that  a  Perfon  an  hun^ 
An^c^ft.**  ^"^^^  ^"^  twenty  Years  old  (as  Mofes  was)  could 
T489,  fife.  "  take  a  perfect  View  of  the  Land  of  Canaan  (/",)  which 
FromNumb.  <«  extends  from  Egypt  to  Phoenicia,  f evenly  Leagues 
En'd'ofDeJ"  in  Lenph^  and,  from  the  Mediterranean  Stz.  to  the 
teionomy.  "  Mountains  of  Libanus^  at  leaft,  thirty  Leagues  in 
"  Breadth :  Nor  can  we  fee,  for  what  Reafon  (if  fuch 
*'  Pains  were  taken  to  (hew  him  the  promifed  Land)  God 
"  (hould  be  fo  highly  provoked  againft  his  favourite  Servant, 
**  as  to  feclude  him,  when  jufl  at  the  Entrance  of  it,  from 
**  taking  PoiTeffion  of  it. 

*'  But  he  did  not  do  fo  with  P^/«^flj,  the  Prieft,  whom 
*'  he  fo  highly  extols,  though  his  A&.  was  certainly  more  rafh 
*'  and  unjuftifiable,  than  any  we  find  recorded  of  Mofes. 
*'  Zimri,  we  are  told,  was  a  Prince  of  a  chief  Houfe 
**  among  the  Simeunites,  and  confequently,  was  not  ac- 
*'  countable  to  Phineas  (or  his  Behaviour.  His  Behaviour, 
"  it  is  owned,  was  vile  and  profligate  enough,  but  there 
*'  then  were  proper  Courts  of  Judicature,  wherein  to  im- 
*'  plead  him,  and  to  bring  him  to  condign  Punjfhment. 
"  The  Levites  were  remarkable  for  flaying  foipe  Idolaters 
**  in  another  Cafe,  Exod.yxxn.  27,  28.  but  then  they 
*'  had  a  divine  Commifl!ion  for  what  they  did,  but  for  any 
*'  hot-brained  Zealot,  without  any  Call  from  God,  orOr- 
*'  der  from  his  Superiors,  to  take  the  Svuord,  and  to  turn 
*'  Avenger  to  execute  his  Wrath  upon  another  Perfon,  that 
**  he  thinks  does  ill ;  this  is  invading  the  Magiftrate's  Office 
**  with  a  Witnefs,  diflToiving  all  civil  Order  and  Govern- 
*'  ment,  encouraging  Murthers  and  Aflaflinations,  and 
**  what  has  been  a  fatal  Precedent  to  incite  and  abet  the 
**  moft  inhuman  Aftions. 

"  It  cannot  be  denied,  indeed,  but  that  God  was  very 
•'  kind  to  the  Ifraelitesy  during  their  Sojourning  in  a  naked 

♦'  and 

of  the  Book  of  Job,  and  of  eleven  Pfalms,  which  begin  at 
the  90th,  and  end  with  the  1 00th,  as  there  were  once  other 
Books,  fuch  as  his  Leffer  Gcnejls,  the  Revelation  of  Mofes,  the 
JJcenfion  of  Mofes,  the  JJfumption  of  Mofes,  and  the  myfierious 
Books  of  Mofes,  cited  by  fome  antient  Writers,  which  were  like- 
wife  afcribed  to  him.  And  though  they  have  long  fmce  loft 
their  Authority,  and  been  exploded  as  fpurious  ;  yet  are  they  ftill 
an  Argument  of  the  Greatnefs  of  his  Name,  when  fo  many 
Authors,  to  recommend  their  own  Performances,  were  fo  am- 
bitious to  afiume  it.  Jofphus'z  Antiq.  Lib.  iv.  c.  8.  and  Cal- 
met''s  Diclionary,  under  the  Word  Mofes. 
(f)  Lainyh  Introduction,  Lib.  i.  c.  3. 


Ch  A  p .  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  &c.  29 

**  and  barren  Wildernefs ;  but  Mofes  kerns  to  carry  the  A.  m. 
"  Matter  a  little  too  far,  when  he  tells  them,  (g)  that  ''^«'" Int^  chrift. 
**  Raiment  and  Shoes  waxed  not  old  upon  them.,  rtcither  d/di^^^,  &c. 
««  their  Feet  fwell  for  Forty  Tears  :  Unlefs  we  can  ruppofe,*';^'?!!^^"'^^^^ 
•'  that  God  made  their  Shoes  of  Iron,  and  their  Coats  of£„doj-Dt;u- 
**  Buff  \  enlarged  their  Cloaths,  in  Proportion  as  they  grew  teronomy. 
**  bigger,  and  wrought  a  perpetual  Mitiicle  upon  every ' 
**  Garment  they  wore,  which  is  a  little  too  much  for  our 
**  prefent  Digeftion. 

*'  When  Balaam  fpake  in  Commendation  of  the 
**  Ifraelites^  he  certainly  fpake  by  a  divine  Impulfe,  for  he 
**  himfelf  never  wiflied  them  well  5  and  yet,  the  Compli- 
*'  ment  is  not  only  extravagant,  but  quite  abhorrent  to 
*'  Truth,  when  he  declares,  that  {h)  Gbd  had  not  beheld 
**  Iniquity  in  Jacob,  norfeeii  Perverfenefs  in  Ilrael,  though 
**  it  is  notorious,  tbat  there  was  not  a  more  perverfe  Cxene- 
"  ration  under  the  Copes  of  Heaven ;  zjliff-necked  People^ 
*'  and  rebellious  againjl  the  Lord.,  as  both  the  Lord,  and  his 
'*  Servant  Mofes  calls  them. 

*'  Nor  is  the  Account,  which  5tf/^t7;72  gives  us  of  him - 
*'  felf,  lefs  abfurd  and  contradictory,  than  what  he  tells  us 
*'  of  the  Ifraelites :  For,  when,  in  that  noted  Proem  to 
**  his  Prophecy,  be  begins  with  (/)  Balaam,  the  Son  of  Beor, 
**  hath  faid,  who  heard  the  Words  of  God^  and  f aw  the 
**  Vifion  of  the  Almighty  \  what  t2S\  we  imagine  that  he 
**  means  by  all  this?  Can  any  one  tippofe,  that  God  would 
**  ever  communicate  any  Revelation  to  fuch  an  impious 
**  Wretch,  as  he  was  known  to  be  ?  Or,  that  the  Prince 
**  of  Moab^  and  all  his  Council  fhould  be  fo  far  infatuated, 
**  as  to  think  that  it  lay  in  the  Power  of  any  Man  (much 
*'  lefs  of  fuch  a  Profligate)  to  do  either  Good  or  Evil  to 
**  their  Enemies,  and,  by  the  Breath  of  his  Mouth,  to  al- 
"  ter  the  Fate  cf  War  ? 

**  MOSES  indeed  may  be  fuppofed  to  have  had  fome 
**  Portion  of  a  divine  Spirit  refiding  in  him,  and  might 
•'  therefore  foretel  the  {k)  Coming  of  a  Prophet,  raifed  up 
**  among  his  Brethren,  or  defcended  from  a  feiXi'iJh  Rave, 
*'  like  unto  himfelf,  which,  neverthelefs,  might  relate  to 
"  Jojhua,  or  any  other  Prophet,  as  well  as  the  Mejftas -. 
*'  But  that  fo  wicked  a  Mifcreant,  as  Balaam,  (hould  pro- 
**  phefy  of  our  Saviour's  Advent,  {I)  under  the  Image  of  a 

*'  Star 

(h)  Numb,  xxiii.  21. 
xriii.   15,      (I)  Numb. 


(g) 

(i)  N 

Deiit. 

viii. 

4- 

and 

xxix. 

5- 

umb. 

xxiv. 

3^ 

4- 

(k) 

Deut, 

xxiv. 

17- 

30  ^he  inpry  of  the  ^l^l.  E,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.  <«  ^tar  coming  out  of  Jacob,^  and  a  Sceptre  rifmg  out  of 
Ant^'chrift."  Israel,  is  the  moft  incongruous  Thing  in  Nature;  and 
1485),  Sff.  *'  therefore,  if  there  be  a  Delignation  of  any  Perfon  in  the 
FromNumb.<<  Words,  it  muft  neceflarily  refer  us  to  fome  fuch  King 
End  of  Deu'  "  ^^  David,  who,  in  a  literal  Senfe,  fmote  the  Corners  of 
teronomy.     "  Moab,  and  dejlroyedthe  Children  o/'Seth, 

*'  The  Truth  is,  the  whole  Adventure  of  ^fl/^flzw  and 
'*  his  Afs  is  fo  very  romantlck,  that  vi^e  do  not  well  know 
"  what  to  make  of  it.  For,  in  the  firft  Place,  if  God  was 
*'  averfe  to  his  going  with  the  Princes  of  Moab,  why  did  he 
"  permit  him  to  go  ?  After  fuch  Permiffion,  why  was  his 
'*  Anger  kindled  agalnji  him  for  going  ?  If  he  had  been 
*'  minded  to  obftru<5l  his  Journey,  this  certainly  might  have 
*'  been  done  in  a  much  moreeafy  and  compendious  Way, 
"  than  by  giving  himfelf  the  Trouble  to  fend  an  Angel 
"  Exprefs,  and  {m)  to  open  the  Mouth  of  the  dumb  Jfs,  to 
"  forbid  the  Madnefs  of  the  Prophet. 

"  In  Poets,  and  other  vifionary  Writers,  we  fometimes 
*'  read  oi  dumb  Creatures  fpeaking.  The  Ram  of  Phrlx- 
*'  us,  the  Horfe  of  Achilles,  the  Bull  of  Europa,  ^c.  are 
"  Inftances  of  this  Kind  :  But,  in  fo  grave  and  infpired  an 
*'  Author  as  Mofes  is  reputed  to  be,  and  on  fo  trivial  an 
"  Occafion  as  this,  'tis  the  Height  of  Abfurdity  to  meet 
*'  with  a  loquacious  Afs;  and  (what  is  the  wonder  of  all)  to 
*'  find  Balaam  not  at  all  ftartled  to  hear  her  fpeak,  but 
"  immediately  entering  into  Difcourfe  with  her,  as  if  they 
•'  had  been  old  Companions,  and  had  held  many  a  Dia- 
*'  logue  together  before. 

"  BALAAM,  inlhort,  was  an  odd  Mixture  of  a  Man. 
**  Here  we  find  him  endeavouring  what  he  could  to  curfe 
"  the  People  of  God,  and  immediately  profefling  that  he 
**  would  (n)  take  Heed  to  Jpeak  nothing,  but  what  the  Lord 
**  (hsuld  put  into  his  Mouth  ;  for  the  Wages  of  Unrlghteouf- 
'*  nefs  now  betaking  himfelf  to  diabolical  Enchantments^ 
*'  and  anon,  in  a  devotional  Fit,  fending  up  his  Prayer  to 
**  God,  (0)  Let  me  die  the  Death  of  the  Righteous,  and 
*'  let  my  laji  End  he  like  his.  However,  he  was  far  from 
*'  obtaining  his  Requeft ;  for  tho'  one  Part  of  the  Hiftory 
*'  fays,  that  (p)  he  went  and  returned  to  his  Place,  i.  e. 
*'  his  own  Houfe  in  Mefopotamla,  upon  the  Banks  of  Eu- 
"  phrates ;  yet  we  find  in  another,  that,  together  with  five 

"  of 

(m)  Numb,  xxii.  28.  and  2  Pet.  ii.  16.  (nj  Numb. 
xxiii.  12/  (oj  Ver.  lo.  (p)  Numb.  xxiv.  25. 


Ch  A  p .  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  3  £ 

*'  of  the  Midianitijh  Kings,  f^j  Balaam  the   Son  of  Beor    A   M 
"  was  flainhy  the  Sivord :  So  very  inconfiftent  is  the  Ac-^^J^'p^f* 
"  count  which  Mofes  has  given  us  of  this  wild  Enchanter.   1485,,  &c 

"  In  recounting  the  manifold  Mercies  of  God,  Mofes  FromNumb. 
*'  reminds  the  People,  that   (r)  in  the  great  and  terrible^^'oi-DeZ 
*'  IVildernefs,    where   they  fojourned  fo  long,  there  wer etaxonomj. 
**  Serpents  and  Scorpions  in  Abundance,  fo  that  it  is  no^ 
*'  Wonder  at  all  that  they  were  ftung  with  them  ;  the 
**  Wonder  is,  how  they  came  to  efcape  fo  long,  and  hov/ 
*'  the  Image  of  a  Serpent,  which  had  done  them  fo  much 
"  Harm,  fliould  cure  them  by  Intuition.     Men  genera'ly 
*'  abhor  the  Sight  even  of  the  Figure  of  any  Thing,  th^it 
**  they  have  fuffered  much  by  ;  and  therefore  we  cannot 
*',but  conceive,    that  this  Brazen  Serpent  fixed  upon   a 
"  Pole,  muft   have  been  a  Means  to  inflame,  rather  than 
**  allay  the  Poifon,  which  the  living  ones  had  infufed,  in  all 
*'  Perfons  diredled  to  lookup  to  it, 

*'  But  the  Miftake  of  proper  Means  is  not  the  worfl: 
"  Imputation,  that  this  Part  of  the  ./^p/^zV-^  Hiftory  throws 
*'  upon  God.  (s)  God  is  merciful^  and  gracious^  long- 
* '  fufferingy  and  abundant  in  Mercy  and  Truth,  forgiving 
*'  Iniquity^  Tranfgreffton,  and.  5/«;.andyet  herein  is  he 
*'  reprefented,  not  only  as  raving,  ?Lr\d{t)  fwearing  in  his 
*^  TVrath,  but  commanding  the  7/rWzV^i  likewife  to  ex- 
*'  tirpate  whole  Nations,  who  had  never  ^ done  them  any 
*'  Injury  ;  and,  in  doing  of  this,  to  proceed  with  the  ut- 
*'  moft  Barbarity,  to  flay  Men,  Women,  and  Children^ 
"  whereof  the  laji,  at  leafl:,  (in  Hopes  of  their  Convenl- 
'*  on)  might  more  properly  have  been  faved  alive. 

"  Again,  God  is  the  general  Father,  and  univerfal 
*'  Lover  of  Mankind  j  for  (u)  he  is  no  RefpeSier  ofPerfons, 
**  but  in  every  Nation,  he  that  feareth  him,  and  worketh 
*'  Rights oufnefs,  is  accepted  with  him  ;  and  yet,  as  if  the 
*'  reft  of  Mankind  were  mere  Reprobates,  we  find  him 
*'  enjoining  the  Ifraelites  to  live  a  feclufe,  unfociable  Life; 
*'  to  have  no  Intercourfe  with  other  Nations ;  but  to  look 
*'  upon  them  with  an  evil  Eye,  and  as  if  they  were  their 
**  Enemies.  Once  more,  God  is  a  generous  Benefadlor : 
*«  What  he  does,  he  does  freely,  and  without  any  By- 
*'  ends;  what  he  gives,  he  gives  chearfuUy^  and  upbraid- 
*'  eth  not ;  and  therefore  we  cannot  reconcile  it  to  thefe 
"  Properties  of  his,  that  he  fhould  be  fo  frequently  cafting 

*'  his 

(q)  Numb.  xxxi.  8.         (r)  Deut.  viii,   15.  (s)  Exod. 

xxxiv.  6,  7.  (t)  Deut.  i.  34.  (u)  Ads  x.  34.  35. 


32  72^^  fiipry  of  ibe  BIBL  E,     Book:  IV. 

A.  M,    <*  his  People  in  the  Teeth  with  their  former  wretched  Con- 
/jrt^  C^yt.  **  ^"'on,  fo  incefiantly  reminding  them,  (x)  that  they  were 
1489,  fife.  *'  Bond-men  in  jE'^)'/)/,    and  that  it  was  his   Hand,    and 
FromNumb. «  ftretched-out  Arm,  that  delivered  them.     In  a  Word, 
End  of  De  J"  whatever  argues  Vanity  or  Ittfult,  Narrownefs  of  Mind, 
teronomy.     "  or  Cruelty  of  Temper,  can  never  belong  to  God  ;  and 
C— y^.^<<  therefore  what  ever  politick  Reafons  the  Ifra elites  might 
"  have  for  depopulating  whole  Nations,  and  making  the 
"  Land    of  Canaan  their  own,  they  could  never  receive 
**  this  Injunction  from  the  Fountain  of  all  Goodnefs ;  {y) 
• '  Thou  Jhalt  fmite  thtm^  and  utterly  dejiroy  them^  and  make 
•*  no  Covenant  with  them^  nor  have  CompaJJion  on  them ; 
**  (z)  a  Command  not  only  abhorrent  to  the  Nature   of 
**  God,  but  inconfiftent  likewife  with  all  thofe  Duties,  that 
**  Men,  as  Men,  owe  to  one  another." 
Anf-wered  hy     Bo  T  H  Philo  and  Jofephus  are  of  Opinion,  that  the  Account 
jbewing  wbo  of  Mofes' sDezth  and  Burial,  of  the  Mourning  which  the 
ibe  Author  of  Israelites  made  for  him,  and  of  the  Character,  which,  in  the 
J^'^y^g^^ Conclufion  of  Deuteronomy^    we  find  recorded  of  him, 
ronomy  w<M.  was  penned  by  Mofes  himfelf,  in  Confequence  of  the  Pre* 
fcience^  which  God  was  pleafed  to  communicate  to  nim : 
And  the  Reafon  (a),  which  'Jofephus  gives  for  his  thus  re- 
lating the  Circumftances  of  his  Death  beforehand,  is,  that 
the  People,  out  of  the  great  Veneration  they  had  for  his 
Pcrfon,  might  not  imagine  that  he  was  tranflated. 

But  fuppofe  this  Account  to  have  been  written  after 
the  Death  of  Mofes^  by  Jojhua^  Eleaxar^  or  the  feventy 
Elders^  or,  (as  fome  imagine)  much  later,  by  Samuel,  or 
even  by  Ezra  himfelf,  who,  after  the  Babyloniflj  Captivity, 
made  a  Revifal  of  the  facred  Books  ;  fuppofe  it,  I  fay,  to 
have  been  written  by  any  other  Hand  whatever,  yet  this  can 
no  ways  afFedl  the  Authority  of  the  reft  of  the  Pentateuch^ 
or  imply  that  Mofes  was  not  the  Writer  of  it,  unlefs  we 
will  be  fo  pervitrfe  as  to  fay,  that  the  Addition  of  fome 
few  Lines,  or  even  of  a  whole  Page,  as  an  jlppendix  to 
another  Mattes  Book,  makes  the  Book  no  longer  his. 

There  is  another  Opinion,  which  feems  very  confo- 
nant  both  to  Reafon,  and  Matter  of  Faft,  and  that  is, 
that  the  lafl  of  the  Books  of  Mof,s,  viz.  the  Book  of  Deu- 

teronomy^ 

(x)  Deut.  xvi.   12.  (y)  Deut.  vii.  2.  (z)  Chn- 

ftianity  as  old  as  the  Creation,  p.  273.        (a)  Jeivj/h  HJ&Qry , 
l,ib.  iv.  c.   7. 


Ch  a  p  .  ill.  from  the  \^xd.^\\tt?,  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c,  ^3 

ieronomy^     ended  with  his  prophetick  Blefling  f  upon  the    ^-  ^• 
twelve  Triaes,    (b)  happy  art  thou,   O   Ifrael !   Who  ?-f /^•■f'?Antf  chrift. 
unto  thee^  0  People,  faved hy  the  Lord,  Sic  ?  and  that  which  1489,  &c. 
makes  now  the  /a/?  Chapter  of  Deuteronomy,  was  formerly ^'^°"^^"'"''- 

■/  »  •/  '  J  xviii,  to  trie 

thejirji  oi  Jofhua^   but  thence  removed  and  adjoin'd  to  thcEndofDeu- 
other  by  Way  of  Supplement.  teronomy. 

Before  the  Invention  of  Secfiions,  and  other  Divifions,  '•— ^V"""^ 
or  fo  much  as  of  Paufes,  and  Points  of  Difrinftion  ;    and 
when  fometimes  feveral  Books  were  conne61ed  together,  and 
followed  each  other  upon   the  fame  Roll,   (as  the  ancieilt 
Method  of  Writing  wasj  it  is  no  hard  Matter  to  conceive, 
how  eafily  the  Beginning  of  one  Bt^ok  might  be  transferred 
to  the  End  of  another,  and,    in  Procefs  of  Time,   make 
that  be  reputed  the  C'.nclufion  of  Dcuteronojjiy^    which  was 
originally  intended    for  the   IntroduSlion  to  the  Book  of 
Jojhua.    And,  if  this  be  the  Cafe,  'tis  no  Wonder,  that  we 
meet  with    feveral  Paflages  in    this    lntrodu£lion^     which 
were  in  Reality  wrote  by  a  later  Hand  than  Mojes  \  But 
then,    by    whomfoever,    or  at   what   Time  foever,  thefe 
Paflages   were  wrote,    whether   before,    or  after  the  De- 
ftrudlion    of  the  firft  Temple,  they  can  no  ways  invali- 
date the    Authority   of  the  other  Parts  of  the  Book    of 
Deuteronomy^  to  which  imprudently^  and  by  Way  of  Mif- 
take   perhaps,    they  came   to    be  annex'd  ;    Nor  can  the 
Canonicalnefs  of  thefe  very   PafTages  be  called  in  quef^ion  ; 
fmce  it  is  agreed  on  all  Hands,  that  they  were  written  by  a 
Perfon  of  a  prophetick  Spirit,  and  had  in  all  Ages  the  Sanc- 
tion of  the  great  Synagogue. 

But  whoever  was  the  Author  of  this  additional  Chap-  Nolmpoffibl. 
ter  in  Deuteronomy,  it  cannot  well  be  accounted  an  impof- '"■''.'"^°^"'* 
fible  Thing  for  God  to  (hew  Mofes  the   Compafs  of  thQoftheLnd^f 
Land  of  Canaan,  from  the  Top  of  Mount  Nebo.      The  Canaan. 
y^w^  indeed  have  a  Notion,  that  God  laid  before  him  a  Map 
of  the  whole  Country,    and  fhewed  him  therein  how  every 
Part  of  it  was  fituate  ;  where  each  Valley  lay,  each  Moun- 
tain ftood,  each  River  ran,  and  for  what  remarkable  PrO" 
duif  each  Place  was  renowned  ;  But,  if  this  had  been  all, 
we  cannot  fee  for  what  Reafon  Msfes  was  ordered  to  go 
upon  the  higheft   Part  of  the  Mount,  iince  in  the  loweft 

Plaini 

f  All  the  Tribes  are  blefied,    except  the  Tribe  of  Simeon, 
and  his  is  included  in  what  is  faid  concerning  Judah. 
(b)  Deut.  xxxiii.  29. 
Vol.  III.  C 


34  ^e  Hifiory  of  //^^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  IV. 

^'  ^     Plains  of  Moab,  he  might  have  given  him  a  Demonftration 

Ant   Chrift.  ^^  ^^^^  Kind  every  whit  as  well. 

1485),  &c.       I  T  was  for  fome  Purpofe  therefore,  that  the  /acred  HI' 

From  Numb,  ftorian  has  inform'd  us,  that  tho'  Mofes  was  an  hundred 
xvui.  to  the        ,  ^  ,  1  7        r>  7-  A      1  -i- 

Endof  Deu-  ^^^  twenty  Years  old,  yet  his  hyes  were  not  dim  :  And  if 

teronomy.     we  fuppofe,   that,  upon  this  Occafion,  God  ftrengthen'd 

**"^^"*^them,  with  a  greater  Vigour  than  ordinary,  to  enable  him 

to  take  a  larger  Profpeft  of  the  Country,    fo  that,  from 

this  Eminence,    he  might  fee  Dan  and  Mount  Lebanon, 

to  the  North  ;    the  Lake  of  Sodom  and  the  City  Zoar,  to 

the  Sou  h  ;  the  Mediterranean-Sea  to  the  (Veji  ;  and  (as  the 

Town  and  Country  of  Jericho  was  juft  at  Hand)  he  might 

eafily  difcern  the  Land  of  Gilead  to  the  North-Eaji.     This 

indeed  may  be  a  Compafs,  above  the  Stretch  of  human  Sight; 

but  if  God  was  pleafed  to  affift  his  vifive  Faculties  a  little, 

the  Matter  might  eafily  have  been  done  :  And,  accordingly 

(f),  fome  of  the  "Jewijh  Do6lors  have  been  wife  enough  in 

putting  together  both  the  natural  Clearnefs  of  Mofesh  Eyes, 

and  the  additional  Strength^    which  God,    at  this  Time, 

vouchfafed  to  give  them  j  *'  For  God  {hewed  him,  fay  they, 

*'  the  whole  Land,  as  in  a  Garden-plat ;  and  gave  his  Eyes 

*'  fuch  Power  of  contemplating  it,  from  the  Beginning  to 

*'  the  End,  that  he  faw  Hills  and  Dales,  what  was  open, 

"  and  what  was  enclofed,  remote  or  nigh,  at  one  fmglc 

*'  View,  or  Intuition." 

jJii  OfftHce,      Th  e  Talmudijis  have  a  very  odd  Conceit,  that  the  great 

end  vihy     gin,  for  which  Mofes  was  hindered  from  going  into  the  Land 

criminal    n^^  (^o^oan^  was,  becaufe  he  called  the  People  of  God  (d) 

toexcudebim  Rebels  ;  and  from  thence  they  have  formed  a  Maxim,   that 

from  Canaan,  /jg^  ^jj^  treats  the  Churchy  which  ought  to  be  honoured,  with 

Contempt^  is,  as  if  he  blafphemed  the  Name  of  God.     But, 

in  Oppofition  to  this,  it  fliould  be  conftdered,  that  Mofes, 

on  this  Occafion,  ufes  the  very  fame  Language,  that  God 

himfelf  does,    when  he  bids  him  (e)  lay  up  the  Rod  of 

Aaron,  as  a  Token  againjl  the  Rebels  ;  and  that,  if  this  was 

the  Thing,    wherein  he  offended  God,    he  not  long  after 

committed  the  fame  Thing  f  which  he  would  hardly  have 

done,  confidering  already  that  it  had  coft  him  fo  dear)  when 

he  told  the  People  plainly,  (/)  ye  have  been  rebellious  againfi 

the  Lord,  ever  fine e  1  knew  you. 

Several  Chrijllan,  as  well  as  fewijh  Expofltors,  think, 

that  the  Tranfgreffion  of  Mofes  lay  in  fmiting  the  Rock, 

when 

(c)  Patrick's  Commentary,  on  Deut.  xxxiv.         (d)  Numb. 
XX.  10.  (e)  Ibid,  chap,  xvii.  10.  [f)  Deut,    ix.  24. 


Chap.  111.  from  the  Ifraeiites  Deparlure f rem Eg)yt^  &c.  3^ 

when  his  Inftrudions  only  were  iofpeak  to  it ;  and,  for  the    A.  m. 
Support  of  this,  they  alltdge,  that  God  is  an  abfclute  Sove-^^J^'Q^.j'jJ 
reign,  expecting  an  abfoJutc  Obedience,  and  exading  Pu- 14851,  fefc. 
nifhment  even  of  his  greateft  Favourites,  when  they  pretend  FfomMumb. 
to  vary  from  his  Commands,  or  to  mix  their  own  Concep  End  of  Deu- 
tions  with  his  Directions :    And   that  there   was  fome  fuch  te.onomy. 
Prevarication  in  the  Condufl  of  Mofes  and  Aaron^  feemsto' 
be  imply'd  in  God's  Remonftraiice,  which  immediately  fol- 
lows ;  {g)  becaufe ye  believed  ?ne  not^  or,  as  it  fhould  be  tranf- 
Jated)  becaufe  ye  were  not  faithful  to  »/<?,  to  {'fandlify  and^ 
glorify  me  in  the  Eyes  of  the  Children  of  Ifrael  ;  therefore  ye 
^all  not  bring  this  Congregation  into  the  Land  which  I  have 
given  them. 

It  is  granted  indeed,   that  God  ordered  Mofes  to  take 
hh  Rod  with  him,  and  why  ftiould  he  take  it,  unlefs  it  were 
to  flrike  the  Rock,  as  he  had  done  before  ?  But  the  Ifrae^ 
lites,  perhaps,  began  now  to  entertain  a  fuperftitious  Fancy 
of  the  Virtue  of  this  Rod,   which  had  been  the  Inftrument 
of  fo  many  Miracles  wrought  before  them  ;    and  therefore 
God  was  minded  to  give  Mofes  an  Opportunity  of  convincing 
them  of  their  Folly,  by  making  it  appear,  that  neither  him- 
felf,    nor  Aaron,    nor  the  Rod,    was  of  any  Importance  ; 
that  he  alone  was  the  Worker  of  Miracles,  which  he  was 
able  at  any  Time  to  do,  by  a  Word's  fpeaking.     This  had 
been  doing  Juflice  to  the  Honour  of  God,  but  inftead  of 
this  Mofes  fpake  and  a6led  (A)  unadvifedly,  i.  e.  hefpakeand 
a6led  of  himfelf,  and  what  he  had  no  Commiflion  to  do, 
and  thereby  gave  the  Ifraeiites  an  Opportunity  to  imagine, 
that  the  Supply  of  Water  might  come  from  him ,  from  his 
Power  and  Ability  to  procure  it.     The  Truth  is,  the  Di- 
vine Writers,  who  have  touched  upon  this  Hiftory,    have 
made  mention  of  two  Defaults  in  Mofes,  viz.  his  Impatience, 
and  his  Infidelity  ;    and  therefore  we  may  fuppofe,  that  (the 
Water  now  ceafingatthe  Time,  (/)  when  his  Sifter  Miriam 
dyedj  he  was  exceedingly  troubled  on  both  thefe  Accounts  j 
that,  unexpeftedly  aflaulted  by  the  People,  who  ought  to  have 
paid  him  more  Reverence,  efpecially  in  a  T  ime  of  Mour- 
ning, he  fell  into  a  greater  Commotion  of  Anger  and  Indig- 
nation, than  was  ufual  in  him  ;    and  that  this  Anger  gave 
fuch  a  Difturbance  to  his   Mind,    and    fo  difordered  his 
Thoughts,    that  when  God    bad  him  take  his  Red,    and 
go,  GTidfpeak  to  the  Rock,  he  fell  into  fome  Doubt,    whe- 
ther the  divine  Goodnefs  would  grant  the  People  the  fame 
C  2  Favour, 

(g)  Numb.  XX.  12.       [h)  P&l.cvi.  33.      (i)  Numb.  xx.  ^. 


S6  The  Hi/lory  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,     Book  IV. 

^*  ^'  Favour,  he  had  done  before  ;  that  therefore  he  ftruck  the 
Ant?  Chrift.  Rock  with  Diffidence,  believing  it  improbable,  that  fuch 
1489,  &t.  worthlefs  and  rebellious  Wretches  (hould  defcrve  a  Miracle  ; 
^vT^oThe'^"'^  that,  the  Water  not  ifTuing  out  at  the  firft  Stroke,  his 
End  of Deu-  Diffidence  encreafed  into  Unbelief,  and  a  fettled  Perfuafion 
tercnomy.     that  thev  ftiould  have  none  at  all. 

There  is  one  Conjefture  more  of  a  very  learned  (k) 
Map,  which  I  fhall  but  juft  mention,  viz.  that  Mops  be- 
gan to  diftruft  God's  Promife  of  entering  into  the  Land  of 
Canaan  at  the  End  of  forty  Years,  and  to  imagine,  that,  if 
he  brought  Water  again  out  of  the  Rock,  it  muft  follow 
them,  as  long  as  the  other  had  done,  and  engage  them  again 
in  the  like  Wanderings ;  and  therefore  the  Comment  which 

he  makes  upon  Aiofes'%  Words  is  this: "What,  ye 

"  Rebels,  muft  we  bring  Water  out  of  the  Rock,  as  we 
"  did  at  Horeb?  Are  all  our  Hopes  and  Expedtations  of 
*'  getting  out  of  the  Wildernefs  come  to  this?  We  never 
"  fetched  Water  out  of  the  Rock  but  once,  and  that  was, 
"  becaufe  we  were  to  flay  a  long  Time  in  the  Wildernefs ; 
*'  and  muft  we  begin  our  Abode  here  again,  when  we 
"  thought  we  had  attained  to  the  End  of  our  Travels  ?'* 
And,  with  that,  he  fmote  the  Rock  in  a  Paflion  twice y 
whereas  God  had  commanded  him  only  to  fpeak  to  it.  But 
'u'hichfoever  of  thefe  Conje<2ures  v/e  are  inclined  to  think 
moft  plaufible,  there  are  few  Writers,  who  are  not  difpo- 
fed  to  extenuate  the  Fault  of  Mofes,  as  not  deferving  fo  fe- 
vere  a  Puniftiment,  had  not  God,  in  pafling  the  Sentence 
of  Exc'ufion  upon  him,  confider'd  the  Eminence  and  Dig- 
nity of  a  Perfon  in  his  Station,  in  whom  a  TranfgrefHon  of 
any  Kind  could  not  but  be  far  more  grievous  and  inexcufa- 
blc,  than  in  an  ordinary  Man. 

For  this  Reafon  we  may  obferve,  that,  when  Mofes  has 
related  the  Wickcdnefs  and  Puniftiment  of  Zimri,  he  takes 
Care  to  inform  us  (I)  of  his  Family,  his  Titles,  and  his 
high  Station  in  Life.  He  was  the  Prince  of  a  Tribe,  the 
Head  of  Thoufands  in  Ifracl, '  and  one  of  the  renowned 
Men  of  the  Congregation.  In  this  Capacity  he  had  a  Right 
to  be  an  Afleflbr  with  Mofes  and  Aaron,  and  the  other 
Rulers,  in  the  Government  of  the  People  ;  and,  confe- 
quently,  could  not  regularly  be  brought  under  the  Sentence 
of  thofe/W^i-^,  who  were  inferior  to  him.  This  he  knew 
full  well,  and  therefore,  in  Defiance  of  the  Laws,  and  in 

Contempt 

(k)  lirhtjhct'z  Chronica.    Temp.         (I)  Numb.  xxv.  14. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure fromY-^y^U  ^^.  37 

Contempt  of   all    Authority,    (m)   while  the  Children  of    A,  M. 
Ifrael  luere  weeping  before  the   Door  of  the  Congregatim  in  Ant^'chrUt. 
the  Sight  of  Mofcs,  and  in  the  Sight  of  all  the  People,     he  1489,  i^c. 
brought  a  Midianitifh  Woman  into  his  Tent.     Mofes  had  or-^''°™N"'^''- 
dered  the  {n)  Judges   to  flay  every  one  his  Men,  that  w^^r*?  End  of  Deu- 
joimdto  Baal -peer;  but  we  hear  of  none  that  were  puniflied  teronomy. 
for  this  Wjckednefs,  except  this  Zimri,  and  thofe  that  after- 
Wards  died  in  the  Plague:  the  Tranfgreflion  was  become  too 
univerfal  to  be  corrected  by  a  Judiciary  Proceeding,  and  the 
Example  of  fo  leading  a  Man  was  enough  to  bear  all  down 
before  it,  and  make  the  Infection  fpread.     God  had  already 
ordered,  that  the  Perfons,  who  committed  this  great  Offence, 
fhould  (0)  be  punifhed  in  a  very  exemplary   Manner  :    In 
Regard  to  God  therefore,    Zimri  was   under  Sentence  of 
Condemnation,  and,  as  his  Guilt  was  too  glaring  and  noto- 
rious to  need  Conviction,  and  the  Judges  were  found  timo- 
rous and  remifs  in  the  Execution  of  their  Office,  there  was 
certainly  wanting,    on  this  important  Occafion,   a  proper 
Perfon  to  fupply  their  Place. 

Now  that  the  A£l  of  Phineas  in  flaying  Zitnri  was  not 
the  Effe£l  of  Zeal^  and  warm  Refentment  only,  but  of  a 
divine  Impulfe  and  Inftigation  fo  to  do,  I  think  is  evident 
fiom  the  Teftimony  of  God  himftlf,  when  he  declares  to 
Mofes,  that  Phineas,  by  the  Death  of  Zimri,  (p)  had  made 
an  Atonement  for  the  Children  of  liTz&\,  For  what  Atone- 
ment could  he  pretend  to  make,  unlefs  Gcd  had  appointed 
him  ?  {q)  No  Man  taketh  this  Honour  upon  himfelf  neither 
can  any  one  perform  this  Office  to  good  Purpofe,  but  he 
that  is  called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron.  And  therefore  there  is 
no  Propriety  in  the  Words,  unlefs  we  fuppofe,  that  God 
order'd  Phineas  to  make  a  Propitiatory  Sacrifice  of  the 
Blood  of  the  Offenders  ;  and,  for  the  Confirmation  of 
this,  we  find  God  requiring  ot  Mofes  to  fay  to  the  People, 
(r)  behold  I  give  unto  him  my  Covenant  of  Peace;  or  (as  it 
Ihould  more  truly  be  render'd)  behold  it  was  I,  who  gave  unto 
him  my  Covenant  of  Peace  :  The  Intent  of  which  Declara- 
tion is  to  inform  the  Congregation,  that  Phineas  had  not 
done  a  rafh  Adion,  out  of  his  own  mere  Motion  and 
Warmnefs  of  Heart,  but  that  he  had  the  immediate  Direc- 
tion and  Appointment  of  God  for  what  he  did  ;  that  God 
had  made  a  previous  Covenant  with  him  to  that  Purpofe ; 
and  given  him  pofitive  Affurance,  that,  upon  the  Death  of 
C  3  Zimri 

[m]  Ver.  6.         (n)  Ver.  5.        {0)  Ver.  4.         (p)  Ver.  13. 
{q)  Heb.    v.  4.         (r)  Numb.  xxv.  12. 


38  The  Hidory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  IV; 

A.  M.     Zimri  and  Co/hi,  flain  by  his  Hands,  the  Wickednefs,  that 
A  ^^'c^iit  had  been  committed  in  the  Camp,  fiiouid  be  forgiven.     And 
i48>  fefc,  therefore  we  find  God  efpoufing  the  Deed,  and,   in  a  Kind 
FfoniNumb.Qf  Exultation,  declaring  {s)  Phineas,  the  Son  of  Eleazar, 
End'ofDeu-'^^  5<?«  of  Aaron,    the  Prieji^  in  being  thus  zealous  for  my 
tcronotny.     Sake^    hath  turned  away  my  IVrath  from  the  Children  of 
'— "%— — 'Ifrael.     In  this  View  of  the  Fa£t  all  is  clear  ;  nor  can  this 
Example  lay  any  Foundation  for  a  dangerous  Imitation,  be- 
caufe  it  will  in  no  wife  prove,  that  an  illegal  A£tion,  though 
proceeding  from  a  moft  upright  Heart,  xealoujly  affeifed  in 
a  good  Thing,  is  ever  to  be  juftifyed,    unlefs  God,  by  an 
exprefs  and  well  attefted  Revelation  from  Heaven,    declares 
his  Patronage  and  Acceptance  of  it. 
Iniohat^ttife     The  Jews^   who  love  to  magnify  Miracles,  fometimes 
rA«  i&aeiites  beyond  their  proper  Bounds,  have  a  current  Tradition,  that 
J^a^HTLt   t^^  Cloaths  grew  bigger,  according  as  the  Chiidren  them- 
cJd,  felves  increas'd  in  Bulk  and  Statare  :  But  there  is  no  Occa- 

fion  for  any  fuch  Suppofition  as  this  j  fince  the  Younger,  in 
their  proper  Degrees,  might  fucceed  to  the  Veftments  of 
the  Elder,  and  the  Miracle  ftill  remain  wonderful  enough, 
that  God  fhould  prefcrve  thefe  Veftments  from  decaying, 
or  their  Feet,  by  fo  long  travelling  in  hot  and  ftony  Places, 
from  fwsHing^  or  being  callous  (as  fome  tranflate  it)  for 
the  Space  of  forty  Tears.  Some  indeed  will  have  the  Phrafe 
to  denote,  that  their  Feet  were  not  fenfible  of  any  Uneafi- 
nefs  or  Fatigue,  through  the  whole  vaft  Length  of  their 
Journey  ;  but  this  Conftruftion  is  plainly  repugnant  (f)  to 
the  Scripture -Account  we  have  of  their  Travels,  and  there- 
fore the  eafier  Interpretation  will  be,  if  byway  of  Metonymy, 
we  take  the  Shoe  for  the  Foot^  and  fo  malcc  the  latter  agree 
with  the  former  Part  of  the  Verfe,  and  bring  the  whole  to 
this  Meaning,  viz,  "that,  as  their  Cloaths,  which  cover'd 
"  the  whole  Body,  did  not  become  ufelefs  through  Age  ; 
"  fo  neither  did  their  Shoes  decay,  or  burft,  or  grow  out 
**  of  Shape,  (for  in  all  thefe  Senfes  may  the  original  Word 
*'  be  taken)  though  they  were  engag'd  in  fo  tedious  a 
<«  March." 

It  is  to  be  obferv'd  however,  that  the  Hebrews  wanted 
neither  Flocks  nor  Herds  in  the  Wildernefs ;  and  the 
Hangings,  and  other  Works  belonging  to  the  Tabernacle, 
fufficiently  fliew,  that  they  were  no  Strangers  to  the  Art  of 
Weaving.  But,  fuppofing  they  did  not  manufafture  their 
own  Cloaths,  they  might  however  purchafe  them  from  the 

Arabians, 

{t)  Vcr.   11.  (t)  Vid.  Deut.  viii,  4.  andxxix.  5. 


Ch  A  p .  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  ^^ 

Arabians',     and  other  neighbouring  Nations,    and  could    A.  M. 
therefore  be  under  no  Want  of  a  fufficient  Supply  of  this^nt^chriii. 
Kind  of  Neceflaries.     And  from  thefe  Confiderations  (a)  1489,  ©"f. 
a  leaned  Commentator  concludes,  that  the  Senfe  of  the^^"?"^"""^' 
Words,  thy  Raiment  waxed  not  old  upon  thee,    muft  bcEnd  ofDeu- 

That,  in  theDefarts  oi  Arabia ^  iht  Ifraelites  hud.  ioi^^oaomy. 

great  a  Plenty  of  Cloaths,  and  To  many  Changes  of  Rai-  v— -y-^ 
ment,  that  they  were  under  no  more  neceffity  to  wear 
them  tatter'd,  or  thread-bare,  than  if  they  had  liv'd  in 
one  of  the  moft  plentiful,  rich,  and  Cloth-working  Coun- 
tries, And  thy  Feet  did  not  fivell,  or  grow  callous,  as  poor 
People's  Feet  are  wont  to  do,  when  the  Soles  of  their  Shoes 
are  worn  out,  and  they  forc'd  to  tread  upon  the  hard 
Ground  ;  for  fo  it  is  explain'd  in  another  Place,  {x)  thy 
Shoe  did  not  wax  old  upon  thy  Foot,  i.  e.  thy  Poverty  did  not 
oblige  thee  to  wear  thy  Shoes  (as  poor  People  do)  till  they 
were  old,  and  grown  fo  very  thin,  that,  in  hard  and  ftony 
Ways,  they  hurt  thy  Feet,  and  made  them  fwell.  Poverty, 
we  know,  neceflarily  occafions  a  Meannefs  of  Apparel, 
but  Men  of  large  Fortunes  have  a  Variety  of  Suits,  and 
commonly  caft  their  Cloaths  off,  before  they  are  too  far 
worn :  And,  in  like  Manner,  the  Uijlorians  Defign  is 
(in  this  Inftance  of  Raiment)  to  fignify  to  us,  that  the 
Ifraelites,  while  they  abode  in  a  barren  Wildernefs,  liv'4 
like  Men  of  Affluence  ;  (y)  for  the  Lord  their  God  was 
with  them  (as  he  tells  us  elfewhere)  and  they  lacked  No- 
thing. 

But  how  wellfoever  God  might  provide  for  the  IfraC'ThtWeamng 
lites  in  this,  and  all  other  Inftances  of  his  paternal  Care,»/G'e'^'»/«- 
yet,  we  cannot  think,  with  fome   Predejiinarians^  ^^^^•>'!^i!,'jS'' 
like  an   over- fond    Parent,    he  was  blind  to  their  Faults. 
The  Word   Aven,    which  we  tranflate  Iniquity,  and  the 
Word    Amal,    which   we  render  Perverfenefs,    do    both 
very  frequently  fignify  in  Scripture   the   higheft  Kind  of 
Wickednefs,  /.  e.  Idolatry  ;    and  fo  the  Reafon,    which 
Balaam  afllgns,  why  God  had  blefs'd  the  Ifraelites,  an4 
would  not  curfe  them,  is,  that  they  had  not  as  yet  incurr'd 
the  Sin   of  Idolatry.     Some  private   Men  might  perhaps 
be  guilty  of  it,  but  it  was  not  yet  become  National,  and 
Epidemical ;  nor  were  there  any  Hopes,  that  God   would 
ever  deliver  them  into  the  Power  of  their  Enemies,  unlefs, 
fome  Way  or  other,  they  fhould  be  fcduc'd  into  that  Sin  . 

C  4  and 

fa)  Le  Clerc's  Comitient.  in  Deut.  viii.  4.      ix)  Devit,  ;cxix.  5. 
(y)  Deut.  ii.  7, 


40  The  Hiftory   of  the  BIBLE,     Book  IV. 

^-  ^  and  therefore  Balaam  odvis'd  the  Prince  of  Moah:,  by  the 
Ant.  Chrift.  Allurements  of  fome  beautiful  Women,  to  entice  them 
1489.  &c.  into  it,  as  the  iike'ieU:  Way  to  deprive  them  of  the  divine 

From  Numb.  pj.„t^^Ci|Qj^_ 

xvui.  to  the       ^-^  .  r>      <-  1 

EntlofDeu-  wTHERs  taJce  the  Words  in  a  common  Senfe,  to  de- 
teronomy.  note  Sin^  OX  IVickednefs  in  general j  but  then,  by  the 
Words  y^^,  ox  behold^  they  underftand  fuch  an  Obfervation 
of  this  Wickednefs,  as  marks  it  out  for  Punifnment.  Ac- 
cording to  this  Obfervation,  they  make  the  Meaning  of  the 
Phrafe  to  be,  that,  "  tho'  the  Ifraelites  weie  confefledly 
^'  guilty  of  many  great  Crimes,  yet,  fince  they  were  not 
*'  univ  erf  ally  fo,  Caod  vvou'd  have  more  Regard  to  his  own 
*'  Promifes,  than  to  the  Sins  of  fome  Particulars  ;  becaufe 
*'  he  is  a  God  of  perfect  Veracity,  and  the  Unbelief  and 
*'  Impiety  of  ///  Men  fhall  not  have  Force  enough  with 
*'  him,  to  recal  and  annul  his  Promifes  to  the  Good." 

There  is  another  Signification  of  the  Word,  which 
\ve  render  behold,  and  that  is,  to  look  upon  with  Plea  Cure 
and  Approbation  :  And  (z)  therefore,  as  the  Particle  Beth 
docs  frequently  fignify  againji,  as  well  as  ;'«,  (imd  (<j)  fo 
occurs  in  feveral  Parts  of  Scripture)  the  Senfe  of  the  Words 
will  naturally  run  thus,  Gcd  does  not  approve  of  any  wicked 
Dsfigm,  or  Pra£liccs  againji  Jacob ;  for  the  Words, 
which  we  render  Iniquity  and  Perverfenejs,  do  equally 
fignify  Outrage  or  Oppreffton,  Deceit^  or  Machinations  of 
any  Kind,  which  God  declares  he  would  not  fuffer  to  be 
attempted  againft  his  People.  And  therefore  Balaam^  up- 
on a  Review  of  the  many  Blefiings  and  Deliverances,  which 
God  had  vouchfaf'd  them,  breaks  out  into  this  Reflection, 
and  therewith  concludes  his  prophetick  Speech  ;  {b)  Behold^ 
the  People  fjall  rife  up  as  a  great  Lion,  and  lift  up  himfelf 
as  a  young  Lion  ;  he  fhall  not  lie  dotun,  un.ill  he  eat  of  the 
Prey^  and  drink  of  the  Blood. 

Thus,  in  v/hat  Senfe  foever  we  take  the  Words,  whe- 
ther as  relating  to  Idolatry,  of  which  the  Ifraelites,  in  the 
main,  were  not  at  that  Time  guilty;  or  to  Wickednefs  in 
general,  which  God's  Promifes  to  the  Forefathers  reflrain'd 
him  from  punifliing,  tho'  they  might  be  guilty  ;  or  to  the 
evil  Defigns  and  Practices  againft  his  People,  which  his 
Juflice  and  Goodncfs  boih  oblig'd  him  to  difapprove ;  we 
fliall  have  no  Reafon  to  accufe  him  of  a  blind  Partiality  to- 
wards 

fz)  An  EiTay  towards  a  new  Verfion  of  the  Scripture. 
(a)  Vid.  Exod.  xiv.  25. — xx.  16  Numb.  xii.  i. — xxiii.  23, 
bf  aliri.     [b)  Numb,  xxiii.   24= 


Ch  a  p.  III.  from  the  Ifraelltes  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  4 1 

wards  them,  but  much,  very  much,  to  cry  out  with  the  ^-  ^• 
infpir'd  Writers,  [c)  Righteous  art  thou ^  O  Lord^  "^^  ^^"^  Knu  Chlo.. 
is  thy  Judgment ;  (d)  with  the  Holy^  ihou  (halt  be  holy;  and  1489,  &c. 
with  the  upright  Man,  thou  Jhalt  be  perfeSf  ;  for  the  Lord'^^^^^\^^^ 
knoweth  who  are  his,  and  can  right'y  diftlnguifh  between -EnAoiYyc^x- 
thofe  thatfcrve  him,  and  thofe  that  ferve  him  not.  tcxonomy. 

Of  the  Number  of  thofe,  who  ferved  not  God,  Balaam^TT"'^^'^'^ 
was  certainly  one ;  and  yet  we  have  Reafon  to  prefume,  yharoaer, 
tliat  he  neverthelefs  was  a  real  Prophet.  The  Jews  indeed '^i'^  tbat  bt 
are  generally  of  Opinion,  that  he  was  a  bufy  and  pretend- ^^*^J^"' 
ing  jljirologer,  who,  obferving  when  Men  were  under  a 
bad  Afpe6l  of  the  Stars,  pronounc'd  a  Curfe  upon  them  ; 
which  fometimes  coming  topafs  gain'd  him,  in  fome  neigh- 
bouring Nations,  a  Reputation  in  his  Way.  Several  of 
the  antient  Fathers  fuppofe  him  to  be  no  more,  than  a  com- 
mon Soothfayer,  (for  fo  he  {e)  is  called)  who  undertook  to 
foretel  future  Events,  and  difcover  Secrets,  is^c.  but  by  no 
good  and  juftifiable  Arts.  Origen  will  needs  have  it,  that 
he  was  no  Prophet,  but  only  one  of  the  Devil's  Sorcerers ; 
and  that  of  him  he  went  to  enquire,  but  God  was  pleas'd 
to  prevent  him,  and  *  to  put  what  Anfwers  he  pleas'd  into 
his  Mouth.  It  cannot  be  deny'd  however,  but  that  (f)  the 
Scripture  exprefsly  calls  him  a  Prophet ;  and  therefore  fome 
later  Writers  have  imagin'd,  that  he  had  been  once  a  good 
Man,  and  a  true  Prophet,  till,  loving  the  Wages  of  Ini- 
quity, and  proftituting  the  Honour  of  his  Office  to  Cove- 
toufnefs,  he  apoftatiz'd  from  God,  and,  betaking  himfelf 
to  idolatrous  Pra6lices,  fell  under  the  Delufion  of  the  Devil, 
of  whom  he  learnt  all  his  magical  Enchantments  ;  tho',  at 
this  Juncture,  when  the  Prefervation  of  his  People  was 
concern'd,  it  might  confift  with  God's  Wifdom  to  appear 
to  him,  and  vouchfafe  his  Revelations. 

BALAJM 

(c)  Pfal.  cxix.   137.  {d)  Pfal.  xviii.  25.         [e]  Numb, 

xxii.  5,  and  Jofh.  xiii.  22. 

*  To  this  Purpofe  Philo,  in  his  Life  of  Mofes,  brings  in  an 
Angel  difcourling  with  Balaam  to  this  EfFeft.  "  It  will  be  in 
*'  vain  for  you  to  contend,  for  I,  without  your  Privity  or 
*'  Knowledge,  will  guide  the  Organs  of  your  Mouth,  and  make 
"  you  {peak  what  upon  this  Occafion  is  fit  and  proper.  I  will 
*'  direft  your  Speech,  and  caufe  you  to  utter  Prophecies,  tho' 
**  you  know  nothing  of  the  Matter,"  Several  Paflages  to  the 
fame  Purpofe  are  likewife  to  be  found  in  Jofephus,  (Antiq.  Lib. 
iv.  c.  7.)  though  there  is  no  Foundation  for  them  in  what  Mofes 
tells  us  concerning  thefe  Adventures  of  Balaam, 
if)  2  Pet.  ii.   1 6. 


42  ^^  tiiftory  cf  the  I^IBL  E,    Book  IV. 

A.  M,  BALAAM  indeed  was  a  Man  of  no  great  Probity,  and 
Antf 'c^irt.  "^'g^t  by  Profeflion  be  a  Diviner ;  but,  by  the  free  Accefs 
1489,  &c.  he  had  to  God,  it  feems  to  be  apparent,  that  he  was  no 
From  Numb- common  Sorcerer,  or  Prophet  of  the  Devil:  For  did  ever 
Ead'of  Deu- ^"y  Sorcerer  addrefs  his  Prayers  to  the  Supreme  God,  and 
teroaomy.  receive  A  nfwers  and  Inftrudions  from  him  ?  Did  ever  any 
^  Sorcerer  prefcribe  a  Law  to  himfelf,  to  fay  nothingy  lefs  or 
morcy  than  what  the  Spirit  of  God  fhould  didtate?  The  Spirit 
of  God,  when  did  it  ever  come  upon  an  Enchanter  ?  Or  was 
it  ever  known,  that  an  Oracle,  upon  a  remote  Event,  and 
what  God  alone  was  capable  of  revealing,  Chould  be  de- 
clar'd  by  a  mere  Magician? 

When  God  was  pleas'd  to  give  A  nfwers  to  his  En- 
quiries, to  make  his  Angel  appear  to  him,  and  to  put 
the  Word  of  Prophecy  in  his  Mouth,  on  all  thefe  Occa- 
iions,  we  find  him  exfM-effing  no  Surprize  at  all,  as  if  he 
had  been  perfectly  well  acquainted  with  thefe  ieveral  Ways 
of  divine  Communication ;  and  therefore,  bad  as  he  was, 
and  a  Slave  to  his  Paffions,  he  muft  neverthelefs  be  deem'd 
a  true  Prophet  of  God.  The  only  fufpicious  Paflage  in  his 
Conduft,  is,  his  having  Recourfe  to  Enchantments  ;  for  {g) 
vjhat  Concord  hath  God  with  Belial?  Or  what  Service 
could  he  poflibly  promife  himfelf  by  making  Ufe  of  thefe  ? 
But  to  this  it  may  be  reply 'd,  that  {h)  the  Arts  of  Magicians ^ 
and  their  Incantations  to  procure  Oracles,  and  Prodigies, 
were,  by  the  greateft  Philofophers  of  thefe  Times,  held  in 
great  Veneration,  and  by  them  reputed  to  be  true.  Tho* 
therefore  this  Balaam  was  really  a  Prophet,  yet,  as  a  Man 
of  Learning,  he  might  not  be  a  Stranger  to  the  Theory  of 
what  human  Science,  and  the  then  reputed  natural  Knowledge 
had  advanc'd  upon  thefe  Subjects :  And  as  Saul,  tho'  he 
had  before  (/)  put  away  thofe  that  had  familiar  Spirits,  and 
the  Wizards  out  of  the  Land;  was  yet  induc*d,  when  the 
Lord  anfwered  him  not,  neither  by  Dreams,  nor  by  Urimy 
nor  by  Prophets,  to  go  to  a  Woman,  that  had  a  familiar  Spi' 
rit,  find  inquire  of  her ',  fo  Balaam,  finding  nothing  but 
a  full  Difappointment  in  all  his  Views,  in  the  feveral  Re- 
velations, which  God  was  pleas'd  to  make  to  him,  and 
being  warmly  inclin'd  to  purchafe  (if  he  might  with  any 
Colour  be  able  to  do  it)  the  Advancement,  which  Balak 
had  ofFer'd  him,  was  tempted  to  try  what  might  be  the 
Event,  if  he  us'd  fome  of  the  Arts,  which  moft  learned 

Nations 

(j)  z  Cor.  vi.  15.        [h]  S^af/f/or^Ts  Conneaion,  Vol.  III. 
liib,  xii.         {i)  I  Sam.  xxviiL  3,  l^c. 


Chap.  111.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  43 

Nations  held  in  the  higheft  Repute,  and  efteem'd  to  be  of    A.  M. 
thegreateft  Efficacy  ;  He  try*d,  hwt  found {k)  no  Enchant -^^l* ^{^^ 
ment  againji  Jacob,  nor  any  Divination  again/i  Ifrael.  1485,  STc. 

To  enter  therefore  into  the  Charader  of  this  true  Pro-'^^°^^^m'°' 
phet  and  Jnchanter  hoth,  we  muft  obferve,  ift,  That  be-EndofDeut 
fore   the  Giving  of  the  Law,    and  the  Conqueft  of  theteronomy. 
promis'd  Land,  there  were  other  f  true  Worfhippers  of  ^-"■V"''*^ 
God,  befides  the  Defcend ants  oi  Abraham^  ^*^P^'^s'^<^v^'*^*i/f'cha^ 
the  Face  of  the  Earth.     2dly,  That  this  Worfhip  of  God  rafter  and 
•f-  was  frequently  mixed  with  Superftition  and  Idolatry,  behaviour 
even  among  them,  who  profefs'd  to  adore  that  one  God  of  """*"''  ''^' 
Heaven  and  Earth.     3dly,  That  this  odious  Mixture  did 
not  hinder  God  f  from  revealing  himfelf  to  thofe,  who 
pra£lis'd  fuch  a  monftrous  and  motly  Religion.     4thly, 
Thax  fupernatural  Gifts  in  general,  and  thofe  of  Prophecy 
in  particular^  tho'  they  enlighten'd  the  Minds  of  the  Pro- 
phets, yet,  *  many  Times,    did  not  fandify  their  Hearts 
and  Affedions.     And,  5thly,  That  the  greateft  Weaknefs 
or  Wickednefs  of  Prophets  never  went  fo  far,  as  to  malte 
them  pronounce  Oracles,  contrary  to  what  was  dictated  to 
them  by  the  Spirit  of  God :  (I)  If  Balak  would  give  me 
his  Houfe  full  of  Silver  and  Gold,  I  cannot  go  beyond  the 
Word  of  the  Lord,  to  do  either  good  or  bad  of  my  iwn  Mind^ 
but  what  the  Lord  faith,  that  muji  I  fpeak. 

It  is  not  to  be  queftion'd  therefore,  but  that  Balaam 
was  confcious  of  his  own  Infpiration,  and  did  knowingly 
obey  the  divine  Will;  but  ft  ill  he  could  have  wifhed,  for 
Balak's  Sake,  as  well  as  his  own,  that  he  might  have  been 
permitted  to  pronounce  different  Things,  to  what  he  did ; 
even  as  the  Prophets  of  Ifrael^  in  future  Ages,  when  or- 
der'd  to  denounce  Judgments  againft  the  People,  would 
have  defired  Liberty,  no  doubt,  to  prophefy  Things  of  a 
more  grateful  Relifh  j  but  as  they  could  not  have  that  Per- 

miillon, 

[k)  Numb,  xxiii.  23. 

f  Thus  Job  and  his  Friends  dwelt  in  Arabia ;  Jethro  and 
his  Pofterity,  in  the  Country  of  Midian  ;  and  Abrahams  Abode 
in  Mefopotamia  (where  Balaam  lived)  might  leave  behind  him 
feme  Profelytes  to  the  true  Religion. 

-f-  The  feraphim  of  Laban  proves  tliis. 

f  Abimelechy  and  Nebuchadnexzar  are  inftances  of  this.  Gem 
xxvi.  and  Dan.  ii.   i . 

*  For  fo  we  read,  the  Heads  of  God's  People  judge  for  Re- 
nuard,  and  the  Priefis  thereof  teach  for  Hire,  and  the  Prophets 
thereof  divine  for  Money,  Mic.  iii,   II. 

(/)  Numb.  xxii.  3§. 


44-  ^'he  Hifiory  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,     Book  IV. 

A-  M.  mliTion,  they  obey'd,  (tho'  with  fome  Reluitancy)  and, 
Ant?'chrift.  ^'^*"  they  came  to  the  Point,  did  neverthelcfs  pronounce 
1485,  &c.  boldly  what  they  were  order'd  to  promulge. 
FromNumb.  ^jj^  (j^js,  by  the  Way,  will,  in  fome  Meafure,  ac- 
£j,j  of  Deu- count  for  the  Mixture  in  Balaam's  Behaviour,  viz.  his 
teronomy.  fccking  for  Enchantments  in  one  Minute,  and  falling  into 
"'a  Fit  of  Devotion,  in  the  next.  For  befides  that  the 
Words,  which  he  utters  upon  this  Occafion,  are  not  pro- 
perly his  own,  but  infus'd  into  him  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
and  for  which,  confequently,  he  is  not  refponfible  ;  to  hear 
a  wicked  Man  fometimes  come  out  with  a  pious  Wi/h,  or 
holy  Ejaculatioriy  can  be  no  incongruous  Thing  at  all.  (m) 
The  Charadler  of  Virtue  is  fo  very  beaudful,  its  End  is  fo 
comfortable,  and  the  Odour  of  its  Memory  fo  fweet,  that 
even  wicked  Men  cannot  fee  and  hear  it,  without  fecretly 
preferring  it,  and  inwardly  fighing  for  it,  and  wifhing  at 
leaft  that  it  were  their  own  :  And  therefore  it  is  no  Won- 
der, that  even  Balaam,  under  fome  fudden  Compunftion 
of  Mind,  or  Conviction  of  the  Amiablenefs  and  happy 
Eftate  of  Virtue,  both  here  and  hereafter,  fhould  defire  to 
die  the  righteous  Man's  Death,  But  there  is  fomething 
more  to  be  faid  for  Balaam  in  this  RefpefV,  than  for  other 
wicked  Men  j  and  that  is,  the  Bufinefs  he  was  now  about. 
The  whole  Series  of  his  Behaviour  indeed  fhews  him  to  be 
a  vain,  oftentatious  Man.  By  the  Preamble  to  his  Prophe- 
cies, ^«  J  Balaam,  the  Son  of  Bcor,  hath  faid,  and  the  JUan 
•whofe  Eyes  are  o^en,  who  knew  the  knowledge  of  the  mod 
High,  and  faw  the  Vifion  of  the  Almighty,  hath  faid,  &c. 
he  would  make  us  believe,  that  he  was  a  Man  of  no  fmall 
Cqnfideration,  vaflly  familiar  with  God,  and  *  quite  fu- 
perior  to  he  little  Pretenders  of  his  Age;  and,  as  we  may 
farther  obferve,  that,  in  all  his  Intercourfe  with  Balak, 
he  never  pretended  to  confult  any  but  God,  we  cannot  but 
think,  that,  to  feem  to  be  in  earneft  about  the  Matter, 
and  now  and  then  drop  a  religious  Sentence,  was  no  more, 
than  what  became  the  Bufinefs  he  was  upon,  and  the  Cha- 
ra^cr  he  thought  proper  to  afllime,  even  fuppofmg  the 

Words 

(«)  Toungs  Sermons,  Vol.  II.         («)  Numb.  xxiv.  15,  16. 

*  The  Jerufalem  Targu?n  paraphrafes  Balaam  %  Words  in  a 
Manner,  that  Ihews  his  Oftentatioufnefs ;  The  Man  faid,  luhv 
nuas  honoured  abo've  his  Brethren,  to  ivhom  that  ivas  revealed^ 
•which  'was  hidden  fropt  all  the  Prophets.  Patrick'^  Commentary, 
en  Numb.  xxiv.   3. 


Chap.  III. from  the  Ifraelites  iDeparture from  Egypt,  ^c.  45 

Words  to  have  been  of  his  own  Invention,  which  (as  we    ^-  M. 
faid  before)  were  of  divine  Infpiration.  Ant?'chr[ft. 

Of  all  the  Prophecies,  which  Gad  at  this  Time  deliver'd  1485,  &c... 
from  the  Mouth  of  Balaatn^   there  is  one  of  a  more  emi-^'^°™^"™''- 
nent  and  peculiar  Nature  :  (0)  I  (hall  fee  him,  but  not  now, -^^^'^^^^^^ 
1  Jhall  behold  h'lm^  hut  not  nigh:  There  Jhall cG?ne  a  Star  /jz/< teronomy. 
cf  Jacob,  and  a  Sceptre  Jhall  rife  out   of  Ifrael,  and  z^^^^^T^'****^ 
fmite  the  Comers  of  Moab,  and  dejiroy  all  the  Children  of  ti'n  eflhfa, 
Seth.     All  Opinions  agree  in  this,  that  Balaam  here  fpeaksw-Ki  tro- 
of  a  King  and  Conqueror ;  and  perhaps,  in  calling  him  zf^'^'J-  ' 
Star,  he  accommodates  himfelf  to  the  long-eilablifh'd  No- 
tion, *  that  the  Appearance  of  Comets  denoted,  either  the 
Exaltation,  or  Deftru6tion  of  Kingdcm.s  :  But  the  great 
Queftion   is,    of  what   King   or  Conqueror  is  it  that  he 
fpeaks  ? 

CpJ  Some  have  apply'd  the  Prophecy  entirely  to  Da-vid, 
the  moft  illuftrious  of  the  fewijh  Monarchs,  who  extend- 
ed his  Conquefts  far  and  wide,  (q)  Others  have  apply'd 
it  as  entirely  to  the  Mejfwh,  fuppohng  that  the  Metaphor 
of  a  Star  comports  better  with  him,  and  his  celeflial  Ori- 
gin^ than  with  David;  and  that  the  main  Strokes  of  the 
Prophecy  refemble  an  heavenly,  more  than  an  Earthly  Con- 
queror. The  Matter  however  may  be  compromis'd,  if 
we  will  but  allow  (r)  of  a  learned  Man's  Obfervation,  viz. 
that  the  moft  remarkable  Prophecies  in  the  Old  Teflament 
bear  ufually  a  twofold  Senfe;  one  relating  to  the  Times  be- 
fore the  Meffiah,  and  the  other,  either  fulfill'd  in  the  Per- 
fon  of  the  Mejfiah,  or  in  the  Members  of  his  Body,  the 
Church,  of  which  Kind  we  may  juftly  efteem  the  preced- 
ing 

(0)  Numb.  xxiv.  17.  .-^ 

*  Jujiin,  in  his  Hiftory,  fpeaking  of  Mithridates,  tells  U| 
that  in  the  feveral  Years  of  his  Birth,  and  Accejfton  t  j  his  Kiog- 
dom,  a  Comet  fhone  with  fuch  a  Luftre,  as  if  the  whole  Hea- 
vens had  been  a-fire.  Lib.  xxxvii,  c.  2.  Lucan,  in  tlie  De- 
fcription  which  he  gives  us  of  the  Cinjil  Wars  of  Romey  among 
tl>^  feveral  Prodigies,    which  were  feen  both  on  Earth  and  in 

Heaven,  reckons  up  this : 

I,....-...., -— Crinemque  timendi 

Sideris,  &  Terris  mutantem  Regna  Cometem.  Lib.  I. 
And  Diodorus  Siculus  delivers  it,  as  a  -Doftrine  current  among 
the  Chaldeans,  that  the  Rifmg  of  Comets  is  either  beneficial  or 
hurtful,  not  only  to  Nations  and  States,  but  even  to  Kings 
themfelves,  and  fometimes  to  private  Perfons.  Lib.  ii.  p,  116. 
(p)  Le  Clerc's  Commentary,  on  Numb.  xxiv.  (^)  I'atrick's 
Commentary,  ibid.  ('■)  Grofiiis,  in  Matt.  i.  22. 


46    '  The  Hifiory  of  ibe  BIBL  E,    Book  !V. 

A.  M.    jng  Prophecy.     For  the'  its  primary  Afpeft  may  be  towards 
Ant^Chrift.  ^^"^^'^i  yet  whocvcr  confiders  it  attentively  fhall  perceive, 
1489,  £ff.  that  its  Ideas  are  too  full  to  extend  no  farther,  and  muft 
FromNumb.tjjerefore,  imfecondary^  and  more  exalted  Senfe,  refer  us 
End  of  Ueu-  ^^  Chrift,  whofe  Kingdom  ruleth  over  all,  and  to  whom  all 
•eronomy.     Things  are  put  in  Subje£iion  under  his  Feet. 
I.  -i^pi-  1^     Ijj  tl^jg  Senfe  the  generality  of  Jews^  as  well  as  Cbrijii* 
ansy  have  all  along  underftood  it ;  and  'tis  no  improbable 
Conjeilurc  (*  whatever  fome  may  think  of  it)  that  by  the 
Strength  of  this  Prophecy,  kept  upon  Record  among  the 
Oriental  Archives^  the  Magi  of  that  Country,  at  our  Savi- 
our's Nativity,  were  dure<Sled  to  "Jerujalem^  and  enquir'd, 
(s)  where  is  the  King  of  the  Jews,  for   we  have  feen   his 
Star  in  the  Eaji  ?  And,  upon   a  farther    Suppofition,  that 
thefe  very  Magi  were  defcended  from  Balaam  in  a  diredt 
Line,  he  might  then  with  Propriety  enough,  pronounce  of 
the  Mejfiah,  I  Jhall  fee  him,  i.  e.  fee  him  in  my  Poflerity, 
hut  net  now  ;  I  ftiall  behold  him,  but  not  near. 
JitJ  that  of     The  Promife,  or  Prediction,  which  God  orders  Mofes 
Mofes.        to  make  to  the  Jfraelitesy  is  this.     (/)  /  will  raife  them  up 
a  Prophet^  from  among  their  Brethren,  like  unto  thee,  and 
will  put  my  Words  in  his  Mouth,  and  he  Jhall  fpeak  unto 
them  all  thdt  I  command  him.    Now,  in  order  to  difcover, 
wherein  the  Similitude  between  Mofes  and  this  Prophet  was 
to  confift,  we  muft  enquire  into  the  Particulars,    that  di- 
ftinguifh'd   Mofes  from  the  reft  of    the    Prophets ;    and, 
accordingly,  we  find  God  himfelf,  upon  a  fmall  Sedition, 
that  Aaron  and   his  Sifter   were  engaged  in  againft  him, 
making  this  Declaration  in  his  Favour  ;  \u)  If  there  be  a 
Prophet  among  you,  I  the  Lord  will  make   myfelf  known 
unto  him  in  a  Vfion,  and  will  fpeak  unto  him  in  a  Dream  ; 
hut  my  Servant  Mofes  is  not  fo,    who  is  faithful  in  all  his 
Houfe,  with  him  will  I  fpeak  Mouth  to  Mouth,  even  appa- 
rently,   and  not  in  dark  Speeches :  And  what  he  means  by 
fpeaking  apparently,  we  find  explain'd,  when  we  are  told, 
that  [x]  the  Lord  fpake  to  Mofes  Face  to  Face,  as  a  Man 
fpeaketh  to  his   Friend.     This  was  the  diftinguifhing  Cha- 
radler  of  Mofes,  and  in  this  Particular  neither  Jojbua,  nor 
any  of  the  fucceeding  Prophets  could  pretend  to  be  like  un- 
to  him.     They  never  faw  God's  glorious  Prefence,  nor 

heard 

*  Witjhti  in  his  Mifcel.  Sacra,  Lib.  i.  e.  t6.  feems  to  explode 
this  Conjefture  of  Origeni,  but  not  upon fufficient  Grounds. 

(j)  Matt.  ii.  2.  {t)  Deut.  xviii.  x8.  («)  Numb,  xii, 
6,  i^c.        [x)  Exod.  xxxiii.  11. 


Chap.  Wl.from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  47 

heard  him  fpeak  diftindlly.     He  did  not  converfe  familiarly    A.  Ivi. 
with  them,  but  whatever  he  had  to  communicate,  he  did  Int.^ 'c^[ft. 
it  by  Way  of  Vifions,    or  Dreams,    or  fome  dark  and  1489,  ©"f,* 
migmattcal  Expreffions.  FromNumb. 

{y)  They  indeed  had  no  fpecial  Commiflion,  no  newEndofDeu- 
Inftitutes  of  Religion  to  publilh,  nor  had  they  ufually  anyteronomy 
extraordinary  Credentials  to  produce.  Their  Bufinefs,  in 
fliort,  was,  to  explain  and  inculcate  the  Law,  which 
Mofes  gave,  and  even  in  this  it  is  hardly  fuppofeable,  that 
they  were  always  infallibly  directed,  becaufe  it  is  faid  of 
feveral  of  them,  that  (z)  they  trred  in  Vifion^  andJlumhUd 
in  'Judgment.  So  that  with  no  Propriety  can  it  be  affirm'd 
of  them  that  they  were  like  Mofes,  much  lefs  can  that  ad- 
ditional Character  belong  to  them,  /  will  put  my  Words  in 
his  Mouthy  and  he  (hall  fpeak  unto  them  all  that  I  Jhall 
command  him,  which  certainly  implies  an  extraordinary 
Commiflion  to  publilh  fomething,  that  was  not  reveal'd 
before. 

But  now,  when  it  is  faid  of  the  blefled  Jefus,  that  he 
Was  {a)  a  Teacher  fent  from  God,  for  that  no  Alan  could  do 
the  Miracles,  which  he  did,  except  God  were  with  him  ; 
that  he  came  [b]  to  declare  God,  or  (what  is  all  one)  to  re- 
veal a  new  Religion,  [c)  which  was  confirmed  by  Signs,  and 
mighty  Wonders ;  and,  to  qualify  him  for  this,  that  he 
(<3?)  was  from  the  Beginning  with  God,  and  (e)  is  In  the 
Bofom  of  the  Father  :  When  it  is  exprefsly  faid,  that  he  is 
if)  the  Mediator  of  a  new  Covenant  in  his  Blood,  for  the 
Redemption  of  the  Tranfgrejftons  of  the  former  Covenant ; 
and  {g)  as  Mofes  was  faithful  in  all  his  Houfe,  as  a  Ser^ 
vant,  for  a  Tejlimony  of  thofe  Ihings  which  were  to  befpoken 
after  ;  fo  he,  as  a  Son,  was  faithful  to  him,  that  appointed 
him,  and  was  counted  worthy  of  more  Glory,  than  Mofes, 
in  as  much  as  he,  who  hath  built  the  Houfe,  hath  more 
Honour,  than  the  Houje.  When  all  this,  I  hy,  is  affirm'd, 
and  verify*d  of  Chrift,  it  is  manifeft,  that  the  great  Lines 
of  the/»ro/>^^/zVa/ Defcription,  we  are  now  confidering,  in 
their  true  and  primary  Senfe  meet  only  in  him,  who  is 
the  exprefs  Image  of  his  Father,  [h)  in  whom  are  hid  all 
the  Treafures  of  Wifdom,  and  Knowledge.  But  to  return 
to  Balaam, 

What- 

[j)  Sykesh  Eflay  upon  the  Truth  of  the  Chriftian  Reli- 
gion. (2)  Ifa.  xxviii.  7.  («)  Johniii.  z.  {b)  John  i.  18. 
(f)  Adls  ii.  22.  (^)  Johni.  2.  {e)  Ver.  18.  (/)  Heb. 
viii.  6.        (^)  Heb,  iii.   2.  ^c.        {h)  Col.  ii.  3. 


48  "The  Hijicry    of  the  BIBLE,     Boor  IV. 

A.  M.         Whatever   Opinion  we  may  have   of  the  Matter, 

Ant.^  Chrift.  '^^^  certain,    that  fome  of  the  vvifcft  Nations  among  the 

1489,  &c.  Heathem  had  a   great  Conception  of    tiie  Power  of  their 

FromNumb,  Prophets,  and  thought  that  they  were  Perfons  in  high  Fa- 

End  of  Dcu- ^o"'"  ^"<^  Efteem  with  their  Gods,  who  were  always  in- 

teronomy.     clinable  to  liften   to,  and  ratify  either  their  Benedi^ions  or 

^-^•y"^  Execrations.     *  The   Imprecations   of  thefe   Men   (as(/) 

filn  in  fend-^^"^^^'-^  infomis  US )  Were  by  the  Romans   held  fo  very 

ing  fir  Ba- efficacious,  that   whoever  was  under  them,  could  not  pof- 

ham.  fibly  efcape  ;    and  therefore  we  need  not  wonder,  that,  in 

Conformity   to  this  Cuftom,    we  find  Balak   fending  for 

Balaam  to  come  and  curfe  the  Ifraelites  for  him,  fmce  it  was 

his  fettled  Perfuafion,   [k)  that  he  whom  he  blejfed^    zuas 

blejfdd,  and  he  zvhom  he  curfed,  was  cur  fed. 

Balaam'*  ^^  ^'  ^^'^^  Balak  ailcd  according  to  the  prevailing  Pre- 

mckednrjs;  judicc  of  that    Age  in  fending  for  Balaam,    yet  God  had 

God'!  ^«^frfuf£cient  Reafon  to  be  angry  with  him  for  going.     He  had 

%'ifdom  ;n"'°"*-^  confultcd  God  about  curfitig  the  People  of //r^'^/,  and 

ftrmitting    had  received  a  very  full   and  peremptory  Anfwer  forbidding 

him  to  go.      hitjj  to  go  about  it ;  Thou  Jhalt  not  curfe  the  People^  for 

they  ore  hleffed.     This  Reafon  however  he  kept  to  himfelf  ; 

for  had  he  communicated  it  to  the  Amhaffadors  at  firft-,    in 

all  Probability,  they  would  not  have  importun'd  him  anew 

to  go :  But  his  Covetoufnefs  urg'd  him  on,  and  the  rich 

Prcfents 

*  The  R$mans  were  of  Opinion,  that,  by  a  certain  Form 
of  Imprecation,  they  could  demolifh  Towns,  and  defeat  whole 
Armies  of  their  Enemies  j  and  what  the  ufual  Form  for  this 
Purpofe  v^as,  Macrobius  has  taken  care  to  leave  us  in  thefe 
Words.  Dis  Pater,  Jive  Jo'vis  manjis,  five  quo  alio  Nomine  fas 
efl  nominare ;  ut  otnncm  illam  Urbem,  Exercitutnque,  quern  ego  me 
fentio  diccre,  Fuga,  For7nidine,  Terrore,  ccmpkatis  ;  quique  ad- 
'verfus  Legiones,  Exercitumque  mlirum,  Arma,  lelaque  ferunt, 
uti  'vos  eos  Exercitus,  eos  Hofles,  eofque  Homines,  Urbes,  Agrojque 
eoruni,  iff  qtn  in  illis  Locis,  Regicnibus,  Agris,  Urbibufque  habitant, 
abducatis,  Lumine  fupremo  primetis:  Exercitibufque  Hofiiumy 
Urbes,  Agrojque  eorum,  quos  ine  fentio  dicere,  uti  <vos  eas  Urbes, 
Agrofque,  Capita,  ^tatefque  eorum  De-votas,  ConfecratafqUe 
habeatis,  illis  Lcgihus,  quibus  quandoquefunt  maxinie  Hofles  devoti  : 
Eofque  ego  Vicarios,  pro  me.  Fide,  Magiflratuque  meo,  i£  Popuh 
Rarnano,  Excrcitibus,  Legionibnfque  noflris,  do,  de'vonieo,  ut  me, 
rneamque  Fidem,  hnperiumque,  Legiones,  Exercitumque  nojirum, 
qui  in  his  Rebus  gerundis  funt,  bene  falvos  ftnatis  efj'e.  Si  h^ec  it  a 
faxitis,  ut  ego  fciam,  fentiam,  intelligamque,  turn  quijquis  votum 
hoc  faxit,  reSie  fa£lum  ejio,  O'vibus  atris  tribus,  letlus  Mater, 
•leque,  Jupiter,  cbtejior.     Saturn.  I.  iii.  c.  9. 

(/)  InVitaCr^/r,  p.  553.  (■^)  Numb.  xxii.  6. 


Ch  A  p .  II  I.  frcm  the  Ifraeli  ttz  Departure  from  Egypt,  6f  <r.  49 

Prefents  and  Promifes,  which  the  Meflengers  the  fecond    A.  M. 
Time  brought,  began  to  operate  fo  very  powerfully,  that^^^^j^'j,^^* 
he  forgot  his  Reverence  to  the  divine  Majefty,  and  pre- 1489,   &c'. 
fumed  once  more  to  confult  him  about  going.  FromNmnb, 

Upon    this  Occafion   the  facred  Hiftorian  relates  the^ind  ofDcu! 

Matter  thus, (/)  And  God  came  unto  Balaam  ^f  /V/^^/,  teronomv. 

end  faid unto  him.  If  the  Men  come  to  call  thee^  rife  up  and^ 
go   with  them  :    Jnd  Balaam   rofe  up  in  the  Mornings  and 
faddled  his  Jfs,  and  went  with  the  Princes  of  Moab,  and 
God's  Anger  was  kindled  bee oufe  he  wejti.     What,  angry  for 
what  himfelf  commanded  him  to  do  ?  [rn)  Our  TranQators 
indeed  thus  render  the  Text,    but  the  Hebrew  Words  are 
clear  of  this  Abfurdity  ;  for  they  tell  us,  that  God^s  Jnger 
was  kindled,    not  ei  halak,   hccaufe  he  went,   but  ci  halak 
huGy  becaufe  he  went  of  himfelf,    i.  e.   without  (laying  for 
BalaFs  Meflengers  to  come  in  the  Morning  to  call  him.     He 
had  told  them  over  Night,  that  an  Hoiife  full  of  Silver  a r.d 
Geld  could  not  tempt  him   to   go  counter  to  what  God 
fhould  dired  him  to  do  ;  and  bv  this  vaunting  Speech  they 
very  poflibly  might  think  their  Mafter's  Offers   negle<Sled, 
and  be  tempted  to  go  away  next  Morning  without  him  ; 
but  fo  full  were  his  Head  and  Heart  of  Expe6lation^  from 
the  Journey,  that  he  would  not  run  the  Hazard  of  their 
calling  ;  but  rofe  up  early  in  the  Morning,  went  himfelf  to 
them,  which  was  a6ling  dire<5lly  contrary  to  God's  exprefs 
Order,  for  which  Reafon  he  fent  his  ^4ngel  to  Jiand  in  his 
Way  for  an  Adverfary  againfi  him.     By  the  Mouth  of  his 
Angel,  however,  God  permitted  him  to  go,  as   knowing 
very  well  that  his  Journey  would  tend  to  his  Confufion, 
and  the  Manifeftation  of  his  People's  Glory.     For,  though 
there  was  nothing  but  Malice  in  the  Prophet's  Heart,  and 
a  fix'd  Determination  to  do  all  the  Harm  he  could  to  the 
Ifraelites  ;  yet  God,  by  his  over-ruling  ProvideiKe,  direc- 
ted his  Words  fo,  as  to  make  them,  upon  tv^xy  Eflay   to 
curfe,  pregnant  with  Bleffings.     Had  not  God  forbidden  the 
Prophet  to  go  upon  his  firft  Application  for  Leave,  he  had 
not  declar'd  his  Averfion  to  Balak's  wicked  Project :  Had 
he  not  allow'd  him  to  go  upon  his  farther  Importuni  y,  he 
had  not  expos'd  his  Folly  and   Madnefs,  as  well  as  the 
Weaknefs   of  his  magical  Arts,  fo  effe6tually :  But  now, 
in  the  wife  Method  which  he  took,  he  defeated  the  Defigns 

of 

(/)  Numb.  xxli.  20,  ^c.        im)  Shuckford's  Connexion,  Vol, 
JII.  lib.  xii. 

Vol.  lU.  D 


50  The  Hijlory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  IV. 

A-  M.     of  the  Wicked,  and  inade  the  IVrath  of  Man  topraije  him; 
Ant  Chrift.''^  hath  ftiewn  US,  that  no  Enchantments,  no  Machinations 
1489,  &c.  can  prevail,  where  he  undertakes  to  protect;  (n)  and  has  left 
FromNumb.  ^g  jj^jg  Lgflon  of  Inftrudion,  "  that  when  Men  are  foolifh 
and  felf-willed,  and,    in  the  Purfuit  of  their   corrupt 
Views,  will  follow  their  own  Ways,  notwithftanding 
many  kind  Hints  and  Admonitions  to  the  contrary  j  God 
*'  then  abandons  them  to  their  own  Imaginations,  whichj 
*'  in  the  Event,  very  frequently  prove  their  Ruin." 
Mow  God        It  cannot  be  deny'd  indeed  but  that  God  gave  Balaam 
migttmake   fundry  Admonitions,    not  to  follow,    in  this  head-ftrong 
J^^""**'^*  Manner,  the  Purfuit  of  his  Avarice.     His  enjoining  him 
not  to  go,  when  the  Princes  of  Moab  firfl  came  for  him  ; 
his  fending  an  Angel  in  the  Road  to  rebuke  him  for  his 
rafti  and  unadvis'd  Proceedings  ;  and,  when  he  was  come  to 
Balak,  his  over-ruling  his  Words  upon  three  different  At- 
tempts, and  making  him  pronounce  what  was  leaft  of  all 
his  Intention,    were  fufficient  Remembrancers,    that   his 
Way  could  not  poffibly  be  right  before  God.     But  of  all  o- 
thers,  the  fpeaking  of  his  Afs  was  fuch  a  miraculous  Inci- 
dent, as  would  have  made  any  confidering  Man,  one  would 
think,  retra£t  his  Purpofe. 

This  indeed  is  fo  wonderful  an  Inftance,  that  feveral  of 
the  Jewi(h  Dodtors,  who,  upon  other  Occafions,  are  fond 
enough  of  Miracles,  feemas  if  they  would  hardly  be  induc'd 
to  aflent  to  this.  Philoy  in  his  Life  of  Mofes,  pafles  it  over 
in  Silence  ;  and  (0)  Main  onides  pretends,  that  it  only  hap- 
pen'd  to  Balaam  in  zprophetick  Vifton.  An  infpir'd  Writer 
in  the  New  Tejlament  aflures  us,  that  it  was  real  Faft,  as 
Mofes  relates  it.  Mofes  fays,  that  the  Lord  opened  the 
Mouth  of  the  Afs^  andjhefaid  unto  Balaam  ;  and  St.  Peter 
tells  us,  that  the  Afs,  fpeaking  with  Man's  Foice,  forbad 
the  Madnefs  of  the  Prophet ;  an  human  Voice  came  out  of 
the  Mouth  of  an  Afs,  but  I  do  not  apprehend,  that  this 
Voice  proceeded  from  her  own  Sentiments.  Her  Tongue 
was  miraculoufly  mov'd,  not  by  any  Power  of  her's  fo  to 
move  It,  and  it  fpake  what  it  was  moved  to  utter,  without 
any  Connection  of  her  Words  and  Sentiments,  and  with- 
out her  underftanding  the  very  Words  flie  utter'd  upon  this 
Occafion.  This  feems  to  have  been  the  Facl,  and  thefe- 
vereft  Philofophy,  1  hope,  cannot  deny,  that  God  is  as 
able  to  make  Creatures,  deflitute  of  Underftanding,  pro- 
nounce 

[n)  Scripture  Vindicate^  Part  II,  (o)  More  Nevoch.  Part 

II.  c.  24. 


Ch  A  p.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Bepariurs  frcra  Egypt,  ^c.  5 1 

nounce  articulate  and  rational  Words,  Jis  it  is  for  a  Muftcian^     A.  M. 
by  the  different    Touches,    he  gives  any  Inftrument,  to  ^^j^'^^'^^j^J^^ 
make  it  exprefs  a  Variety  of  Norc:.  1489,  ^c. 

It    may   feem    a   little    ftrange    indeed,     that  Bahcm^'-^^'}^'^'^}'* 
fhould  fhew  no  Kind  of  Surprize,  when  he  heard  his  AfsEn^loCDcu! 
fpeak  like  an  human  Creature:  But  to  this  (p)  fome  reply,  tcronomy. 
That  ^fl/tf^^w  might  probably  have  imbibed  the  Doctrine  of— *~v— ^ 
Tranfm'igration  ofSouls^  (which  was  certainly  very  common  '^'^■J  2^'^^"'' 
in  the  Eaji)  and  from  thence  might  be  lefs  aftonifh'd  tOa/;,^,-/?,'^  ^^ 
hear  any  Brute  fpeak  ;  Vv-hcreas  (q)  others  fuppofe,  that  he''* 
was  in  fuch  a  Rage  and  Fury  at  the  fuppos'd  Perverfcnefs  of 
his  Beaft  cmjlnng  his   Footy  and  falling   down   under  him^ 
that,  for  the  prefent,  he  could  think  of  nothing  elfc  ;  tho' 
the  Concifenefs  of  Mofes'%  Narration,     that  muil:  be   prc- 
fum'd   to  have  omirted  many   Circumftances,    which,   if 
rightly  known,  would   difpel  ihls^  and  many  more  Diffi- 
culties, that  may  be  imagin'd  in  this  TranfaiStion,  does  cer- 
tainly furnifti  us  widi  a  better  and  more  fatisfaclory  Anfwer. 
For,  (r)  tho'  we  could  not  aflign  a  fufficient  Reafun,  why 
God  thought  fit  to  work  this  Miracle,  vet  who  fliall  there- 
fore dare  to  infer  that  it  was  never  wrought  ?   The  Account, 
which   we  have  here  even   of  the  moft  ancient  Times,    is 
^txy  rtiort ;  nor  can  we  rightly  form  a  Judi^ment  what  the 
prevailing  Sentiments  of  ihe  World  miglit  be,  in  the  Age, 
when  Balaam  liv'd.      The  Counfels  of  God  are  likcwife  a 
great  Decp^  nor  can  any  Man  fo  far  penetrate   into  them, 
as  to  pronounce  what  is  proper  or  improper  for  him  to  do. 
Upon  this   Occafion,  however,    there  fcems  to   be    feme 
Reafon  for  his  giving  the  Afs  the  Faculty  of  Speech,  viz. 
that  thereby  he  might  convince  tlie  Princes  of  Adoab^  (who 
are  fuppos'd  to  be  in  Company  with  Balaam)  how  eafy  a 
Thing  it  was  for  him,  who   had  opened  the  Mouth  of  this 
dumb  Creature,  to  flop  that  of  its  Owner,  or   to  dire6t  his 
Words  to  what  Purpofes  he  pleas'd  ;  and  {$)  how  weak  and 
impotent  was  the  Man,    in  whom   they    confided,  when, 
with  all  his  Curfes  and  Imprecations,  he  could  not  get  the 
better  of  a  poor  Brute,  and   much  lefs  then  of  the  People, 
fo  immediately  under  the  divine  Protcdlion. 

The  Scripture  indeed  informs  us,  that,  after  hisfruitlefs 
Negotiation  with  Balak,  {t)  he  returned  to  his  own  Place  .-f^^f/'S"^ 

D    2  ^  Ar\6.  Jlain  amo  g 

the   Mid  .3* 

(p)  Vid.  Le  Clerc's  Commentary.         [q]  Vid.  Patrick's  Com-"'"^'' 
mentary  in  Locum,     (r)  Le  Clnc\  Ccmmentary  in  Numb,  xxiii.  ' 
[s]  B/iliotheca  Biil.  ir\N\ixnh.  xxii.  {t)  Ibii.  it;Numb,  xxiv. 

14, 2  ^ 


52  "the  Hiftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  IV. 

if^'  ^'     A"d^ohemightrcturntoilf/?/o/>o/(7m/fl,andyet,whenheheard 
Ant.  Wift.  of  the  Succefs  of  his  Advice  againft  the  Ifraelites,  and  how  many 
1485?,  Sfc.  thoufand  of  them  had  been  cut  off  in  Confequence  of  it,  he 
x'-'ilT^to'the  "^'ghtgo  back  again  to  the  Midlanites^  in  Hopes  of  obtaining 
End  of  Deu-  an  ample  Reward  for  his  Services;  or  when  War  was  declar'd 
teronomy.     againft  them,  the  Midianites  themfelves  might  poffibl)  fend 
'*—*"v*'''-' for  him  again,  and  he  be  the  rather  incHn'd  to  go,  becaufe 
now  he  might   have  fome  Hopes  of  curfmg  the  Ifraelltes 
with  Succefs,  fmce  they  had  apoftatiz'd  from  the  Worfhip 
of  their  God,  and  fallen    into  Idolatry,  which  while  they 
flood  clear  of,  he  knew  he  would  not  be  permitted  to  do ; 
and  'tis  not  unlikely,  that  for  this  Purpofe  he  was  carry'd 
into  the  Field  of  Battle,  and  there  became  a  Sacrifice  to  his 
ov/n  evil  Policy. 
^^■*'*''f"/'     It    is  a  fad  Perverfion  of  the  Senfe  of  Scripture,  when 
fw«a"      '"God,  in   Condefcenfion  to  our    Capacities,    is  pleas'd  to 
make  ufe  of  human  Words  and  Phrafcs,  to  account  that 
Condefcenfion,  not  only  an  Impropriety  of  Speech,  but   a 
Difparagement  likewife  to  the  divine  Nature  and  Perfec- 
tions.    The  Scripture  indeed    makes    mention    of  God's 
Jwear'mg   In   his  IVrath  ;   but  who  would  ever  think,  that 
the  Form  of  this  Expreflion  {hould  give  any  Difguft,  or 
{li)  the  Senfe  of  it  be  thought  repugnant  to  the  natural  No- 
tions we  have  of  God  ?   He  that  at  all  confiders  the  End  and 
Intent  of  an  Oath,  muft  allow  it  to  be  a  folemn  J^evera- 
tioTt,  made  as  ftrong  and  binding  as  poffible,  in  order    to 
beget  Faith  and  Confidence  in  others,  or  to  procure  a  fure 
Belief  of  what  is  fo  affirm'd.     When  Men  fwear,  nothing 
can  make  their  Afleveration  -fo  ftrong  and  binding,  as  the 
Invocation  of  God  to  be  their  Witnefs,  or  Avenger;  And, 
in  like  Manner,  when  God  himfelf  is  faid  to  fwear,  we 
are  to  fuppofe,  that  he  enforces  and  ftrengthens  his  Affe- 
veraiion  as  much  as  poffible,  or  as  much  as  is  proper,  t9 
beget  the  higheft  Truth  and  Confidence  in  his  Revelations, 
not  by  invoking  a  Superior^  (for  that,  we  may  fay,  is  not 
in  his  Povi'er)  but  by  condefcending  to  make  ufe  of  human 
Forms  ot  Swearing,  with  fuch   proper  Alterations  as  the 
Cafe   requires.     Thus,  when  God  fwears  [x)  by  himfelf, 
or  (;')  by  his  great  Name,  or  (z)  by  his  Life,  or  (a)  by  his 
Right- Hand,  or  (b)  by  his  Holinefs,  or  (c)  by  his  Truth, 

or 

{u)  Vid.  ChritHanity  as  old  as  the  Creation,  p.  250.  {x)  Gen. 
xxii.  16,  [y]  Jer.  xliv.  26.  (2;)  Ibid.  li.  14.  [a)  Ifaiah 
kii.  8.         {b)  Amos  iv.  2.  {c)  Pfal.  Ixxxix.  49, 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraclites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  §^ 

or  {d)  his  Excellency,  or   any  other  of  his  Attributes  or     A.  l^ 
Perfeflions,  the  Meaning  of  thefe  Expreffions  is  much  the  Intf  Chrift. 
fame,  viz.  that  he  thereby  declares  the  Thing  to  be  as  cer-  i48g,&c. 
tain,  and  as  furely  to  be  depended  on,  as  his  own  Being  or  ^tliT^^Sh''* 
Attributes  are.     This,  I  fay,  is  the  whole  Purport  of  theEndofOeu. 
Thing ;    and  God  is  therefore  faid  to  make  ufe  of  this  teronomy. 
Manner  of  fpeaking,  only  becaufe  it  is  more  awful  and      ~»~  — ' 
folemn,  and,  confequently,    apt  to  make  deeper  Impref- 
fions,  and  beget  a  ftronger  Confidence  in  the  Hearers,  than 
a  naked  Declaration  can. 

'Tis  the  Manner  of  the  Scripture  to  afcribe  to  God  ff bat  By  his 
Hands,  Eyes,  and  Feet,  but  the  Defign  is  not,  that  we  ^^^J^^'"  • 
fliould  believe  that  he  has  any  of  thefe  Members  according 
to  the  literal  Signification ;  but  only,  that  he  has  a  Power 
to  execute  all  thofe  A6ls,  to  which  thefe  Members  in  us  are 
fo  very  fubfervient.  'Tis  the  Manner  of  the  fame  Scrip- 
ture to  reprefent  him  as  afFefted  with  the  like  Pajfions,  that 
we  feel  in  ourfelves,  when  we  are  angry  or  pleas'd,  have 
our  Hearts  attender'd,  or  provok,'d  to  Revenge  ;  and  yet, 
upon  Reflexion,  we  cannot  think,  that  any  of  thefe  Pafli- 
ons  are  inherent  in  the  divine  Nature,  but  the  Meaning  only 
is,  (e)  that  God  will  as  certainly  punijh  the  Wicked,  as  if 
he  were  inflam'd  with  the  Paffion  of  Anger,  or  Revenge ; 
and  as  infallibly  relieve  or  reward  the  Good,  as  we  will  thofe, 
for  whom  we  have  tender  Compaffion,  or  afFedionate  Love. 
So  that  it  is  only  by  Way  of  Analogy,  and  Comparifon, 
that  the  Nature  and  Paflions  of  Men  are  afcrib'd  to  God  ; 
and  therefore  certainly  when  he  is  pleas'd  to  exprefs  himfelf  ', 
in  Accommodation  to  our  Capacities,  (inftead  of  making  it 
a  Matter  of  Cavil,  and  Reproach)  we  ought  to  be  thankful 
for  his  Condefcenfion,  and  to  interpret  his  Words  in  a 
Senfe  fuitable  to  his  divine  Majejly. 

It  cannot  be  deny'd  indeed,  but  that  the  utter  Extirpa-  God'tExtir- 
tion  of  the  Canaanites  carries  a  Face  of  Rigour  and  Seve-  P^"""  °f  '^< 
rity,  not  fo  very  confiftent  with  God's  frequent  Declarati-  ^indkated. 
ons  of  his  Mercy  and  Long-fuiFering  ;  but  then  it  Ihould  be 
confider'd,  that  as  he  is  full  of  Lenity  and  Mercy  to  thofe 
that  endeavour  to  pleafe  him,  fo  he  has  thought  fit  to  declare, 
with  the  fame  Breath,  that  he  will  (f)  by  no  Means  clear 
the  Guilty.     Let  us  then»  fee  how  the  Cafe  flood  between 
God  and  thefe  Nations,   when  the    Ifraelites  were  fent  to 
difpoflefs  them. 

D  3  There 

(d)  Amos  viii.  7.  {e)  Uifliop  Ki7?g% Sermon  of  Divine 

Fred.         (/)  Numb,  xly    \%. 

'  Vol.  IIL 


54  ^^  Hiftory  of  the  BIBL  E,        Book  IV. 

^'  ^'  There  is  no  Queftion  to  be  made,  but  that  moft  of 
Anc.^'chrtft.  ^hcfe  People  had  at  firft  the  true  Worfhip  of  God  inftituted 
1489,  &c.  amongft  them,  and  that  their  feveral  Progenitors  took  Care 
xvuT  w'Se"  ^^  '^^^^  behind  them  worthy  Conceptions  of  him  ;  but  not- 
EndofDeu-  withftanding  this,  in  the  Days  of  Mofes  we  find  their  No- 
teronomy.  tions  fo  corrupted,  and  all  Kinds  of  Idolatry  fo  publickly 
'eftabliih'd,  that  the  Land  is  faid  to  have  been  defied  with 
them,  and,  like  a  Stomach  overcharg'd  with  unwholfome 
Diet,  to  have  naufeated,  (g)  andffued  them  up. 

In  denouncing  the  Sentence  of  their  Excifion  therefore, 
(^)  y^  /kail  f mite  them,  and  utterly  dejlroy  them,  and  fave 
alive  nothing  that  hreatheth,  God  intimates  the  Reafon  of 
his  Severity  by  the  Enumeration  of  thefe  Particulars  ;  it) 
ye  Jhall  dejiroy  their  Altars,  and  break  down  their  Statues  ^ 
and  cut  down  their  Groves,  and  burn  their  graven  Images 
with  Fire  :  Even  the  Images  of  Chemojh,  and  Peor,  and 
Moloch^  and  other  deteftable  Idols,  to  whom  they  are  faid  to 
have  offered  human  Sacrifices,  and  to  have  [k)  made  their 
Seed  pafs  thro''  the  Fire  :  Nor  was  their  Idolatry  lefs  pro- 
voking, than  the  Corruption  of  their  Morals,  fince  Adul- 
tery and  Beftiality  of  all  Kinds,  Inceft,  and  all  Manner  of 
Uncleannefs  they  both  avowedly  pr aft! s'd,  and  (/)  took  Plea- 
fure  in  thofe  that  did  them. 

The  ykf/^/^w/V//^  Women  in  particular,  by  proftituting 
their  Bodies,  in  order  to  draw  the  young  Jfraelites  into  Ido- 
latry, had  given  fufficient  Evidence  of  their  incorrigible 
Attachment  to  Wickednefs,  and  how  impoflible  it  would  be 
for  the  People,  whom  God  had  fele£ted  from  the  reft  of 
the  World,  to  preferve  their  Integrity,  if  thefe,  and  fuch 
like,  publick  Seducers  were  permitted  to  live  among  them  j 
and  therefore  God  afligns  this,  as  another  Reafon  for  their 
Extirpation  :  [m]  Becaufe  thou  art  an  lyoly  People  unio  the 
Lord  thy  God^  and  he  hath  chofen  thee  to  be  a  fpecial  People 
unto  himjelf  above  all  People,  that  he  upon  the  Face  of  the 
Earth  ;  (n)  therefore  Jhalt  thou  confume  all  the  People,, 
which  the  Lord  thy  God  Jhall  deliver  into  thy  Hands ;  thine 
Eyes  Jhall  have  no  Pity  upon  them,  lejl  they  turn  thee  away 
from  following  tne,  to  Jerve  other  Gods,  which  will  fur  ely  be 
a  Snare  unto  thee. 

Now,  if  either  the  incorrigible  Wickednefs  of  any  Peo- 
ple, or  the  Danger  of  their  corrupting  others  by  their  En- 
ticements 

ig)  Lev.  xviii.  28,       [h)  Deut.  vli  2.  and  xx.  16.        (/)  Ibid. 
Tii.  5.         [k]  Lev.  xviii.  21.  (/)  Rom.  i   32.  {m)  Dcut. 

vli.  6.         («)  Ibid.  vii.  i6.afid  Exod.  xxiii.  33.      . 


Chap.  Ill,  from  the  KratYitt^  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  5$ 

ticements  and  bad  Examples,  may  be  deem'd  a  fufficient    A.  M.^ 
Reafon  (as  it  is  in  all  civil  Governments,    to  cut  off  ob-  ^n^^  chrift. 
noxious  Members)  for  God  to  rid  himfelf  of  any  Nation,  1489.  &c. 
that  has  incurr'd  his  higheft  Difpleafure,  the  Ifra elites y  who  ^^JJ^'^'^J; 
were  only  Inftruments  in  God's  Hands,  are  no  more  to  beEndofDeu- 
blam'd  for  executing  the  Almighty's  Commands,    than  the«f°n°"^y' 
Perfon,  who  apprehends  a  Malefa^or^  and  brings  him  to  ^**V~^ 
condign  Punifhment,  is  to  be  thought  culpable  by  the  Laws 
of  the  Land.     And,  tho'  the  Malefadtor  may  poflibly  plead 
for  himfelf,  that  he  never  did  the  Apprehender^  or  even  the 
Executioner  any  Wrong  ;  yet  this  will  be  of  no  Weight  or 
Significance  to  the  Magijlrate^  when  he  calls  upon  the  in- 
ferior Officer  to  do  his  Duty.     {0)  Do  but  then  allow  the 
high  and  mighty  Magi/irate  of  Heaven  and  Earth  as  much 
Right,  as  his  Deputies  have  that  a6l  under  him,  and  a  Judg- 
ment fufficient  to  determine  what  concerns  ihc  publick  Goody 
and  then  certainly  the  Ifraelites^  ailing  by  his  Orders,  had 
at  leaft  as  clear  a  Right  to  deftroy  the  Canaanites^  as  any  Ex- 
ecutioner can  have  to  take  away   Life  by  Command  of 
Authority. 

There  isfomething  perhaps,  that  we  may  think  more 
affecting  in  the  Cafe  of  the  innocent  Children,  which  fell  ia 
this  common  Devaftation  ;  but  then  we  are  to  confider,  thaf 
as  the  Lives  of  all  Mankind  are  in  the  Hands  of  God  that 
gave  theniy  fo  may  he  demand  them  back  again,  when,  or 
in  what  Manner,  he  pleafes ;  and  as  well  may  we  quarrel 
with  his  Providence,  for  fending  a  deftroying  Angel  armM 
with  a  Famine,  a  Deluge,  or  a  Peftilence,  which  fweep 
away  Young  and  Old  together,  as  we  may  with  his  depu- 
ting the  Hebrews  to  be  the  Agents  of  his  high  Behefls^  in  a 
general  and  promifcuous  Slaughter  of  fuch  Nations,  as  his 
divine  Juftice  and  Wifdom  had  predeflinated  to  Deftruc- 
tion. 

The  Jewsy   it  muft  be  own'd,   have  feveral  Rules  of  JJ^'^J^J^J 
Life,  and  Cuftoms  peculiar  to  themfclves,  and  by  a  rigorous  cc^wwerrt 
Obfervance  of  thefe,  they  contracted  among  other  Nations  w^Acf^^r 
the  Character  of   being  a  fallen  and    unfociable  People,^""""'* 
Haters  of  the  reft  of  Mankind,  and  averfe  to  all  civil  Society 
and  Commerce.     Thus  Manetho^  as  he  is  quoted  (p')  by 
GrotiuSy  lays  this  heavy  Charge  upon  them,  that  they  would 
hold  no  Manner  of  Correfpondence  with  any  Mortal^  that  was 
not  initiated  into  their  Religion.     Tacitiis  fays  of  them,  that 

D  4  iho'       ' 

(0)  Scripture  Vindicated,    Part  II,  (/•)    Annot.   ift 

Deut.  vii. 


^6  The  Hifiory  of  ihe  BIB  L  E,     Book  IV. 

4  f"  ^c  ^^°*  *^^y  ^^^  courteous  enough  to  one  another^  yet  they  purfue 
Ant.  ^Clwiit.  foreigners  with  the  utmojl  Rage  of  exafferaied  Enemies. 
1469,  &r.  And  (to  name  no  more)  Diodorus  relates,  that  they  were 
x^Lw^'tiiV'^^  ow/jV  People  in  the  JVorld  who  rejeSfed  all  Commerce  and 
End  of  Deu-  Friend/hip  with  Foreigners  ;  and.,  not  only  Jo.,  but  treated  them 
teronomy.  as  Enemies.  But  all  this  muft  certainly  be  a  grofs  Miftake, 
*  becaufe  the  Law  of  Alofes  exprefly  commands  thofe,  that 
live  under  it,  to  do  good  to  Mankind  in  general ;  not  only 
to  love  their  Neighbours,  {q)  but  to  love  the  Stranger  like- 
wife,  and  in  no  Caje  (r)  to  vex  or  opprefs  him.,  for  this  very 
Reafon,  becaufe  they  were  Strangers  in  the  Land  of  Egypt: 
And  therefore  Jofephus.,  in  his  Book  {s)  againft  Jppion^ 
tells  us,  that  tho'  their  Law-giver  would  not  admit  thofc, 
who  came  occafionally  only  to  the  Solemnities  of  their  Reli- 
gion ;  yet,  among  other  Things,  thefe  he  enjoin'd  as  ne- 
cclTary,  and  almolt  effential  Claufes  in  his  Law ;  vix.  to 
fiipply  every  one  with  Fire,  Water,  and  Provifions,  that 
was  in  fVani,  and  to  direSl  the  Traveller  in  the  Road ; 
which  plainly  contradi£^s  the  Reprefentation  which  the  * 
Reman  Satyriji  thought  fit  to  give  of  them. 

If  we  confult  the  Prad^ice  of  the  firft  Founders  of  the 
fewifo  Nation,  we  fhall  find  Abraham  (t)  making  an  Alli- 
ance with  Jbimelcch,  King  of  Gerar,  at  Beer-Jheba,  and 
affifiing  even  the  inpious  Sodomites,  when  he  thought  them 
onjufiiy  invaded  by  their  Enemies  :  We  fhall  find  Jfaac  («) 
entering  into  a  Covenant  with  the  fame,  or  another  King 
cf  the  fame  Name,  at  the  fame  Place  j  and  Jacob  figning 
Articles  of  Agreement  with  Laban,  his  Father- in-Law. 
Nor  can  we  think,  that  the  Promulgation  cf  the  fewijh 
Ordinances  made  any  Alteration  in  this  Particular,  or  laid 
any  Reftraint  upon  their  V^otaries  from  joining  in  Treaties 
of  Commerce,  or  any  other  Negotiations,  that  tended  to 
the  Benefit  of  human  Society.  For,  had  this  been  the  Cafe, 
we  cannot  conceive  how  (y)  both  David  and  Solomon  could 
have  ventured  to  make  a  League  with  Hiiam,  King  of 
tyre,  without  offending  God  ;  w  hich  they  were  fo  far  from 
doing,  that  Solomon  in  particular  (as  (%)  the  facred  Hiflory 
jpfof ms  usj  was  diredted  by  thai  Wifdom,  which  he  received 

from 

iq)  Deut.  X.   19.  (r)  Exod.  xxH.   z\.         [s]  Lib.  ii. 

*  Non  monftrare  vias  cadem  niii  facra  colenti, 

Quxfitum  ad  fontem  folos  deducere  verpos.     Jwv.  Sat.  xiv. 
(/)  Gen.xxi.   22.       Y«j  Ibid.  xxvi.  28.         {x)  Ibid.  xxxi. 
44.         (j)  2  Sam,  V.  II.     .  (=;)  I.  Kings  V.  12. 


Chap.  III.  fromihe  li'riLtlkes  Departure  from  "E^Y^t,  ^c.  57 

from  God,  when  he  made  his  Confederacy  with  this  heathen    ^'  ^' 
rnnce.  Ant.  chrift. 

Excepting    then  thofe  feveral   People,    whom  God  1489)  &ff. 
had  appointed  the  Ifraelites,  at  their  Entrance  into  Canaan,  ll°^^il^^l 
todeftroy,  and  fome  other  Kings  and  Nations  afterwards,  End  of  Deu- 
againft  whom  he  had  fent  out  his  Prophets,  to  denounce  "ronomy. 
Vengeance  for  their  fad  Impieties,  the  yeivs  were  forbidden        -'"" 
to  maintain  af/v//Intercourfe  with  none  ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, were  frequently  excited  to  ufe  Kindnefs  and  Hofpi- 
tality  to  Aliens,  as  well  as  others,  that  all  the  World  might 
fee  (as  (a)  Jofephus  puts  the  Words  into  Solomon's  Mouth, 
at  the  Dedication  of  the  Temple)  That  the  Hebrews  were 
not  fo  inhumane,  as  to  envy  Strangers  the  common   Dtfpen- 
fations  of  the  Author  and  Fountain  of  all  our  Happinefs.       ^^  tbnare 

And,  for  this  very  Reafon,  {b)  I  am  confident,  it  wzs/fi  often fut in 
that  the  Hebrews  are  fo  often  reminded  by  God  of  their  ■'•*""^''/'.'^^"' 
having  been  Strangers  and  Bondflaves  in  the  Land  of  Egypt^^Z^^^'^c, 
that,  by  their  Hofpitality,  and  Charity,  they  might  com- 
fort and  relieve  thofe,  who  were  in  the  like  Condition ; 
that  (in  the  Words  of  the  Prophet)  {c)  they  might  draw  out 
their  Soul  to  the  Hungry,  and  fatisfy  the  efiiSied  Soul ; 
that  they  might  bring  the  Poor  that  were  caft  out,  to  their 
Houfes ;  cover  the  Cold  and  Naked,  and  not  hide  themfelves 
from  their  own  Flefti.  For  this  Caufe  are  they  fo  frequently 
call'd  upon  (in  the  Words  of  the  fame  Prophet)  (d)  to 
look  unto  the  Rock  whence  they  were  hewn,  and  to  the  Hole 
of  the  Pit  whence  they  were  digged,  to  look  unto  Abraham 
their  Father,  and  to  Sarah  that  b  ire  them  ;  that  the  happy 
Change  of  their  Circumftances  might  beget  in  them  a  per- 
petual Gratitude  to  their  great  Benefactor,  and  the  Obfcu- 
rity  of  their  Origin  teach  them  to  be  humble. 

'Tis  Part  of  the  Admonition  of  MofesX.o  the  Ifraelites,^^,jf^^"; 
(e)  thou  Jhalt  remember  all  the  IVay,  which  t  he  Lord  thy  mLemefs 
God  led  thee,  thefe  forty  Tears,  in  that  terrible  Wildernefs,^'^""*^'":* 
wherein  were  fiery  Serpents,    to  humble  thee,    and  to  prove  r^^^^ 
thee,  to  know  what  was  in  thy  Heart,  and  whether   thou 
wouldeji  keep  his  Commandments  or  no.     What  reftrain'd 
the  Serpents,    which  were  fo  numerous  in  the  Wildernefs, 
from  flinging  the  Hebrews,  was  doubtlefs  that  great  and 
fovereign  Being,    who  refided  in  the  Pillar  of  the  Cloud, 
to  cover  the  Camp  in  their  March,  and  make  every  noxious 

Creature 

{a)  Jewilh  Antiq.  lib.  viii.  c.  2.         [h)  Vid.  Exod.  xxii.  21. 
Lev.  XXV.  42,  55.  andDeut.  x.  19,  (r)  Ifaiah  Iviii.  19,  7. 

{J)  Ibid.  11.  I,  2.        {e)  Deut.  viii.  2, 


5^  the  BJiory  of  the  ^1^1.  E,     Book  IV. 

A-  ^'    Creature  flee   before  them,     (f)  Several  Authors  are  of 
Ant.^  Chr[ft.  Opinion,  that  the  Serpents,  which  bit  the  I/raelites^  were 
1489,  e?c.   of  the  fying- Kind,  and  might  be  called  Fiery,  by  Reafon 
FromNumb.  ^f  ^^^gjj.  Colour.     Herodotus  informs  us,  that  Arabia  pro- 
Bid'of  Deu-  duc'd  this  Sort  of  Serpents  in  great  Abundance  j  and  the 
teronomy.     Time  of  the  Year,  wherein  the  Ifraelites  were  under  this 
^—■V"^ Calamity,  was  in  the  Seafon,  when  thefe  Creatures  ufually 
are  upon  the  Wing,  to  vifit  the  neighbouring  and  adjacent 
Countries ;  and  might  now  be  directed  into  the  Camp  of 
the  Jfraelitcs  as  a  great  Army  ;    (for  fo  God  {g)  calls  the 
Locuji,  the  Canker-Worm,  the  Caterpiller,  and  the  Palmer- 
Worm,  his  great  Army)  to  deftroy  and  depopulate  without 
Controul.     For  however  the  Divine  Prefence  had  protected 
them  before,  the  People  were  now  in  a  State  of  Rebellion; 
they  were  murmuring  at  the  Tedioufnefs  of  their  Journey- 
ings,  and  at  their  Want  of  Provifions,  tho'  every  Day  fed 
by  Providence  at  the  Expence  of  a  Miracle.     So  that  God, 
being  angry  with  them,  had  removed  their  heavenly  Safe- 
guard ;  and  no  fooner  was  it  remov'd,  but  Things  were  left 
to  their  natural  Courfe.     The  Serpents  refum'd  their  Ve- 
nom ;  aiid,  {h)  as  it  was  now  in  the  Heat  of  Summer, 
when  Creatures  of  this  Kind  are  naturally  moft  poifonous, 
they  raifed  fuch  Sores,  and  fudden  Inflammations  wherever 
they  fell,  as  occafion'd  Death  in  fome  of  the  mofl:  guilty, 
and  violent  Pains  in  all,  until  God  was  pleas'd  to  provide 
them  with  a  Remedy  of  a  Nature  fomewhat  extraordinary. 
'WhjGcdcp-     Whether  the  Sight  of  Brafs  (as  fome  Naturalijis 
pointed oBtz- {ay)  be  hurtful  or  no,  in  fuch  Cafes,  this  is  certainly  a  Pre- 
*^"S"P^"^  fcription  of  Phy/icians,  that  fuch  People,  as  are  bitten  with 
*  "^^ '^  '  any  venomous  Beaft,  fhouldbekept  from  the  Sight  of  the 
very  Image  of  the  Beaft,    from  which  they  receiv'd  fuch, 
Hurt :  And  therefore  God  might  take  Occafion,  from  the 
Incongruity  of  the   Means,  to  magnify  his  own   Power, 
making  ufe  of  this  Kind  of  Remedy,  that  the  Ifraelites 
might  know,  and  be  convinc'd,    that  both  the  Difeafe  and 
Medicine  came  from  him.     When  our  blefied  Saviour  cur'd 
the  blind  Man  in  the  Gofpel,  he  /pit  on  the  Ground,   and 
made  Clay,    and  fpread  it  all  over  his  Eyes,  which  fome 
Standers-by  might  be  apt  to  believe  was  a  likelier  Way  to 
put  them  quite  out,  than  to  recover  them  ;  but  when  they 
faw  the  Thing  have  its  EfFe6l,  they  glorify'd  God,  and; 

faid^ 

(/)  Shuckford''s  Conneaion,  Vol.  III.  Lib.  xii.         {g)   Joel 
ii.  25.         (I)  PatricKi  Comment,  on  Numb.  xx. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Fgypt,  ^c.  59 

faid,  {t)  How  can  a  Man  that  is  a  Sinner,  d^  fuch  Mira-    A.  M. 
cles  ?  Becaufe  they  could  not  but  perceive,  that  it  was  a^nt^'ch[[ft 
greater  Miracle  to  work  the  Cure  by  incompetent  or  incon-  ^489,  &fc ' 
^rw(?«j  Means,  than  by  none  at  all.     And,  in  like  Manner,  P'^??"^"""^- 
if,    inftead  of  fetting  up  this  brazen  Serpent  upon  a  Pole,  j^d'of  Deuf 
God  had  ordered  the  Ifraelites  to  apply  a  Leaf  of  any  com- teronomy. 
mon  Herb  to  the  Bite  of  thefe  polfonous  Serpents,    ("as  he*— *V**^ 
did  Hezekiab  to  (k)  lay  a  Lump  of  Figs  for  a  Plai/ier  upon 
his  Boil)  the  Cure  might  have  been  the  fame,  but  then  the 
Singularity  of  it  had  not  been  fo  remarkable.     Men  might 
have  imputed  it  to  feme  fecret  Virtue  in  the  Plant,    which 
now  can  be  afcrib'd  to  nothing  but  the  fuperlative  Power  of 
God,  who,  even  by  contrary  Means,  can  bring  about  what 
Ends  he  pleafes. 

The  Defign  of  thofe  Men  however  can  hardly  be  good,  ■^"'^  whente 
who,  to  rob  God  of  the  Glory  of  the  Cure,  would  impute '^^^''j^^.'" 
it  to  fome  fecret  polity  in  the  brazen  Serpent  itfelf.  (I) 
A  Talifman,  which  (according  to  the  common  Account)  is 
a  certain  Piece  of  Metal,  made  under  the  Influence  of 
fuch  and  fuch  Planets  and  Conftellations,  with  a  wonderful 
Power  to  beget  Love,  and  overcome  Enemies  ;  to  drive 
away  noxious  Animals,  and  cure  Difeafes,  ^c.  is  a  chi- 
merical Notion  j  and,  (m)  to  refemble  the  Figure,  which 
God  appointed  Mofs  to  fet  up,  to  any  of  thefe  vain  Devi- 
ces, is  a  Scheme  that  f  deferves  our  Scorn,  more  than  our 
Confutation.  The  Author  of  the  Book  of  IVifdom^  ad- 
drefiinghimfelf  to  God,  and  fpeaking  of  tht  Ifraelites,  has 
imputed  the  V^irtue  of  this  Serpent  to  its  true  Gaufe.  («)  He 
that  turned  himfelf  towards  it^  was  not  healed  by  the  Thing 
which  he  faw-^    hut  by  Thee^  who  art  the  Saviour  of  all. 

And, 

[i]  John  ix.  1 6.  {k)  Ifaiahxxxviii.  21.  (/)  Sauriri's 

Diflertations.  {m)  Le  Cleris  Comment,  on  the  xxiil  of 

Numb. 

f  Sir  John  Marjham  has  collefted  feveral  Paflages  from  the 
prophane  Writers,  which  hint  at  Charms  and  Inchantments  to 
cure  the  bite  of  Serpents ;  and  he  fays,  the  Hebrews  made  afe  of 
Inchantments  for  this  very  Purpofe,  which  Aflertion  he  endea- 
vours to  fupport  by  a  Citation  from  Pfal.  Iviii.  4,  5.  by  another 
from  Ecclejiajies,  chap.  x.  8;  and  by  a  third  from  Jeremiah, 
chap.  viii.  17  ;  and,  from  the  whole  of  what  he  offers,  he  wou'd 
intimate,  that  the  Cure  of  the  Ifraelites  was  not  miraculous,  but 
that  the  Brazen-Serpent  was  properly  a  Charm  for  the  Calamity, 
or  an  Amulet  for  the  Diftemper ;  but  it  would  be  trifling  to  refute 
this  Opinion.  Shuckford\  Connexion,  Vol.  III.  Lib  xii. 

(w)  Wifd.  xvi.  7. 


6o  The  Hijiory  of  tbe  BIBL  E,     Book  IV, 

A.  M.  And,  accordingly,  in  the  foregoing  Verfe,  he  calls  it  a 
Ant: 'chtift.  ^'S"i  °^  Symbol  of  Salvation^  to  put  thtm  in  Remembrance 
1485^,  6fc  of  the  Com'TMndment  of  the  Law. 

xviir^o'^he  '^"^  °"^^  confiderable  Difficulty  in  the  whole  Tranf- 
End  of  Den- ^"^io"*  is,  why  God,  who  had  forbidden  all  Manner  of 
teronomy.  Images,  fhould,  on  this  Occafion,  command  one  to  be 
*made.  This  the  Jewljh  Dodtors  [as  f  Jujlin  Martyr  ob- 
ferves  in  his  Days)  could  give  no  Account  of :  But  had  they 
known  Jefus  Chriji^  and  him  crucified^  they  might  have  foon 
perceiv'd,  {0)  tliat  God  intended  it  for  a  Type  of  the  Death 
of  Chrift,  and  the  Manner,  in  which  he  was  to  die  ;  and 
that  the  Effeds  of  the  Brazen  Serpent  upon  them,  who 
look'd  on  it,  did  reprefent  the  Virtue  receiv'd  by  true  Be- 
lievers from  the  Death  of  their  Redeemer.  For  fo  we  find 
©ur  Saviour  himfelf  applying  the  myfterious  Meaning  of  itj 
\p)  As  Mofes  lifted  up  the  Serpent  in  the  Wildernefs^  even  fo 
muji  the  Sort  of  Man  be  lifted  up  j  that  tuhofo  believeth  in 
him,  Jhould^ot  perifhy  but  have  eternal  Life. 

Thus  we  have  anfwer'd  the  feveral  Doubts  and  Ob- 
jections, that  have  been  made  to  that  Part  of  the  Hiftory 
of  Mofes,  vvhich  includes  this  Period  of  Time  :  And  if  the 
Atteftation  of  profane  Writers  may  be  thought  any  Con- 
firmation of  what  has  been  faid,  we  have  the  Pr^dice  of 
nioft  fubfequent  Law-givers,  in  Imitation  of  this  great 
fewijh  Leader,  pretending  to  a  familiarity  with  fome  fidtU 
tlous  Deity  or  other,  and  thence  deriving  their  Inftitutions  : 
And  whoever  compares  the  facred  and  fabulous  Account  of 
Things  together,  will  find  a  near  Rcfemblance  between 
Aaron  and  the  heathen  Mercury  ;  and  that,  as  this  falfc  Deir 
ty  is  faid  to  have  been  an  Egyptian  by  Birth,  the  MefTen  - 
ger  and  Interpreter  of  the  Gods,  and  is  generally  painted 
with  a  Caduceus,  or  Wand  in  his  JHand  twifted  about  with 
Snakes;  fo  Aaron  was  himfelf  born  in  Egypt,  and  appointed 
by  God  to  be  [q)  an  Interpreter  to  hh  Brother  Mofes,  and 
a  Mejfenger  to  Pharaoh  and  the  Egyptians,  in  whofe  Pre- 
fence  he  threw  down  his  Wonder-working  Rod,  and  it  im- 
mediately became  a  Serpent. 

The 

-f-  In  his  Book  againft  Trypbo,  he  infifts  upon  this  Serpent,  as 
a  Type  of  Chriff,  and  appealing  to  the  Company,  what  Reafon 
(cxdulive  of  that)  could  be  given  of  this  Matter,  one  ofthcyeivs 
confefs'd  that  he  was  in  the  Right,  and  that  he  himfelf  had  en- 
quir'd  for  a  Reafon  among  the  Jt<ujijh  Mailers,  and  could  meet 
with  none.     iTzWirr's  Demonftration,  p.  73. 

(<?)  Kiddir,  ibid,     (p)  John  iii.  14,  15.     (?)  Exod.  vii.  i,  2, 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelltes  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  6 1 

The    whole  Hiftory  of  Balaam  (zs  Romantick  as  it    -^  M 
feems)  is  ftill  upon  Record  in  the  ancient  oriental  Writers,  ^^j^'j^'(,^^[j^ 
from  whence  the  prefent  Mahometans  have  borrow'd  many  1489,  &c' 
Things.     'Tis  not  improbable,  that  the  fpeaking  of  his  ///} FromNumb. 
gave  handle  to  the  Fi£tion  of  feveral  other  brute  Creatures,  End'ofDeu! 
upon  lefs  momentous  Occafions,  accoflhg  their  M afters,  teronomy. 
That  the  Dcfarts,  wherein  the  T/raf/Z/^f  journey'd,   were' 
infefted  with  Serpents  of  fo  venomous  a  Kind,    that  their 
Biting  was  deadly,  and  above  the  Power  of  Art  to  cure, 
both  Strabo  and  Diodorus  teftify.     And  (to  inftance  no  far- 
ther) the  Worftiip  of  Mfculapius^  the  known  God  of  Phy- 
ftck^  under  the  Form  of  a  Serpent,  and  what  fome  late  Tra- 
vellers tell  us  of  the  Indians  carrying  about  a  wreathed  Ser- 
pent, upon  a  Pearch,  to  which  they  pay  their  Adorations 
every  Morning,  had  manifeftly  their  Original  from  fome 
Tradition  or  other  of  this  Serpent's  Image,    which  Mojes 
was  directed  to  fet  up.     So  true  is  the  Charadier  (confirm'd 
by  Teftimonies  oi  all  Kinds)  which  the y^cr^^  Writers  give 
us  of  this  Mofes,  the  Servant  of  the  Lord,    that,  both  as 
the  Leader,  the  Law- giver,  and  Hiftorian  of  his  People, 
(r)  he  was  found  faithful  in  all  his  Hsufe, 

DISSERTATION     III. 

Of  the  Profane  Hiftory^  Religion^  Government^  &c. 
of  fuch  Nations^  as  the  Israelites  had  Dealings 
with,  during  this  Period. 

TOWARDS  the  Conclufion  of  the  foregoing  Book, 
we  carry'd  the  Succeflion  of  the  Egyptian  Kings 
down  to  the  Reign  of  Jmenophis,  who  (according  to  the 
moft  received  Accounts)  was  that  obftinate  Prince,  that,  ia 
Purfuit  of  the  Hebrews,  together  with  all  his  Army,  was 
loft  in  the  Waves  of  the  Red- Sea:  Nor  (hould  we,  as  yet, 
concern  ourfelvesany  farther  with  the  Hiftory  of  that  Na- 
tion, but  that  his  Son  and  Succeflbr,  Sefojiris,  f  who  liv'd 

in 

(r)  Heb.  iii.  5. 

f  It  is  a  Matter  of  no  fmall  Difpute  among  Chronologers,  ia 
what  Time  it  was  this  Sefojlris  liv'd.  The  feeming  Analogy  of 
the  Name  makes  Sir  John  Mar/ham  think,  that  Sefojlris  was  the 
fame  with  Shishak,  King  of  Egypt,  nxiho,  in  the  Days  of  Reho- 
boam,  came  up  againft  Jerufalem,  and  took  atuay  the  Treafures  of 
the  Houfe  of  the  Lord,  the  Treafures  of  the  ISng's  Houfe,  and  aft 

tkt 


62  The  Hifiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.  in  the  Time  of  the  Ifraelltes  Peregrination  in  the  Wilder- 
Ant^  cSft."^^^'  and  may  therefore  properly  take  his  Place  here,  was  a 
1589,  &c.  Perfon  of  fo  diftinguifh'd  a  Character,  that,  to  pafs  him  by 
FroniNumb.[n  Silence,  would  be  doing  an  Injury  to  our  Reader. 

xviii.  to  the  « 

EndofDeu-  ^^ 

teronomy. 

Uhe  Sbie/c/s  •zvh'ch  Solomon  had  made.  Sec.  I  Kings  xiv.  25,  26. 
What  confirms  him  in  this  Opinion,  is  a  Paflage  in  Jofephus, 
wherein  he  tells  us,  that  God  a'venged  him/elf  upon  Rehoboam,  by 
the  Hand  of  Shilhak,  King  of  Egypt,  concemng  luhoTn  Herodo- 
tus (being  mijiaken)  afcribes  ix^hat  he  did  to  Sefoftris,  Jewifh  An- 
tjq.  lib.  viii.  c.  4.  But  what  if,  in  this  Matter,  Jofphus  himfelf 
Iliould  be  miftaken,  and  not  Herodotus  ?  fofephus  certainly  took 
his  Antiquities  from  the  Records  of  the  Je^ws,  which  gave  a  full 
Account  of  what  happened  to  Abraham,  and  his  Pofterity,  both 
before  and  after  they  inherited  the  Land  oi Canaan;  but  gave  no 
Account  at  all  of  that  Country,  while  it  was  in  other  Hands,  and 
particularly  while  the  Ifraelites  were  in  the  Wildernefs :  And 
therefore  it  is  more  probable,  that  fofephus  knew  of  no  Conqueft 
of  the  Land  of  Canaan  by  the  Egyptians,  before  the  Time  of  Re- 
hoboam. For  when  he  applies  what  Herodotus  fays  of  Sefojiris^s 
fetting  up  feveral  infamous  Pillars,  to  Jiigmatize  the  Countries, 
<which  he  conquered,  for  Coivardice,  to  Shijhak,  after  his  Expedi- 
tion againll  the  Jenxjs,  he  plainly  gives  us  to  underftand,  that  he 
knew  of  no  other  Expedition  from  Egypt  againft  the  Land  of  Ca- 
naan before  that.  And  indeed  thefe  very  Pillars  are  enough  to 
decide  the  Matter,  that  our  Sefoflris  was  not  Shijhak.  Shijhak 
made  an  Irruption  into  Judea,  plunder'd  the  Temple  and  the 
Country,  and  fo  went  back  again  into  Egypt.  Now,  had  he  fet 
up  fuch  Pillars,  as  a  perpetual  Mark  of  Infamy  upon  the  Jeivs, 
can  we  imagine,  that  they  would  have  let  them  ftand,  even  to  be 
feen  in  Herodotus\  Time,  and  not  immediately  puU'd  them  down 
upoti  his  Retreat  ?  But,  on  the  other  Hand,  \i  Sefoflris,  whofuc- 
ceeded  the  Pharaoh,  who  was  drowned  in  the  Red-Sea,  conquer 'd 
Canaan,  and  fet  up  fuch  Pillars,  there  is  good  Reafon  to  think, 
that  they  might  continue  a  long  while,  becaufe  the  Canaanites, 
who  were  a  conquer'd  People,  dar'd  not  pull  them  down  in  his 
Reign,  and  in  the  Time  of  the  Deputies,  who  governed  under 
him  i  and  the  Ifraelites,  who  knew,  that  thefe  Pillars  were  no 
Refleftion  on  them,  but  only  on  their  Enemies,  would  be  incli- 
nable enough  to  let  them  ftand.  It  is  much  more  probable  then, 
that  the  Miftake  belongs  to  fofephus,  and  not  to  Herodotus ;  be- 
caufe Herodotus,  in  what  he  afTerts  of  Sefojiris,  agrees  with  Diodo- 
rus  and  others :  But,  to  fix  the  Aftions  of  Sefojiris  upon  Shijhak^ 
there  is  no  one  antient  Author  that  will  agree  with  fofephus.  Ari- 
Jiotle  affirms,  (Polit.  lib.  i.  c.  10.)  that  the  Kingdom  of  Sefofris 
was  much  older,  in  Point  of  Time,  than  that  of  Minos  in  Cretey 
which  every  one  owns  was  in  the  Time  of  fojhua.  Pliny  main- 
tains, (Nat.  Hift.  lib.  xxxvii.  c.  8.)  That  Troy  was  taken  in  the 
Time  of  ^mffes^  who  was  the  third  Defceudant  from  Sefojiris. 

Strabt 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Eg3^pt,  ^c.  63 

As  foon  as  Sefojlris  was  born,  fome  Hiftorians  tell  us    ^  ^• 
that  Vulcan  appear'd  to  his  Father  in  his  Sleep,  and  inform-  Ant^Chrift. 
ed  him,  that  hh  Sonjhould  conquer  the  whole  IF  or  Id:  upon  1489,  &c. 
which  Prefumption   it    was,  that  he  took  fo  much  Care,  FroniNumb. 
not  of  his  Education  only,  but  of  every  male  Child's  Hke-Endof  Deu- 
wife,    that  was  born  on  the  fame  Day  with  him,    even  teronomy. 
through  all  his  Kingdom  of  Egypt.     The  Number  of  thefe  !jr''YT*!- 
is  faid  to  have  amounted  to  feventeen  Hundred  in  all  }  and  StioiJi'. 
the  King  gave  Orders,  that  they  fhould  be  train'd  up  in  the 
fame  Difcipline,    and    Exercifes,    with   his  Son,  as  juftly 
fuppofing,  that  they,  who  had  been  the  conflant  and  equal 
Companions  of  his  Childhood  and  Youth,  would  prove  his 
moft   faithful   Minljlers,    and  affedtionate  Felhw  Soldiers. 
{s)  Having  therefore  provided  Tutors,   and  Mafters,    and 
every  Thing  neceflary  for  this  Purpofe,    he  had  them,  by 
Degrees,  inured  to  laborious  and  manly  Exercifes,    as  well 
as  inftrufled  in  all  liberal  and  ufeful  Sciences,  that,  as  they 
grew  up,  by  the  Strength  of  their   Bodies^  and  the  Culti- 
vation of  their  Minds,  they  might  be  equally  fitted  either 
to  command,  or  execute. 

JMENOPHIS,  after  he  had  been  at  this  vafl  Expence 
and  Trouble  in  laying  the  Foundation  of  his  Son's  future 
Grandeur,  refolv'd  to  give  him  and  his  Companions  an  Op- 
portunity of  difplaying  the  good  Effects  of  their  Education  ; 
and  accordingly  fent  him,   and  them  along  with  him,    at 

the 

Straho  avers,  (Lib.  ult.)  that  Sefojlris  was  long  before  the  Trojan 
Times  J  and  ^xrjohn  Marjham,  and,  in  general,  all  the  Writers 
of  the  Argonautick  Expedition  own  plainly,  that  the  Colonies  of 
Sejojiris  had  been  at  Colchis  before  that,  which  all  agree  to  have 
been  a  Century  before  the  Fall  of  Troy.  And  (if  to  thefe  we  may 
add  two  Moderns)  both  the  learned  Prelate  Ujher,  and  the  learned 
Bifliop  Cumberland,  do  unanimoufly  agree,  in  making  Sejojiris  to 
be  the  Son  of  that  Pharaoh,  who  was  drowned  in  the  Red-Sctx  ; 
which  the  latter  of  thefe  has  given  feveral  Arguments  to  prove. 
Sanchon.  Page  402.  But  thefe  the  learned^^a/^or  of  the  Connexion 
of  the  Sacred  and  ProphaneHijiory  has  endeavour'd  to  invalidate,  and 
thereupon  concludes,  "TYi^LtSejofris  fhou'd  be  the  Son  oi Pharaoh, 
"  who  was  drown'd  in  the  Red-Sea,  and  that  in  the  State,  which 
"  his  Father's  Misfortunes  muft  have  reduc'd  Egypt  to,  he  fhould 
"  immediately  find  Strength  fufhcient  to  fubdue  Kingdom  after 
"  Kingdom,  and  to  ereft  himfelf  a  large  Empire  over  many  great 
"  and  flourifliing  Nations ;  this  muft  be  thought  by  any  one,  who 
"  duly  confiders  Things,  to  feem,  at  firfl  Sight,  a  moil:  Romantic 
"  Fiaion.     Vol.  III.  Lib.  xi. 

[s)  The  chief  of  this  Account  is  taken  from  Diodortis  Sicu/us, 
And  Herodotus,  inhis  Euterpe,  lib.  i. 


64  ^-^^  f^iPu  <?///&<?  B  IB  L  E,     Book  IV, 

A-  M.  the  Head  of  an  Army  into  Arabia.  In  this  Expedition, 
Antf'cteirt.*^®  young  SefoJIris  furmounted  all  the  Dangers  of  Serpents 
3489,  fife,  arid  venomous  Creatures,  all  the  Wants  and  Hardfliips  of 
FromNumb.a  df^  and  barren  Country,  and,  in  the  End,  conquer'd 
Ehd  of  Deu-  ^^®  Arabians,  a  rude  and  barbarous  People,  that  had  never 
teronomy.     been  vanquifli'd  before. 

'  From  Arabia  his  Father  order'd  him  WeJJward,  where 
he  fubduM  the  greateft  Part  of  Africa  ;  but,  while  he  was 
cngag'd  in  this  Expedition,  News  was  brought  him,  that 
his  Father,  and  all  his  Army,  were  drown'd  in  the  Red- 
Sea,  which  made  him  defift  from  his  Conquefts,  and  haften 
home  with  his  Army,  in  order  to  fecure  his  Succeilion  to 
the  Kingdom.  Whether  it  was  that  he  call'd  to  Mind 
the  Prediction  of  the  God  Vulcan  j  or  was  inftru£led  by 
Mercury,  who  prepar'd  him  for  the  War  ;  was  aflured  of 
Succefs  by  Divination,  by  Dreams  in  the  Temple,  or  Pro- 
digies in  the  Air  ;  or  perfuaded  to  it  by  his  Daughter 
Athyrte,  a  young  Lady  of  uncommon  Underftanding,  and 
who  made  it  out  to  her  Father,  that  the  Thing  was 
pra(Sicable  ;  but  fo  it  was,  that  no  fooner  was  he  fettled 
upon  the  Egyptian  Throne,  but  his  Thoughts  began  ta 
fwell,  and  his  Mind  to  grafp  at  an  iiniverfal  Monarchy. 

His  own  Country  indeed  he  found  but  in  a  lamentable 
Eftate.  The  Ifraeliies,  who  were  their  Slaves,  were 
gone ;  All  their  veteran  Soldiers,  with  their  Arms,  Cha- 
riots, and  Horfes,  were  loft  :  The  Firft-born  of  every 
Family  were  flain  j  the  Cattle  kill'd  ;  the  Fruit  of  the 
Earth  deftroy'd ;  and  nothing  but  Famine  was  to  be  expell- 
ed :  And  yet,  notwithftanding  all  this  Difcouragement, 
he  was  refolv'd  to  put  in  Practice  his  Scheme  for  a  general 
Conqueft.  But  then,  confidering  that  this  would  oblige 
him  to  be  long  abfent,  and  far  diilant  from  Egypt,  he 
eould  not  but  deem  it  necefl'ary  to  gain  the  Love  and  Af- 
feftion  of  his  Subjefts,  that  thefc,  who  follow'd  hifti, 
might  lay  down  their  Lives  more  chearfuUy  in  his  Service, 
and  they,  whom  he  left  behind,  might  not  be  induced 
to   attempt   any   Innovations,    while  he  was  gone. 

To  this  Purpofe  he  endeavoured,  in  the  firft  Place,  to 
oblige  every  one  to  the  utmoft  of  his  Power  :  Some,  by 
Largefles  in  Money  ;  others,  by  Donations  in  Land  ; 
many,  by  the  Conceflion  of  free  Pardons ;  and  every  one 
by  fair  Speeches,  and  a  courteous  and  affable  Behaviour 
upon  all  Occafions.  Thofe,  that  were  condemned  for 
High-Treafon,  he  releas'd  with  Impunity  j  and,  by  pay- 
ing 


Ch  a  p  .  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  t^c.  65 

ing  what  they  ow'd,   difcharg'd  fuch,  as  were  in  Prifon  for     ^'  M- 
Debt.     In  the  next  Place,  he  refettled  the antient  Divifion  Ann'chrhl. 
of  the  Country  into  fix  and  thirty  Parts,  which  the  Egypii    14^9,  £?<-. 
ans  called  Nomi,  or  Provinces;  aflign'd  a  Governor  to  each^'^"™^""^''- 
of  thefe  ;    and   conftituted  his  Brother  /i'/-//w/V    f  whom  the  End  of  Dcu- 
Greeks  call'd  Danaus)  fupreme  Regent.     Him  he  inverted  tcionomy. 
with  ample  Power  and  Authority  :  But  reftrain'd  him  from 
wearing  the  Crown,  from  offering  any  Injury  to  the  Qi^ieen 
and  her  Family,  and  from  having  any  Dealings  with  the 
royal  Concubines. 

Having  thus  fettled  the  Government,  he  proceeded, 
in  the  laft  Place,  to  raife  an  Army  equal  to  the  VafVnefs  of 
his  Defign,  which  confided  of  600,000  Foot,  24,000 
Horfe,  and  27,000  warlike  Chariots.  His  principal  Of- 
ficers were  taken  out  of  thofe  brave  Men,  who  were  train'd 
up  with  him  in  martial  Exploits  ;  and,  that  they  might 
always  be  in  Readinefs  (without  fubmitting  to  any  mean 
Employ)  to  attend  him  to  the  Wars,  he  took  Care  to  be- 
ftow  on  them  large  hftates  in  Land,  in  fomc  of  the  richeft 
and  moft  fertile  Parts  of  Egypt.  With  this  Army  he 
march'd  at  firft  againft  the  Ethiopians,  whom  he  foon  con- 
quer'd,  and  made  them  pay  him  a  Tribute  of  Ebony, 
Gold,  and  Elephants  Teeth.  But  his  Land  Forces  alone 
were  not  anfwerable  to  the  Conquefts  he  intended ;  and 
therefore  he  fitted  out  two  Fleets  of  tall  Ships,  fomewhat 
refembling  our  modern  Form,  one  in  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  and  the  other  in  the  Arabian  Gulf.  With  the  Med'- 
terranean  Squadron  he  conquer'd  Cyprm,  the  Sea  Coafts  of 
Phaniciay  and  feveral  of  the  Cyclades  ;  and  from  the  y^ra- 
bian  Gulf,  he  fail'd  into  the  Indian  Sea,  and  there  fub- 
du'd  all  the  Coafts  thereof,  till,  happeiiing  to  come  into 
a  /hallow,  and  his  Ships  drawing  more  Water  than  ufual, 
he  either  was  unable,  or  afraid  to  go  any  farther,  and  fo 
return'd  into  Egypt. 

But  he  had  not  been  long  return'd,  before  his  Ambitloa 
began  to  operate  afrefh  ;  and  therefore,  adviling  with  his 
Priefls,  he  recruited  his  Army,  and  march'd  into  J(;a. 
The  Ifraelites  were,  at  this  Time,  in  the  Defarts  of  Arabia  ; 
and  therefore  it  may  look  a  little  ftrange,  why  a  Man  of 
iiefojlris'%  Spirit  fliould  not  have  been  tempted  to  purfue 
them.  But,  befides  the  Barrennefs  of  the  Country,  which 
could  never  fupport  fo  vaft  a  Multitude  as  he  carry'd  with 
him,  he  could  not  but  refledt  on  his  Father's  Fare:  And 
therefore  dreading  the  like  miraculous  Oveithrow,  he  de- 
clined 
Vol.  III.  E 


66  The  Hijiory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.  din'd  the  Ifraelites,  and  march'd  directly  againft  Canaan, 
Antf 'chr[ft.  ^^'^^»  without  the  leaft  Oppofition,  at  once  fubmitted  to 
1489,  &e.  him  :  fo  that,  impofing  an  annual  Tribute  upon  the  Peo- 
FromNumb.pig^  and  putting  Governors  in  all  their  principal  Towns, 
EndofDeu-^^  proceeded  in  the  Courfe  of  his  Conquers,  and,  in  a 
teronomy,  fhort  Time,  ovcr-ran  all  J/:a,  and  fome  Part  of  Europe. 
He  pafs'd  the  River  Ganges y  and  pierc'd  through  all 
India,  as  far  as  the  main  Ocean  caftward  :  Then  *  he  fub- 
du'd  the  Scythians,  as  far  as  the  River  Tanais,  which  di- 
vides Europe  from  Jjia  :  Here  he  brought  into  Subjedtion 
the  other  Parts  of  Jjia  ;  and  from  hence  he  went  into 
Thrace  in  Europe ;  but,  as  he  was  marching  along  the 
Defarts,  he  was  in  Danger  of  lofing  his  Army  through  the 
Want  of  Provifions,  and  Difficulty  of  Pafles,  and  there* 
fore  t  erecting  (as  his  Cuftom  was)  his  Pillars  there,  he 
adventur'd   to  proceed  no  farther  :  Tho'  the  Occafion  of 

his 

*  Tho'  Herodotus,  Dicdorus,  and  others  do  relate,  that  he  was 
taftoricus  in  thefe  Countries ;  yet  fome  will  have  it,  that  he  met 
with  a  Repulfe,  fled  from  the  Scythians,  and  was  worfted  by  the 
Colchlans.  foxjujiin  tells  us  that  Vexoris,  or  Sefojiris,  difpatch- 
ing  Ambafladors  before  him  to  fummon  the  Scythians  to  furrender, 
they  fent  back  his  MefTengers  with  Contempt,  and  Threats,  and 
Defiance,  and  immediately  took  up  Arms  j  that  Sefojiris,  being 
informed  that  they  were  advancing  towards  him  by  hafty  Marches, 
fuddeniy  turn'd  about,  and  fled  from  before  them,  leaving  all  his 
Baggage,  and  warlike  Apparel  to  the  Purfuers,  who  followed 
him,  till  he  came  on  the  Borders  oi  Egypt.  Lib.  ii.  Cap.  3.  Pli- 
ny relates,  (Lib.  xxxiii.  Cap.  3.)  that  he  was  overthrown  by  the 
King  of  Colchis ;  and  Valerius  Flaccus  inflnuates,  that  he  was  re- 
puls'd  with  great  Slaughter,  and  put  to  Flight  in  thefe  Parts.  Ar- 
gonaut, lib.  5. 

f  It  was  the  Cuflom  of  this  great  Warrior  to  fet  up  Pil'ars  in 
every  Country  he  conquered,  with  an  Infcription  to  this  Effed,— 
Sefollris,  Kivg  of  Kings,  and  Lord  of  Lords,  fuhdued  this  Country 
t^  the  Pc^'er  of  his  Arms.  If  the  Nation  had,  without  Oppofi- 
tion, ignobly  fubmitted  to  him,  befides  the  Infcription,  he  caus'd 
the  Pri'vitits  of  a  Woman  to  be  carv'd,  ss  a  Mark  of  their  Effe- 
minacy and  Bafenefs ;  but  if  they  had  defended  themfelves  brave- 
ly, the  Pillars  bore  the  Diftinftion  of  the  contrary  Sex,  in  Tefl:i- 
mony  of  their  Courage.  Befides  thefe,  he  left  Statues  of  himfelf 
behind  him,  two  of  which  were  to  be  feen  in  Herodotus  1,  Time, 
one  on  the  Road  betv\-een  Ephefus  and  Phocipa,  and  the  other,  be- 
tween Smyrna  and  Sardis.  They  were  arm'd  after  the  Ethiopian 
and  Egyptian  Manner ;  held  a  Javelin  in  one  Hand,  and  a  Bow  in 
the  other;    and,  acrofs    the   Breaft,   had  a  Line  drawn,  from 

Shoulder  to  Shoulder,  in  which  was  this  Infcription  : This 

Region  I  obtained  by  thefe  jny  Soldiers.     Univerfal  Hillory,   lib.  I^ 
c.  3. 


Chap.  ill.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  6; 

his  Return  may  rather  be  imputed  to  the  News,  which  he    A.  m. 
received  from   the  Egyptian  High-Prieft,  of  his  Brother's  ^^j,'^(;,^|^^^ 
Revolt  and  Ufurpation.  1485,  &c. 

For,  encourag'd  with  his  long  Abfence,  and  great  Dif- ^'■°'^^"'^''- 
tance,  Armais  had  done  every  Thing  that  was  interdidedgndof  Deu- 
him  :  Had  aflum'd  the  Diadem,  violated  the  Queen,   madete.onomy. 
promifcuous  Ufe  of  the  King's  Concubines,  and,  by  the 
Advice  of  his  falfe  Friends,  was  now  meditating  to   main- 
tain his  Ufurpation  by  Force  of  Arms :    But,  hearing  of 
his  Brother's  Return,  he  feigns  himfelf  of  another  Temper; 
meets  him  at  Pelufium^  a  Frontier- Town,  before  he  could 
have  certain  Intelh'gence  of  what  had  pafs'd  ;    and  there  re- 
ceived him  with  all  the  Appearance  of  Submiffion  and  Joy, 
but  with  a  real  Delign,  not  only  to  take  away  his  Life, 
but  quite  extirpate  his  whole  Family.     To  this  End  he  in- 
vited the  King  his  Brother,  the  Queen,  and  her  Children, 
to  a  Banquet,  which  he  had  prepar'd  for  their  Refrelhment; 
but  when  thev  had  all  drank  very  plentifully,    and  were 
now  gone  to  Reft,    he  caus'd  a  great  Qiiantity  of  dry'd 
Reeds,  which  he  had  before  prepar'd  for  that  Purpofe,  to 
be  laid  round  the  King's  Pavilion,  and  fet  on  Fire,  in  hopes 
to  deftroy  them  all.     Sefojiris,    perceiving  the  Danger  he 
was  in,    and  expecting    no  Afliftance  from  his    Guardsy 
who  were  all  overcome  with  Wine,  *  lifted  up  his  Hands, 
and  imploring  the  Gods  in  Behalf  of  his  Wife  and   Chil- 
dren, he  rufh'd  with  them  through  the  Flames ;  and,  be- 
ing thus  unexpectedly  preferv'd,  he  made  Oblations  to  feve- 
ral  of  the  Gods,  but  more  efpecially  to  Vulcan^    by  whofe 
Prote£lion  he  thought  himfelf  deliver'd.     The  Traitor  Ar- 
Tnais  being  thus  defeated  in  his  wicked  Defign,  betook  him^ 
felf  to  Arms  ;  but  was  foon  difcomfitted  by  Sefojiris,    and 
forc'd  to  flee  into  Greece,  where  he  fettled  at  jirgos,    and, 
not  long  after,  was  chofen  King ;  while  his  viftorious  Bro- 
ther, after  nine  Years  Abfence,  returning  in  Triumph  into 
Egypt,  adorn'd  the  Temples  with  rich  Spoils :  And,  having 
difbanded  his  Army,  after  he  had  rewarded  them  according 
to  their  Merit,  he  began  to  apply  his  Mind  to  fuch  ftupen- 

E  2  dous 

*  Herodotus  adds  one  Circumftance  more  :  That,  waking  out 
of  Sleep,  and  finding  his  Danger,  he  confulted  with  his  Queen 
what  to  do  in  this  Extremity,  who  advis'd  him  to  throw  two  of 
his  Children  into  the  Flames,  that  they  might  ferve  as  a  Bridge 
for  all  the  reft  j  which  he  accordingly  did,  and  fo  they  all  efcap'd. 
But  this  is  generally  deem'd  a  Miltake  in  our  Hiftorian,  or  a  Cir- 
cumftance crept  in,  on  purpofe  to  make  the  Diftrf  *"  appear  more 
afFeiling.     Bedford^  Scripture-Chronology,  lib.  iv.  c.  5. 


68  The  Hillory  of  the^l'&l.  E,     Book  IV. 

A.  M.    Jous  Works,  as  might  immortalize  his  Name,  and  cvcrlaf- 
Ant?'chrlit.  *^i"g^y  Contribute  to  the  publick  Good. 
1489,  fife.       He  built  a  Temple  in  every  City  in  Egypt,   and  dedica- 
FromNumb.  ^q^  jj  (^  ^^e  peculiar  God  of  the  Place.     This  was  a  Work, 
End  of  Deu.  wherein  he  employ'd  none  but  Captives,    and  therefore  he 
teronomy.     had  it  infcrib'd  upon  each  Temple,    Norte  of  the  Natives 
^  were  put  to  labour  here.     He  rais'd  vafl:  Mounts  and  Hills  of 
Earth,  to  which  he  remov'd  the  Cities,  that  had  before  too 
low  a  Situation,  in  order  to  fecure  both  Man  and  Beaft  from 
the  Danger  of  the  Nile's  Inundations.     All  the  Way,  from 
Memphis  to  the  Sea,  he  dug  Canals,  which  from  the  Nile 
branch'd    out,    and  not  only  made  an  eafier  Conveyance 
from  Place  to  Place,  but  greatly  advanced  the  Trade  and 
Pfofpcrity  of  the  Kingdom.     All  the  Towns,    that  were 
upon  the  Frontiers,  and  lay  before  expos'd  to  any  fuperior 
Number  of  Forces,    he  fortify 'd  againft  the  Incurfions  of 
Enemies,  and  made  them  of  difficult  Accefs.     He  defended 
the  Eaft  Side  of  Egypt  againft  the  Irruptions  of  the  Syrians 
and  Arabians,  with  a  Wall  drawn  from  Pelujium,  thro'  the 
Defarts,  as  far  as  HeliopoUs,  which  is  at  leaft  fifteen  hundred 
Turlongs.     He  caus'd  a  Ship  of  two  Hundred  and  Eighty 
Cubits  long  to  be  built  all  of  Cedar,  gilded  over  with  Gold 
without,   and  lin'd  with  Silver  within  ;  and,  to  perpetuate 
the  Memory  of  his  Actions,  he  ere6led  two  Ohelifks  of  po- 
lifli'd  Marble  an  Hundred  and  Twenty  Cubits  high,    on 
which  was  infcrib'd  an  Account  of  the  Extent  of  his  Em- 
pire, the  Value  of  his  Revenue,   and  the  Number  of  the 
Nations  which  he  had  conquered.     One  Thing  however  is 
jcported  of  him,  which  argues  an  horrid  Infolence  in  fo  great 
a  Man,  and  tarnifties  his  vJharadler  not  a  little,  and  that  is, 
that,   at  fet  Times,  his  Cuflom  was,  to  have  the  Tributary 
Kings,  and  fuch  as  held  their  Dominions  under  his  Favour, 
to  come  into  Egypt,  to  pay  their  Homage  ;  and  tho'  he  re- 
ceiv'd  them  at  firft  with  all  the  Signs  of  Honour  and  Refpe(S, 
yet,  on  cenain  Occafions,  he  would  have  his  Horfes  unhar- 
iiefs'd,  and  fome  four,  or  more  of  thefe  Kings  yok'd  toge- 
ther, and  made  to  draw  his  Chariot :  But,  bateing  this  op- 
probrious Piece  of   Arrogance,    ( *  and  whereof  he  was 

cur'd. 


*  The  Manner  in  which  he  was  cur'd  is  faid  to  be  this  :- 


One  Day,  as  fome  of  thefe  Tributary  Kings  were  drawing  him 
along,  he  perceiv'd  one  of  them  to  look  back  upon  one  of  the 
Wheels,  with  a  very  great  Stedfaftnefs ;  and  thereupon  enquiring, 
V.  hat  might  be  the  Subjed  of  his  Thoughts,  or  the  Occafion  of 

his  deep  Attention,  he  received  an  Aiifwer  10  this  Effed: — 

The 


Chap.  III.  from  ibe  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egvpt,  ^c.  69 

cur'd,  before  he  died)  he  was  certainly.  In  all  Refpcdls,  the^  ^-  ^:^ 
greateft  Prince,  that  ever  fat  upon  the  Egyptian  Throne;  and  Anc.'chriit 
(what  fomehave  accounted  an Augrnqntation  of  hisGreatnefs)  1489,  &<■. 
after  he  had  relgn'd  three  and  thirty  Years,  he  loft  his  Eye-^;;;^™^;™^; 
Sight,  and,  out  of  Difguft,  laid  violent  Hands  upon  himfelf,  End  ot  Deu- 
thereby   making  his  Magnanimity  in  Death  fas  they  call  itj  tcronomy. 
equal  to   the  glorious  Actions  of  his  Life.  '~  "V""*-' 

After  that  the  Children  of  Ifrael  had  left  the  Egypti-  ite  Hijtory 
am  in  the  Red- Sea y  the  firft  People  that  gave  them  any  °/'*'''^™'^- 
Moleftation  were  the  Amalekites.  Amalek  was  the  Son  of 
Eliphaz,  by  his  Concubine  Timna,  as  Eliphaz  was  the 
Firft-born  of  Efau.  He  gave  Name  both  to  the  People  and 
Country  where  he  liv'd,  and,  notwithftanding  the  Spuriouf- 
nefs  of  his  Birth,  is,  {t)  in  the  Catalogue  of  the  Dukes  of 
F.dom^  reckoned  as  one  of  them.  The  Country  of  the 
Amalekites  lay  fomewhere  between  Egypt  and  Paleftine^  and 
was  therefore  very  probably  bounded  by  Canaan  to  the 
North \  by  Egypt y  or  its  dependent  Territories,  tothcSouthi 
by  Edoniy  or  the  Land  of  Seir^  to  the  EaJ}  j  and  by  the 
Defarts  towards  the  Sea,  or  perhaps  by  the  Margin  of  the 
Sea  itfelf,  to  the  Weji. 

Their  Religion  was  at  firft,  no  doubt,  the  fame  that 
was  taught  in  the  Houfe  of  Abraham  ;  but,  in  Procefs  of 
Time,  they  were  carry'd  away  with  the  general  Corruption, 
and  fell  into  the  fame  Idolatry,  that  their  Brethren  the  Edo- 
;w»V^;  pradtis'd.  And,  as  to  their  Commerce  or  Trade,  the 
Situation  of  their  Country  might  favour  them,  as  much  as 
their  Neighbours,  and  the  Superiority  of  the  Power  and 
Greatnefs,  to  which  they  had  advanc'd  themfelves,  looks 
as  if  they  had  improv'd  it,  more  than  others. 

Their  Form  of  Government  was  Monarchical ;  and, 
as  it  appears  that  the/r/?,  (at  leaft,  one  of  the  firft  j  and  the 
laft  of  their  Kings  was  call'd  Agagy  'tis  no  unlikely  Suppo- 
fition,  that  all  their  intermediate  Kings  bore  the  fame  Name. 
However  this  be,    'tis  certain,    that,  at  this  Time,  they 

E  3  were 

The  going  round  of  the  Wheel,  0  King,  calls  to  my  Mind  the  Vicijfi- 
tudes  of  Fortune :  For,  as  e^very  part  of  the  IVheel  is  upper moji  and 
iovjermof  by  Turns,  fo  it  is  ivith  Men,  nvho,  one  Day,  ft  on  a 
Throne,  and,  on  the  next,  are  reduced  to  the  njilef  Degree  of  SIj- 
'very.  Which  Anfwer  ftruck  the  King  with  fuch  Coinpun£lion, 
that,  for  ever  after,  he  gave  off  this  inhumane  Praftice.  Diodfi- 
rus,  lib.  i.  and  Univerfal  Hiftory,  lib.  i.  c.  3. 
(/)  Gen.  xxvi.  12. 


70  'the  Hijiory  of  //&f  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  IV, 

A.  M.    were  a  flourifliing  Nation,  and  grown  up  to  fuch  a  f  fudden 
Ant^'c^ift.^^'&^^  of  Power  and  Grandeur,  that  their  King  is  fpoken 
1489,  fefc    of,  as   much  fuperior    to  any  other  j  and  therefore,    when 
FromNumb.  Balaam  foret-Js  the  future  Majefty  of  the  Jewijh  State,    he 
]&id  ot  Deu-  exprcflcs  himfelf,  that  (/)  their  King  Jhould  he  higher  than 
teronomy.     -/Igag^  and  ftiles  them  the  firji  of  the  Nations;  which  feems 
^—^^T"*^  to  countenance  the  wonderful  Things,  which  the  ^rfl^/fl« 
Hiftorians  tell  us  of  thefe  People,  viz.  that  they  once  con- 
quer'd  Egypt^  and  poflefs'd   the  Throne   of  that  Kingdom 
for   feveral    Generations.     The    Truth   is,   thefe  Amale- 
kites  were  a  bold  and  daring  People  from  the  very  firft.    No 
fooner  had  the  Iftaelites  fct  Foot  upon  the  Arabian  Shore, 
but  they  confpir'd  againft  them,  and,  falling  on  their  Rear 
in  their  March  to  Horeb^  made  fome  Slaughter  among  them, 
which  "Joftma^  as  foon  as  he  had  got  his  fighting  Men  in 
Order,  took  Care  to  repay  ;  tho'  it  muft  be  confefs'd,  that 
God,  for  fome  Time,  was  pleas'd  to  make  ufe  of  this  Na- 
tion (in  Conjun6iion  with  fome  of  the  Canaanites)  to  («) 
he  Scourges  in  the  Sides,  and  Thorns  in  the  Eyesy  i.  e.  his 
Inftruments  for  the  Punifhment  of    the  Diffidence,    and 
Difobedience  of  his  own  People. 
OfiLe  Edo-      ESAU,  who,  either  from  the  Colour  of  his  Hair  and 
iDites-         Complexion,  or  for  felling   his  Birth-right  to  Jacob  for  a 
Mefs  of  red  Pottage,  had   the  Name  of  Edom  given  him, 
was  the  Progenitor  likewife  of  this  People.     Their  ancient 
Kingdom,  when  in  its  Meridian,  was    bounded  on  the 
North,  by  the  Land  of  Canaan,  and  the  Salt-  Sea  ;  on  the 
Sordh,  by  the  Arabian  Gulf;  on  the  Eafi,  by  the  Land  of 
Midian  j   and  on  the  IVejf,  by  the  Kingdom  of  Amalek : 

And 

•f  The  Kingdom  of  Edom  commenc'd  much  about  the  Time 
of  the  Jfraelites  Departure  out  of  Egypt ;  and  that  oi  Amalek  could 
Eot  be  much,  if  any  Thing  at  all,  older ;  and  therefore  when  Ba- 
laam exprefs'd  himfelf  in  fo  high  a  Strain,  concerning  Agag,  and 
his  Monarchy,  it  could  not  have  been  much  above  forty  Years 
Handing.  The  Expreffion  of  Amalek'' s  being  the  fir jl  of  the  Na- 
tions, our  Verfion  turns  othervvife  in  the  Margin,  the  firji  of  the 
Nations,  that  ivarred againfi\{rd.t\;  and,  if  we  compare  what  is 
faid  oiAgag,  but  thirteen  Verfes  before,  we  fhall  not  be  at  a  Lofs 
for  the  right,  atleaft  for  a  natural  Explication  of  the  Words,  'viz. 
that  they  were  the  greateft,  and  moil  noble  Nation  at  that  Time ; 
and  accordingly  Le  Clerc\  Verfion  ftiles  them,  the  firft  Fruits  of 
the  Nations,  by  which,  in  his  Commentary,  he  underftands  them 
to  have  been  the  moft  ancient  and  potent  Nation  of  any  of  thofe, 
which  proceeded  from  the  Loins  of  Abraham  and  Lot.  Univer- 
i<\  Hiftory,  lib.  i.  c.  4. 

(/)  Numb,  xxiv.  7.  {u)  Jolh.  xxiii.  13. 


Ch  A  p .  lU./rom  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.  7 1 

And  in  this  Compafs  of  Ground,  they  had  feveral  remark-    A.  M, 
able  Cities    (befides  two  eminent  Sca-Ports,    Elath  and ^^t^'chrlft. 
Efion-geber)  on  the  Arabian  Gulf  \  but  the  latter  of  thefe  1489,  fefc-. 
became  fo  infamous  for  the  many  Wrecks,  which  befel  the^''°f?^"'"^- 
Shipping  that  frequented  it,  that,  in  Time,  it  came  to  be  End  of  Deu- 

difufed.  teronomy. 

The  People  were  naturally  bold  and  courageous ;  jea-' 
lous  of  their  Rights,  and  always  in  a  Difpofition  to  main- 
tain them  }  as  thofe,  who  claim  the  Empire  of  the  Sea  (in 
the  Manner  that  they  did)  fhould  always  be.  As  they  were 
defcended  from  Abraham^  we  are  not  to  doubt,  but  that 
their  Belief  and  Praftice  were  right  at  firft,  though,  by 
Degrees,  {x)  they  fell  into  Idolatry  ;  and  if  we  can  fup- 
pofe,  that  the  Book  of  fob  was  of  as  ancient  Date  as  is 
pretended,  and  that  he  himfelf  liv'd  among  thefe  People, 
we  cannot  but  acknowledge,  that  the  (y)  Invention  and 
Ufe  of  Conjlellations  in  Aftronomyy  {%)  the  Art  of  Writings 
(a)  the  Art  of  Navigation^  and  many  more  Parts  of  truly 
ufeful  Knowledge,  were  begun,  and  cultivated  among 
them. 

The  Form  of  their  civil  Conjlitution  feems  to  have 
varied  according  to  the  Exigencies  of  the  Times.  The 
Horites^  who  very  early  inhabited  this  Country,  were 
rul'd,  at  firft,  by  their  refpe6tive  Patriarchs^  or  Heads  of 
Families ;  [b)  till,  being  overcome  by  Chedorlaomer^  King 
of  Elam,  who  fwept  them  before  him  with  other  Nations, 
they,  to  fecure  themfelves  for  the  Time  to  come,  chang'd 
the  Conftitution  into  an  eleSiive  Monarchy  ;  and  'twas  un- 
der this  Form  of  Government,  that  Efau^  and  his  Family 
liv'd  for  fome  Time  Sojourners  in  this  Land.  The  Mo- 
narchy however  did  not  laft  above  feven  or  eight  Succeffions, 
till,  fome  Way  or  other,  it  came  to  be  divided  into  feveral 
little  independent  Principalities^  or  Dukedoms ;  and,  as 
the  Pofterity  of  Efau  exceeded  all  others  in  the  Number  of 
their  Dukes,  it  cannot  be  incongruous  to  fuppofe,  that 
they  had  the  greateft  Hand  in  bringing  about  this  Revoluti- 
on, and  the  largeft  Share  in  the  Government,  that  wa'? 
founded  thereupon. 

And  as  they  had  the  largeft  Share  in  the  Government, 
'tis  not  unreafonable  to  fuppofe  farther,  that,  in  Confe* 
quence  of  their  Power,  they  foon  expell'd  the  Horite 
Dukes,  and,  at  the  fame  Time,  might  force  Amalek,  or 

E  4.  his 

{x)  2  Kings  viii.  20,  (y)  Job.  ix.  8.  (z)  Ibid.  xix.  24. 
{a)  Ibid,  ix,         [b]  Bifliop  Cww^^r/^w/s  Grig.  Gent.  Antiq. 


72  "The  Hijiory  c/  /^^  B  I  B  L  li.     Book  IV. 

2  5i\*  ^'c    ^^sy^amwj  Offspring,  to  leave  their  Dominions.     For,  in 
Ant.'chriiV^he  next  Generation,  the  Pofterity   of  Efau  2ixe  ftiled  ab- 
''A^9j  ^<^-  filute  Dukes  oi    Edotn,  were  only  eleven  in  Number,  and 
x-'u'^o'^The'"  ^^'  ^^^  Country  had  no    Rivals.     But,  as  the  Approach 
Enl  ot  Dcu-  of  the  Children  of  Ifrael  put  thern,  and  every  Nation  elfe, 
teronomy^    Jn  a  great  Confternation,  they  thought  it  moft  conducive  to 
^"""V"^  their  general  Safety,  to  unite  under  one  common  Head  ; 
and  thereupon   ha\  ing   made  Choice  of  a  King,    they  re- 
folv'd    to    maintain   their  Ground    againft  any   Invafion, 
*Twas  to  this  namelefs  King,  or  perhaps  his  Succeflbr,  that 
Mojcs  r?nt  Ambaflado;s,  dcliring  a  free  PafTage  through  his 
Country,   v.hich  he  abfolutely  deny'd,  and  tp  let  him  fee 
that  he  was  iq  carnefl,  immediately  took  the  Field  ;  but  as 
his  Defign   was  to  act  upon  the  Defenfive  only,   and  not 
diftrefs  a  Peop'e,  that  were  his  Brethren,  in  Matters  where- 
in he  could  relieve  them,   without  Danger  tohimfelf,  {c) 
he  fupply'd  them  (for  their  Money)  with  whatever  Necef- 
faries  they   w.inted.     And  thus  far  the  Hiftory  of  the  Edor 
miics^  during  this  Period,  goes. 
f^f  the  Mo2-     AdO /^B,  the  Son  of  Lot^  by  an  inceftuous  Commerce 
b;:e-i  ^Jth  the  elder  of  his  Daughters,  was  the  Progenitor  of  this 

People,  and  gave  Name  to  their  Country ;  which  wa$ 
bounded,  on  the  Eaji^  by  the  Defarts  of  Arabia  \  on  the 
JVeJI^  by  tfie  Mountains,  that  lie  Eaji  from  the  Deqd  Sea  ; 
on  the  Norths  by  the  Country  of  the  Ammonites^  the  De- 
^  fcendants  of  Lot  by  his  younger  Daughter;  and  on  the  Souths 

by  the  Brook,  or  little  River  Zerid,  which  runs  into  the 
Dead-Sea  ;  fo  that,  in  the  whole,  it  is  about  forty  Miles  iq 
Lengthy  and  as  much  in  Breadth. 

That  the  People  had  once  the  Knowledge  of  the  true 
God,  can  hardly  be  doubted  ;  but,  in  Time,  they  lov'd 
not  to  retain  that  Knowledge.,  but  introduc'd  the  Worfhip 
of  falfe  Gods,  with  fuch  7norjJirous  and  obfcene  Ceremonies, 
as  are  not  fit  to  be  nam'd.  'I'heir  principal  Idols  were 
Chemojh,  and  Baal-peor  j  and  to  thefe  they  facrific'd,  on 
Mountains  dedicated  to  that  Service,  and  in  Temples  built 
jn  their  Cities,  not  only  Qxen  and  Rams,  but,  upon  ex- 
traordinary Occafions,   human  Vi61ims. 

The  ForiTi  of  their  Government  was  Regal.,  and  the 
firfl  Inhabitants  of  their  Country  were  the  EmirnSy  a  great 
and  powerful  People,  of  extraordinary  Strength  and  Sta- 
ture^ very  probably  the  Defendants  of  Ham^  and  of  the  fanie 
gigantick  Race  with  the  4nakims  and  Rephaims,  tho*  the 

Moabite^ 

ic)  Dcut.  ii.  28,  29. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  i^c.    73 

Moabttes  call'd  them  by  the  Name  Emims,  which,   in  He-    A.  M. 
hr£ZUy  fignifics  terrible.     And  too  terrible  an  Enemy  had  ^^^^'^Sj^^^'^ 
they  been  for  the  Moa bites,  had  not  Cbedorlaomer  and  his  1489,  eft. 
Allies,  by  their  frequent  Incurfions,  much  weaken'd  them,^'^°!"Numb- 
and  made  them  an  eafy  Prey.  The  Moabttes  however,  when  End'of  Deu- 
they  had  thus  difpofTefs'd  them,  kept  not  their  new  Domini- teronomy. 
ens  long  entire  ;  (or  Sihon,  King  of  the  Jmorites,  who  bor- ^—  ""V*  -^ 
der'd  on  them  eajlward,  fought  againfl  the  King  of  Moah^ 
and  took  from  him  all  his  Kingdom  to  the  North  of  the 
River  Arnon. 

The  SucceiTor  to  this  King  was  Balak,  who  was  then 
upon  the  Throne,  when  the  Ifraelites  came,  and  encamp'd 
in  the  Neighbourhood  of  his  Country.  His  tampering  with 
the  infamous  Balaam  was  the  Reafon,  why  his  People  were 
not  permitted  to  mix,  or  intermarry  with  the  Hebrews  j 
but,  as  the  Midianites  ('whofe  Hiftory  we  are  now 
come  to)  were  more  particularly  inflrumental  in  feducing 
them  to  Idolatry,  their  Punifhment,  for  the  prefent,  was 
more  fevere. 

MID  I  AN,  the  fourth  Son  of  Abraham  by  his  "^'^^^of  the  miii- 
Keturahy  is  generally  reputed  to  have  given  Name  to  theanites. 
Country,  and  to  have  been  the  Progenitor  of  the  Midi, 
anites,  who,  in  the  early  Ages  of  the  World,  were  con- 
founded with  (d)  the  IJJmaelites,  and  foon  after  feem  to 
be  conjoin'd  with  the  (<?)  Moabites,  as  if  they  had  been 
both  one  Nation ;  when  the  true  Reafon  of  this  feeming 
Commixture  was,  that,  according  as  they  liv'd  to  the 
northern  pr  fouthern  Parts  of  the  Country,  of  Courfe  they 
join'd  themfelves  either  to  the  Moabites  or  IJhmaehtes ;  and  , 
upon  that  Account,  are  oftentimes  promifcuoufly  menti- 
on'd  in  Scripture. 

What  the  Limits  of  their  Country  were,  'tis  not  ^6 
eafy  a  Matter  to  perceive.  Its  Boundary  on  the  Eaji  is 
uncertain,  but  on  the  IVeJi  it  was  contiguous  to  the  Land 
of  Edom  ;  on  the  North,  to  the  Country  of  Moab  ;  and 
on  the  South,  to  the  Red- Sea, 

Its  Inhabitants  were  very  numerous,  and  may  be  diftln- 
guifli'd  into  two  Sorts,  Shepherds,  and  Merchants.  The 
Shepherds  rnov'd  up  and  down  in  Tents  ;  They  drove 
their  Cattle  before  them,  even  when  they  went  to  War  ; 
and  feem  to  have  had  few  or  no  fix'd  Habitations,  except 
fome  ftrong  Holds  near  the  Borders  of  their  Country. 
The  Merchants,  in  Ijke  Manner,  travell'd  from  Place  to 

Plaee 

{d)  Ctn.KxwW.  25,28.  {e)  Ibid,  xxxvi,  35. 


74  Tloe  Hifiory   of  ihe^l'^lu  E,      Book  IV. 

A.  M.  Place  In  Companies,  or  Caravans,  (as  it  is  the  Cuftom  in 
Ant^c^ui.  ^^^^  V^xx.^  even  to  this  Day)  and  the  only  Settlements  they 
1489.  &?<•.  feem  to  have  had  v^^ere  their  Marts,  and  Stations,  in  Places 
FromNumb. convenient  for  their  Trade. 

Ehd'ofDeu-  ^"^  ^^^^^^  '^°  different  Employs  however,  the  whole 
teronomy.  Nation  flourifh'd  to  a  great  Degree  :  The  Merchants  grew 
'exccflively  rich  ;  and  the  Shepherds,  by  exchanging  with 
them  their  Cattle  for  Gold,  and  Jewels  of  all  Kinds,  were 
enabled  to  make  a  much  better  Appearance,  than  other 
Nations.  But,  as  their  Affluence  in  thefe  Things  foon 
introduc'd  Luxury,  they  were  a  People  remarkable  for  all 
Kinds  of  Vanity,  Riot,  and  Excefs.  Tho'  their  Learn- 
ing could  not  be  great,  yet  their  Merchants  were  oblig'd 
to  knov/  fomething  of  TVriting  and  Arithmetick,  in  order 
to  keep  their  Accounts  ;  and  as  they  were  Traders^  and 
fituate  on  the  Red-Sea^  it  can  hardly  be  fuppos'd,  but  . 
that  they  apply'd  themfelves  to  Ship-buildings  in  order  to 
explore  not  only  their  own  Coafls,  but  thofe  of  other 
Countries  likewife,  that  lay  contiguous  to  them,  and  con- 
fequently  could  not  be  without  fome  tolerable  Skill  in  Geo- 
graphy,  and  Geometry. 

Their  Religion  differed,  according  to  the  Part  of  the 
Country  which  they  inhabited.  Thofe,  who  liv'd  in  the 
North  of  Midlan,  fell  into  all  the  Abominations  of  the 
Moabites,  and,  in  their  Endeavour  to  corrupt  the //rtf^/zV^/, 
quite  exceeded  them  :  But  thofe,  that  were  plac'd  more 
towards  the  South  (if  we  may  take  Jcthro,  who  is  faid  to 
have  rul'd  over  a  People  near  the  Red- Sea,  for  a  Pattern) 
retain'd  juft  Notions  of  God,  and  of  the  Form  of  Wor- 
jQiip,  which  he  had  prefcrib'd  to  their  Forefathers ;  for 
they  offer'd  up  Praifes,  and  Thankfgivings,  and  Sacrifices 
to  him,  tho'  their  Religious  Rites  and  Ceremonies  are  not 
fpecify'd. 

Their  Form  of  Government  might,  in  the  like  Manner, 
be  different,  according  to  the  Part  of  the  Country  which 
they  inhabited,  tho' in  the  main,  it  looks  as  if  it  had  been 
Arijiocratical,  rather  than  Monarchical.  Jethro  indeed, 
in  our  Tranflation,  is  call'd  a  Prie/i  ;  and,  becaufe  the 
Word  in  the  Original  docs  equally  fignify  a  Prince,  it  has 
generally  been  concluded,  that  he  had  the  Honour  of  being 
both.  Mention  is  likewife  made  of  other  Princes;  and 
the  five,  who  fell  by  the  Hand  of  Ifrael,  are  fometimes 
ftil'd  Kings,  and  fometimes  Dukes  of  Midian  :  So  that 
this  Nation  feems  to  have  been  govern'd  by  a  Multitude  of 
Dukes,    or  petty  Princes,    who,   perhaps, .  in  their  own 

Jurifdiflion, 


Ch  a  p  .  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  Departure  from  Egypt,  ^c.    7  5 

JurifdicHon,  were  independent  on  each  other,  and  yet,  feme    ^'  ^• 
Way  or  other,    were,  in  Mofes^s  Time,   (/)  Feudatory  Ant^'chrifl. 
under  Sihon,  King  of  the  Amorites.     Sihon  indeed  had  made  1489,  &c 
a  Conqueft  from  the  Moabues  of  the  beft  Part  of  the  Coun-^^'JJ^^^^'jJ'^ 
try,  he  then  poflefs'd,  and,  having  fettled  himfelf  in  their  End  of  Deu- 
Place,  made  fevcral  of  the  neighbourmg  Princes  tributary  to  teronomy. 
him  ;  but,  refufmg  a  PafTage  to  the  HebrtwSi  and  coming, 
without  f  any  Provocation,  to  attack  them,  he  himfelf  was 
flain,   and  his  whole  Army  routed ;    Hejhbony    his  capital 
City,  was  taken  j   and  all  the  reft  of  his  Dominions  diftri- 
buted  among  the  Ifraelites. 

These  were  the  feveral  Nations,  on  the  other ^  i.  e.  on 
the  Eaft-fide  of  Jordan^  which  God  deliver'd  into  the 
Hands  of  his  People;  and  more  we  fhall  have  to  fay  of  them, 
as  they  meet  us  in  our  Way.  In  the  mean  Time,  the 
Progrefs  which  the  Ifraelites  have  hitherto  made,  the  Ene- 
mies they  have  vanquifh'd,  and  the  Kingdoms  they  have 
feiz'd  and  divided  among  themfelves,  notwithftanding  all  the 
Artifices  to  prevent  them,  do  fufficiently  verify  that  Con- 
clufion,  at  the  End  of  their  Leader's  laft  Exhortation ;  (g) 

Happy 

(f)  Jofti.  xiii.  zi. 

■|-  It  is  reckon''d  good  Policy  in  a  General,  when  he  has  any- 
great  Defign  in  Agitation,  which  cannot  fo  well  be  executed  with- 
out pafling  through  a  neutral  Country,  not  to  afk  Leave  at  iirft, 
becaufe  too  much  Civility  would  lay  him  under  the  Sufpicion  of 
Fear ;  but  firft  of  all  to  enter  the  Prince's  Country,  and  then  to 
fend  and  defire  Permiffion  for  his  Troops  to  march  through  it.  But 
this  was  not  Mofes's  Praftice;  he  firft  fent  Ambafladors  to  the  King 
of  the  Jmorites  with  this  peaceable  MefTage ;  "  Let  me  pa^ 
"  through  thy  Land,  we  will  not  turn  into  the  Fields,  or  into 
*'  the  Vineyards ;  we  will  not  drink  the  Waters  of  the  Well ; 
"  but  we  will  go  along  by  the  King's  Highway,  till  we  be  paft 
**  the  Borders:  Thou  Jhalt  fell  me  Meat  for  Money,  that  I  may  eat  i 
*'  and  ginje  me  Water  for  Money,  that  I  may  drink;  only  Iiuillpafs 
*'  through  on  my  Feet.''''  Numb.  xxi.  22.  After  fo  civil  a  MefTage 
as  this,  if  Sihon  thought  not  proper  to  let  the  Children  of  Ifrael 
pafs  through  his  Country,  he  might  have  contented  himfelf  with 
fo  doing,  becaufe  it  does  not  appear,  that  the  Ifraelites  ever 
threaten'd  to  force  their  Paflage :  But  when,  inftead  of  afting  up- 
on the  defenfi've,  (which  was  all  that  in  Reafon  he  fhould  have 
done)  he  fets  himfelf  at  the  Head  of  his  Forces,  and  marches  out 
to  fight  J  the  War  muft  be  deem'd  unjuft  on  his  Side,  and  the  Fate 
he  met  with  no  more  than  his  Defcrt.     Calmet\  Diftionary. 

(g)  Deut.  xxxiii,  29,  28. 


76  'The  Bipry   tf/  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  IV. 

A.  M.  Happy  art  thou,  O  Ifrael !  IVho  is  like  unto  thee,  O  People, 
Ant^cSft.A'^^'^  h  '^^  ^''"^y  ^^^  Shield  of  thy  Help  ;  and  who  is  the 
1483,  Sfc.  Swordof  thy  Excellency?  Thine  Enemies  Jhall  he  found  Liars 
From  Numb.  2^„^^  ihge^  and  thou  /halt  tread  upon  their  High  Places.  The 
&d'of  Deu-  fountain  of  Jacob  Jhall  be  upon  a  Land  of  Corn  and  Wine, 
teronopny.    and  his  Heovens  /hall  drop  down  Dew. 


The  End  of  the  Fourth  Book, 


THE 


THE 


HISTORY 

O  F    T  H  E 

BIBLE. 

B     O     O     K     V. 

Containing  an  Account  of  Things,  from  the  Israe- 
lites Entrance  into  the  Land  of  Canaan,  to  the 
Building  of  Solomon  s  Temple.    In  all  ^^'j Tears. 

CHAP.      I. 

From  their  Entrance,  to  the  Death  of  Joshua. 
I'he    History. 

UPON  the  Death  of  Mofes,  Jojhua,  who  had  a  long 
while  been  his  prime  Minifter,  by  the  Command  of    A.  M. 
God,    undertook  the  Condud  of  the  Children  ofi^ss,®;^- 

»/•       I  1  •  /~\t  ,  Ant.  Chritt. 

jjrael ',  and,  as  it  was  a  very  momentous  Charge,  he  was  1451,  &c. 
not  a  little  anxious  how  he  ftiould  be  enabled  to  execute  it.  From  Jo*-  «• 
He  faw  himfelf  indeed  at  the  Head  of /a-  hundred  Thoufand^^^^^^^ 
fighting  Men  ;  but  then  the  Nations,  which  he  was  to  fub-  jo(hua>c- 
due,  were  a  warlike  and  gigantick  People,  tiiat  had  already  ««'^*  Mofes 
taken  the  Alarm,    and  therefore  made  early  Preparations  ^'^^^^°' ^ 
for  a  Defence ;    had    fortify'd   their  Cities,    and    confe-  Xifraeiitcsi 
derated   their  Forces  againft  him.      And    while  he  was 
mufing  on    thefe  Things,    to  give  him    Encouragement 
in  his   Undertaking,   f    God  was  pleas'd  to  aflure  him, 

that 

•f-  It  is  the  Opinion  of  moft  Interpreters,  that,  whenever  God 
is  faid  to  fpeak  to  Mofes,  to  Jojhua,  or  any  other  pious  Man  in 
the  Old  Teftament,  he  does  not  do  it  by  himfelf,  but  by  an  An- 
gel only.  This  perhaps  might  be  his  moft  common  Way  of  com- 
municating   himfelf;   but  ther«  want  not  fevenal  Inftances  in 

Scripture, 


78  rhe  Hijhry  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M,  tJiat  he  would  not  fail  to  prote£l  and  aflift  him  in 
ilit^  Chrift.'^  ^"  *^^  hmQ  Manner,  as  he  had  done  his  Predeceflbr 
1451,  &(.  Mofes^  and,  provided  he  took  Card  to  obey  his  Laws, 
^'^°™J°^-''as7^oy^j  had  done,  make  the  whole  Land  of  Conaan  a 
^_  — „  jcheap  and  eafy  Conqueft  to  him  :  And  therefore,  without 
perplexing  his  Mind  any  farther,  he  order'd  him  immedi- 
ately to  fet  about  the  Work. 
Hejtndi         *  The  City  of  y^r/V^i?  was  juft  oppofite  to  the  Place, 

Spmintotbe  ^^gj-e 

Land  of  Cz- 

naan. 

Scripture,  where  God  himfelf,  or  (as  others  will  have  it)  the  eter- 
nal Logos,  converfes  with  his  Servants.  And  this  he  may  do,  ei- 
ther by  a  mental  Locution,  wherein  he  objefts  to  their  Minds  the 
exprefs  Idea  of  what  fuch  a  Number  of  Words  would  convey  ;  or 
hy  z.  corporal  Locution,  when  he  afTumes  an  apparent  Body,  and 
Speech,  in  the  fame  Manner  that  Men  fpeak.  But  in  the  Place 
before  us,  (whether  it  were  an  Angel,  or  God  himfelf )  he  feems 
to  have  fpoken  to  Jojhua  out  of  the  SanSIuary,  from  whence  he 
had  fpoken  to  him,  a  little  before  Mofes's  Death,  and  gave  him 
Encouragement  to  perform  ftrenxioufly  what  he  is  now  putting 
upon  him.     Deut.  xxxi.   14,  23.  ^ 

*  Jericho  was  a  City  of  Canaan,  which  afterwards  fell  to  the 
Let  of  the  Tribe  of  Benjamin,  about  feven  Leagues  diftant  from 
Jerufalem,  and  two  from  Jordan.  Mofes  calls  it  likewife  the  City 
of  Palm-Trees,  Deut.  xxxiv.  3 .  becaufe  there  were  great  Num- 
bers of  them  in  the  Plains  of  Jericho  ;  and  not  only  of  Palm- 
Trees,  but,  as  yc/f//6«j  tells  us,  (Antiq.  lib.  iv.  c.  5.)  Balfam- 
Trees  likewife,  which  produc'd  the  precious  Liquor  in  fuch  high 
Efteem  among  the  Ancients.  The  Plain  of  Jericho  was  water'd 
with  a  Rivulet,  which  was  formerly  fait  and  bitter,  but  was  af- 
terwards fweeten'd  by  the  Prophet  £///^^,  2  Kings  ii.  21,  22. 
whereupon  the  adjacent  Country,  which  was  water'd  by  it,^ 
became  not  only  one  of  the  moft  agreeable,  but  moft  fertile  Spots 
in  all  that  Country.  As  to  the  City  itfelf,  after  it  was  deftroy'd 
by  Jojhua,  it  was,  in  the  Days  of  Ahab,  King  of  Ifrael,  rebuilt 
by  Hiel  the  Beth  elite,  i  Kings  xvi.  34.  and,  in  the  Times  of  the 
laft  Kings  of  Judea,  yielded  to  none,  except  Jerufalem.  FOr  it 
was  adorn'd  with  a  royal  Palace,  wherein  Herod  the  Great  died ; 
with  an  Hippodromus,  or  Place  where  the  Jeivijh  Nobility  learn 'd 
to  ride  the  Great-Horfe,  and  other  Arts  of  Chivalry ;  with  an 
Amphitheatre,  and  other  magnificent  Buildings ;  but,  during  the 
Siege  of  Jerufalem,  the  Treachery  of  its  Inhabitants  provok'd 
the  Romans  to  deftroy  it.  After  the  Siege  was  over,  there  was 
another  City  built,  but  not  upon  the  fame  Place,  where  the  two 
former  ftood ;  for  the  Ruins  of  them  are  feen  to  this  Day.  Of 
what  Account  and  Bignefs  it  was,  we  have  no  certain  Informati- 
on J  but  fome  later  Travellers  inform  us,  that,  at  prefent,  it  is  no 
more,  than  a  poor,  nafty  Village  of  the  Arabs.  Wellsh  Geogra- 
phy of  the  Old  and  New  Teftament,  and  Maundr(U\  Journey 
from  Aleppo. 


Chap.  1.      from  the  KraeWtes  ^«/m»g- Canaan,  ^c.       79 

where  he  was  to  *  pafs  the  River  Jordan  ;  and,  as  it  was    -A-  M. 
the  firft  that  he  intended  to  attack,  he  thought  it  advileabJe^^j^^j^'cSft. 
to  fend  two  Spies  thither,  to  take  a  View  of  the  Situation,  1451,  ^c' 
and  Strength,  and  Avenues  of  the  Place.     As  foon  as  the^'°™J°^-'- 

°  ,-,    .      to  the  iind. 

Spies  t^  J 


*  Jordan  is  fuppos'd  to  derive  its  Name  from  the  Behre'w 
Word  Jor,  vi^hich  fignifies  a  Spring,  and  Dan,  which  is  a  fmall 
Town,  and  not  far  from  the  Fountain-Head  of  this  River.  It 
is  certainly  a  River  of  very  great  Note  in  Holy  Writ,  and  of  it 
the  Ji'wtjh  Hillorian  gives  us  the  following  Account :  "  l"he 
"  Head  of  this  River  has  been  thought  to  hePanion;  but,  in 
"  Truth,  it  pafTes  hither  under  Ground,  and  the  Source  of  it  is 
"  Phiala,  an  hundred  and  twenty  Furlongs  from  Cafarea  Phi- 
"  lippi,  a  little  on  the  Right-Hand,  and  not  much  out  of  the 

"  Way  to  Trachonis. From  the  Cave  of  P anion,  it  crofTes 

"  the  Bogs  and  Fens  of  the  \^2^&  Semechonitis,2,xA,  after  a  Courfe 
"  of  an  Hundred  and  twenty  Furlongs  further,  pafles  under  the 
*'  City  of  Julias,   (or  Bethfaida)  and  {o  over  the  Lake  Gennefa- 
"  reth,  or  Tiberias,  and  then,  running  a  long  Way  through  a 
"  Wildernefs  orDefart,  it  empties  itfelf  into  ^kvtljd^o.Jfphaltites, 
**  or  the  Dead-Sea.'"''     Now,  fmce  the  Cave  Panion  lies  at  the 
Foot  of  Mount  Lebanos,  and  the  Lake  Afphaltites  reaches  to  the 
very  Extremity  of  the  South  of  Judea,  the  River  Jordan  muft 
extend  its  Courfe  quite  from  the  northern  to  l)\Qfouthern  Bounda- 
ry of  the  Holy-Land.     But  the  Largenefs  of  this  River  is  far  from 
being  equal  to  its  Extent .     It  may  be  faid  indeed  to  have  two 
Banks,  whereof  the  iirft  and  outermoft  is  that,  to  which  the  Ri- 
ver does,  or  at  leaft  anliently  did,  overflow  at  fome  Seafons  of 
the  Year ;  but  at  prefent  (whether  the  Rapidity  of  the  Current 
has  worn  its  Channel  deeper,  or  its  Waters  are  directed  fome 
other  Way )  fo  it  is,  that  it  feems  to  have  forgot  its  antient  Great- 
nefs  :  For  "  we  (fays  Mr.  Maundrell)  could  difcern  no  fign  or 
"  Probability  of  fuch  Overflowing,  tho'  we  were  there  on  the 
"   30th  of  Marr/^,  which  is  the  proper  Time  for  its  Inundations. 
"  Nay,  fo  far  was  the  River  from  Overflowing,  that  it  ran  at 
"  leaft  two  Yards  below  the  Brink  of  its  Channel.     After  you 
*'  have  defcended  the  outermoji  Bank,  continues  he,  you  go  about 
"  a  Furlong  upon  the  level  Strand,  before  you  come  to  the  irn- 
"  mediate  Bank  of  the  River,  which  is  fo  befet  with  Buflies  and 
"  IVees,  fuch  as   Tamarijks,  Willo<ws,  Oleanders,  &c.  that  you 
"  can  fee  no  Water,  until  you  have  made  your  Way  through 
"  them.     In  this  Cover  of  the  Banks,  Lions,  and  other  wild 
"  Creatures  are  faid  to  hide  themfelves  in  Summer,  but,  upon 
"  the  Inundation  of  the  River,  they  are  forc'd  todiflodge."    To 
v^fhich  the  Prophet  feems  to  allude  in  thefe  Words,  He  pall  come 
vp  like  a  Lion  from  the  fwelVingof  Jordan.     Jer.  xlix.    ig.     The 
River,  in  (hort,  feems  much  diminifh'd  from  its  ancient  Grandeur ; 
for  it  is  not  above  twenty  Yards  in  Breadth,  tho'  deep  and  muddy, 
and  a  little  too  rapid  to  fwim  over,  ,  V/clls  and  Maundrellt  ibid. 


to  the  End. 


go  "The  Hijlory  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  ij  Spies  were  gone,  he  bad  the  Officers  go  thro'  the  Camp, 
Ant?  Chrift.  ^"'^  g^^^  ^^^  P^°P^^  Notice,  that,  within  three  Days,  they 
1451,  Sfc.  were  to  pafs  the  Jordan^  in  order  to  take  Pofleffion  of  the 
Fromjofli.i.promis'd  Land,  and  were  therefore  f  to  provide  themfelves 
,with  Victuals  for  their  March.     *  The  Spies,  who  were 

fent 

•f-  The  Ifraelites  ufual  Food,  while  they  fojourned  in  the  Wil- 
dernefs,  v/sls  Manna;  but,  as  they  approach'd  the  Prow/xV  Z<?72</, 
where  they  might  have  Provifion  in  an  ordinary  Way,  that  mira- 
culous Bread  did  perhaps  gradually  decreafe  ;  and,  in  the  Space 
of  a  few  Days  after  this,  was  totally  withdrawn.  They  were 
now  in  the  Countries  of  Sihon  and  Og,  which  they  had  lately 
conquer'd,  and  the  Visuals,  which  they  were  commanded  to 
provide  themfelves  with,  were  fuch,  as  their  new  Conqueft  af- 
forded :  For  being,  after  three  Days  ( Jofh.  iii.  i .)  to  remove  very 
early  in  the  Morning,  they  might  not  perhaps  have  had  Time  to 
gather  a  fufficient  Quantity  of  Manna,  and  to  bake  it,  before 
they  were  oblig'd  to  march.     Patrick's  Commentary. 

*  The  Eafiern  Writers  tell  us,  that  thefe  ^ies,  (whom  they 
make  to  be  Caleb  and  Phineas)  were  valiant  and  religious  Men, 
and  in  the  Prime  of  their  Youth  ;  that,  to  pafs  unobferv'd,  they 
chang'd  their  Habits,  as  if  they  had  come  from  a  diftant  Coun- 
try, and,  if  any  one  afk'd  them  any  Queftions,  their  Reply  was 
to  this  EfFedl :  "  We  are  People  from  the  Eafi,  and  our  Compa- 
*'  nions  have  heard  of  this  powerful  People,  who  were  forty 
"  Years  in  the  Wildernefs,  without  either  Guide  or  Proviliou ; 
"  and  it  was  reported  to  us,  that  they  had  a  God,  whom  they 
"  caird  the  King  of  Heanjen  and  Earth,  and  who  (as  they  fay) 
*'  hath  given  them  both  your  and  our  Country.  Our  Principals 
*'  have  therefore  fent  us  to  find  out  the  Truth  hereof,  and  to  re- 

"  port  it  to  them. We  have  likewife  heard  of  their  Captain^ 

*'  whom  they  call  Jojhua,  the  Son  of  iV/.^,  who  put  the  Atnale- 
*'  kites  to  flight,  who  deftroy'd  Sihon  and  Og,  the  Kings  of  Mi- 
*'  diun  and  Moah.  Woe  therefore  be  to  us,  and  you,  and  all 
"  that  flee  to  us  for  Shelter  !  They  are  a  People,  who  pity  none, 
**  leave  none  alive,  drive  all  out  of  their  Country,  and  make 
"  Peace  with  none.  We  are  all  accounted  by  them  Infidels,  Pro- 
**  fane.  Proud,  and  RebeUious.  Whoever  of  us  or  you  there- 
**  fore,  that  intend  to  take  care  of  themfelves,  let  them  take 
"  their  Families,  and  be  gone,  lefl:  they  repent  of  their  Stay, 
"  when  it  is  too  late."  By  this  Means  they  impos'd  upon  the 
People;  and  (as  Jofephus  informs  us)  went  whither  they  would, 
and  faw  whatever  they  had  a  Mind  to,  without  any  Stop  or 
Quellion.  They  took  a  View  of  the  Walls,  the  Gates,  the  Ram- 
parts, and  pafs'd  the  whole  Day  for  Men  of  Curiofity  only, 
without  any  Defign.  So  that  if  any  Credit  may  be  given  to  this 
Account,  it  was  but  juft,  that  they,  who  thus  impos'd  upon  the 
Canaatiites,  fhould,  in  the  lame  Manner,  be  impos'd  upon  by  the 
Gioeonites.  Chrouicon  Samaritanum  Arabice  Scriptum,  p.  65. 
and  Jofephu5\  Aiuifj.  Ub.  v.  c.  i. 


Chap.  I.    from  ibe  Ifmdkes  entering  Czmzn,  &c.  8i 

fent  upon  this  hazardous  Expedition,  got  fafe  into  the  City,     A.  m. 
and  took  up  their  Lodgings  in  a  Public k-Houfe^  that  was^^^^'^^j^^^' 
kept  by  a  Widow- Woman,    whofe   Name  was  Rahab.  1451     &c'. 
But  they  had  not  been  long  there,    before  Intelligence  was'^'^°'"J°'^->- 
brought  to  the  King,    fo  that  he  ordered  the  Gates  to  be ^_  -  —  ". 
fhut,    and   Search  to  be   made  for  the  Men;    But  their »^,6»,    i>e,„g 
Hojiejs^    haviBg  had  fome  Notice  of  it,  hid  them  under ^'''^6'  ^««'-- 
fome  hempen  Stocks,  wich  lay  drying  *  upon  the  Roof  of '^^^'^  ^h^^- 
her  Houfe,    and,    when  the  King's   Ojfficers  came,    {he^a  tbt  Camp 
told  them,    "  That  there  had  indeed  been  two  Strangen^'^  Sifety. 
* '  there,  who  had  made   a  fhort  Stay  at  her  Houfe,  but 
*'  that,    a  little  before   Sun-Set,    they  went   away,  but 
*'  might  eafily  be  over-taken,    becaufe  they  had  not  been 
*'  long   gone  :  "    Whereupon  they   fent  out  Meflengers 
after  them,  as  far  as    the  Fords  of  Jordan^  but  in  vain. 
Having  thus  eluded  the  King's  Officers,     Rahab   goes  up 
to   the  Spies,  and  tells  them,  **  That  fhe  was  very  confi- 
*'  dent  their  God   (who  was  the  only  true  God,    both  in 
"  Heaven  and  Earth)   had  deliver'd  that  Country  into  their 
"  Hands ;    that  the  Adlions,   which  he  had  done  for  them, 
"  in  making  all  Oppofition  fall  before  them,  had  ftruck  a, 
*'  panick  Fear  into  all  its  Inhabitants  ;  and  that  therefore, 
"  as  fhe  was  confident  that  this  would  be  the  Event,    and 
*'  had,  in  this  Inftance,  (hewn  them  uncommon  Kindneff, 
"  her  only  Requeft  was,  that,  when  they  came  againft  the 
'*  City,  they  would,  in  Return,    fpare  her's,  and  her  Fa- 
"  mily's  Lives  ;   for  which  fhe  defir'd  of  them  fome  Ai~ 
**  furance."    An  Offer  fo  generous  and   fo  unexpected, 
join'd  with  fo  liberal  a  Confeffion,  could  not  but  engage 
the  two  Spies  to  a  Compliance  with  what  (he  requefted  ; 
and  therefore  they  promis'd,  and   folemnly  fwore  to  her, 
that,    whenever  they  became  Mafters  of  the  City,    not 
only  (he,  and  her  Family,  but  every  one  elfe,  that  was  in 
her  Houfe,  (hould  be  exempted  from  the  commdn  Ruin. 
The  Gates  were  fo  clofely  fhut  and  guarded,  that  there 
was  no  Poflibility  for  making  their  Efcape  that  Way  ;    but 
Rahab's  Houfe  being  happily  fituated  upon  the  City- Wall, 
as  foon  as  it  was  conveniently  dark,  (he  firft  charg'd  them 

to 

*  The  Roofs  of  Houfes  were  then  very  flat,  and,  having  pro- 
bably Battlements  round  them  to  fecure  People  from  falling  ofF, 
(as  the  Manner  of  Building  -was  afterwards  among  the  'fcivs, 
Deut.  xxii.  8.)  were  made  ufe  of  for  Places  to  walk,  or,  at  any 
Time,  to  lay  any  Kind  of  Goods  upon. 

Vol.  III.  F 


82  The  Hiftory  of  the  BIB  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.     to  make  to  the  neighbouring  Mountains,  where  they  might 
Ant?'c^ift.^^^P  themfelves  conceal'd,    until  the  Meflengers  were  re- 
1451,  Sfc.'turn'd,  and  then  let  them  down  by  a  filkenCord  from  one 
'^'T^fi'^d ''  °^  ^^^  Windows,  which  fac'd  the  Country.     But  before 
^  _^^fthev  parted,  they  agreed,  that  this  fame  Cord,  hung  out  at 
her  Window,    fhould  be  the  Token  between  them  ;  and 
therefore  they  defir'd,  that  whoever  fhe  minded  to  fave, 
might,    when  their  Army  approach'd  the   City,    be  kept 
within  Doors.     The  Spies,    having   thus  luckily  efcap'd, 
took  Rabat's  Advice,    and  conceal'd  themfelves   in    the 
Mountains,  until  thofe,  who  were  fent  out  to  purfue  them, 
were  return'd  to  the  City,    and  then  they  made  the  beft  ' 
of  their  Way  to  the  Camp  ;  where  they  inform'd   Jojhua 
of  their  whole  Adventure,  and,  withal,  gave  him  to  un- 
derftand,  that  the  general  Confternation,  which  they  found 
the  People  in,  was  to  them  a  fure  Omen,    that  God  Al- 
mighty intended  to  crown  their  Arms  with  Succefs. 
T^« Ifraelites      Pleas'd  with  this  News,  Jojhua  gave  Orders  for  the 
ver  Jordan.^ """^y  ^°  decamp  ;  but  before  he  did  that,    he  reminded  the 
Tribes  of  Reuben  and  Gad,  and  the  Half-Tribe  of  Ma- 
tiaj/eh,  of  the  Promife  they  had  made  Mofes  to  affift  their 
Brethren  in  the  Conqueft  of  Canaan ;  f  which  they  rea- 
dily confented  to  do,  and,  not  only  in  that,  but  in  every 
Thing  elfe,  he  commanded  them  to  do,  promis'd  to  obey 
him  with  the  fame  Chearfulnefs,  that  they  had  done  Mofes  : 
So  that  forty  Thoufand  of  them  decamp'd  with  him,  and 
fell  down  to  the  Banks  of  the  Jordan. 

It  was  now  in  the  Time  of  the  Barley-Harveft,  Cwhich 
in  thefe  hot  Countries  falls  early  in  the  Spring)  when,  by 
reafon  of  hafty  Rain,  and  the  melting  of  the  Snow  upon 
Mount  Lebanon,  the  River  is  generally  full  of  Water,  and 

fometimes 

•f-  The  two  Tribes  and  an  half  had  the  Countries,  whch  had 
lately  been  conquer'd,  and  were  now  given  to  them  in  PofTeflion, 
to  preferve  againft  the  Attempts  of  the  Nations,  from  whom  they 
had  taken  them ;  and  can  hardly  be  fuppos'd  to  go,  one  and  all, 
along  with  their  Brethren  to  the  Conqueft  of  the  Countries, 
which  lay  on  the  other  Side  of  the  River  Jordan.  In  the  laft 
Mufter  of  the  Army,  they  confifted  of  above  an  Hundred  Thou- 
fand able  Soldiers ;  and,  we  can  hardly  fuppofe,  that,  at  this 
Time,  their  Number  was  decreas'd.  The  Forty  Thoufand,  that 
went  oyer  Jordan,  were  but  a  Part  of  them,  and  the  reft  were 
left  behind  to  guard  their  new  Conquefts  againft  the  vanquifh'd 
Nations,  that  had  abundant  Reafon  to  become  their  Enemies. 
Saurit:,  Vol.  III.  DiiTertation  i . 


G  H  A  p .  I.       frov!^  the  Ifrael I tes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        8  3 

fometimes  overflows  its  Banks  :  And,  as  foonas  the  Army    A.  l^.. 
was  come  within  a  fmall  Diftance  of  the  Place,    where  it  Ant^'c^ift 
was  intended  they  fliould  crofs,  'Jojliua  fent  and  communi- 1451,  ^v. 
cated  to  every  Tribe,  the  Order,  that  was  to  be  obferv'd  ^^°'M°^-'- 
in  this   folemn  March.     The   Priefts,    bearing  the  Ark, 
were  to  begin  the  Proceflion  ;  each  Tribe,  in  the  Order, 
in  which  they  us'd  to  march,  were  to  follow.     When   the 
Priefts  were  got  into   the  middle  of  the  Channel,    there 
they  were  to  ftand  ftill,  until  the  whole  Multitude  was  got 
fafe  to  the  other  Shore ;    and,  that  this  wonderful   Paffage 
might  be  more  regarded,  they  were  all  enjoin'd  to  fan£lify 
themfelves,  by  waftiing  their  Cloaths,  avoiding  all  Impuri- 
ties, and  abftaining  from  OTcrnwoKz^/ Intercourfe  the  Night 
before. 

Before  they  crofs'd  the  River,  Jojhua^  by  God's  Di- 
reftion,  appointed  twelve  Men,  out  of  every  Tribe  one, 
to  chufe  twelve  Stones  f  according  to  the  Number  of  their 
Tribes)  in  the  midft  of  the  Channel,  where  the  Priefls, 
with  the  Ark,  were  order'd  to  ftand,  and  +  there  to  fet  them 
up,  (that  they  might  be  feen  from  each  Side  of  the  River, 
when  the  Waters  were  abated  j  as  a  Monument  of  this 
great  Miracle  ;  and  to  bring  twelve  more  afhore  with  them 
for  the  like  Purpofe. 

With  thefe  Orders  and  Inftrudions  the  Army  fet 
forward.  The  Priefts,  with  the  Ark,  led  the  Van  ;  and  as 
foon  as  they  touch'd  the  River  with  their  Feet,  the  Stream 
divided.  The  Waters  above  went  back,  and  rofe  up  on 
Heaps,  as  far  as  the  City  f  Adam  ;  whilft  thofe,  that  were 
below,  continuing  their  Courfe  towards  the  Dead-Sea^ 
open'd  a  Paffage  0I"  above  16  or  18  Miles,  for  the  Ifrae- 
litei  to  crofs  over,  and,  all  the  Time,  that  they  were  thus 
crofting,  the  Priefts  with  the  Ark  ftood  in  the  Middle  of 
the  Channel,  till  every  Thing  was  done,  that  Jojhua  com- 

F  2  manded ; 

f  It  has  been  a  Cuftom  in  all  Nations  to  ereft  Monuments  of 
Stone,  in  order  to  preferve  the  Memory  of  Covenants,  Vidlories, 
and  other  great  Tranfaftions ;  and  though  there  was  no  Infcrip- 
tion  upon  thefe  Stones,  yet  the  Number  of  them,  and  the  Place 
where  they  lay  (which  was  not  at  all  ftony)  was  fufficient  to  fignify 
fome  memorable  Thing,  which  Pofterity  would  not  fail  to  hand 
down  from  one  Generation  to  another.  Patrick's  Commentary, 
on  Jojhua  iv.7. 

f  Adam,  or  Adom,  is  a  Place  fituate  on  the  Banks  of  the  Ri- 
ver Jordan,  towards  the  5outh  of  the  Sea  of  Qnnereih.  Or  the 
Sea  of  Galilee.     Wells's,  Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament. 


S4  The  Hifiory  c/  /^^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

^-  ^  manded  ;  and  then,  upon  their  coming  cut  of  it,  the 
Ant^Chrift.  River  retum'd  to  its  wonted  Courfe. 
1451,  &c.  By  this  miraculous  PafTage,  Jojhua^  having  gain'd  the 
foTe^End  '■  ^^^'"^  °^  Jericho,  encamp'd  in  a  f  Place,  which  was  af- 
'  I ter wards  call 'd  Gilgal;  and,  while  the  whole  Country  lay 
under  a  great  Terror  and  Confternation,  God  commanded  f 
the  Rite  of  Circumcifion,  which  for  the  Space  of  almoft  forty 

Years 

f  Gilgal,  the  Place  where  the  Ifraelites  encamp'd  for  feme 
Time,  after  their  PafTage  over  the  River  Jordan,  was  fo  call'd, 
becaufe  here  the  Rite  of  Circumcifion,  which  had  long  been  dif- 
us'd,  was  renewM  :  Whereupon  the  Lord  faid  unto  Jofhua,  this 
Day  ha've  I  rolled anvay  the  Reproach  o/' Egypt,  (i.  e.  Uncircum- 
cifion)  frojn  off  you,  wherefore,  the  Name  of  the  Place  is  called 
Gilgal  [i.  e.  rolling)  unto  this  Day.  Jofh.  v  9.  From  this  Ex- 
preffion  the  Place  receiv'd  its  Name,  and  if  we  look  into  its  Si- 
tuation, we  Ihall  find,  that,  as  the  Ifraelites  pafs'd  over  Jordan 
right  againfl  Jericho,  Jof?.  iii.  1 6.  and  encamp'd  in  Gilgal,  in  the 
Eaji  Border  of  jencho,  'tis  plain,  that  G/^a/ muft  be  fituated  be- 
tween Jordan  and  Jericho  j  and  therefore,  fince  Jofephus  tells 
us,  that  Jericho  was  Sixty  Furlongs  diftant  from  Jordan,  and 
the  Camp  of  Gilgal  was  Fifty  Furlongs  from  the  fame  River ;  it 
hence  follows,  that  Gilgal  v/as  Ten  Furlongs  [i.  e.  about  a  Mile 
and  a  Quarter)  from  Jericho  Eaftward.  But  as  fome  learned 
Men  have  obferv'd,  that  Five  of  the  Furlongs,  us'd  by  Jofephus, 
make  up  an  Italian  Mile,  fo  theDiftance  between  Gilgal  and  Je- 
richo will  be  juft  Two  Miles ;  which  exaftly  agrees  with  the  Te- 
ftimony  of  St.  Jerom,  who  makes  it  Two  Miles  diftant  from  Je- 
richo, and  a  Place  held  in  great  Veneration  by  the  Inhabitants  of 
the  Country,  in  his  Days.     Wells's  Geography,  Vol.  II.  c.  4. 

f  The  Command  which  God  gives  Jojhua,  concerning  the 

Rite  of  Circumcifion,  is  this Make  thee  Jharp  Kni'ves,  and 

circumcife  the  Children  of  Ifrael,  the  fecond  Time,  Jolh.  v.  2,  And, 
after  the  Rite  was  perform'd,  God  faid,  This  Day  ha've  I  rolled 
aivay  the  Reproach  of  Egypt  y;-o^«  off  you,  ver.  9.  Both  of  which 
Paflages  have  given  no  fm  all  Trouble  to  Commentators.  Thcjharp 
Knives  are  allow'd  to  be  (what  our  marginal  Notes  call  them) 
Kni'ves  of  Flint,  v/jiich  Stones  could  not  but  be  plentiful  in  the 
'Mountains  of  Arabia,  and,  when  made  very  fharp,  were  the 
Knives  commonly  made  ufe  of  in  the  Eajiem  Countries :  But  St. 
Jerom  himfelf  (as  great  ^nHebraiJi  as  he  was)  could  not  find  out, 
what  was  this  Circumcifion,  which  was  to  pafs  upon  the  Ifrac- 
liits  the  fecond  Time.  Some  of  the  Jeivs,  from  thefe  Words  of 
Jeremiah,  I  nvill  punijh  the  Circumcifed,  that  has  a  Forefin, 
Chap.  ix.  25.  have  undertaken  to  prove,  that  it  was  poffible  to 
bring  the  Forefdn  again  by  Art,  which  the  Ifraelites  had  done, 
during  their  Abode  in  die  Wildernefs,  and  for  this  Reafon,  were 
order'dto  be  c7><:»«'/r/AWafreili;  and  thofe  Chriftians,  who  have 

embrac'd 


w< 


Chap.  I.  from  the  KrztWx.^?,  entering  C^n^Lzn^  &c.  05 

Years  had  been  intermitted,  to  be  renew'd,    that  the  Pco-    -^  ^' 
pie  might  be  qualified  to  partalce  of  the  enluing  -f^^'y^'-Ant^'chrift. 
This  was  the  third  Time  of  their  celebrating  that  Fejiival  :ia,c,i,  &c. 
The/r/?  was  at  their  Departure  out  of  Egypt  j    the  /'^'^""^^'^'^c'^E^d'' 
at  their  Erection  of  the  Tabernacle,  at  the  Foot  of  Mount , 
Sinai 'y  and  notu^  that  they  were  arriv'd  in  a  Country,  where- 
in there  was  a  fufficient  Provifion  of  Corn  for  unleaven'd 
F  3  Bread, 

embrac'd  this  Notion,  pretend  to  fupport  it  by  the  Words  of  St. 
Paul,  If  any  Man  is  called,  being  circumcifed  |u.i)  'fx/fl-Tay^w,  Ift 
him  not  get  a  Forejkin  again,  or,  as  we  render  it,  let  hifn  not  be- 
come uhcircumcifed.  But  whether  the  recovery  of  a  Prepuce  be  a 
Thing  probable  or  not,  'tis  certain,  that  all  the  Difficulty  of  the 
Words  arifes  from  mifunderftanding  the  Idiom  of  the  Original, 
and  may  eafily  be  remov'd,  if  they  were  tranflated,  or  para- 
phrased thus, Let  the  Ceremony  of  Circumcijion,  mjhich  has 

been  fo  long  difcontinued,  be  reneived,  as  it  ivas  once  heretofore. 
While  the  Ifraelites  liv'd  in  Egypt,  we  do  not  read  of  any  Ne- 
glect of  this  Rite  of  Circumcifion  among  them  ;  but,  while  they 
abode  in  the  Wildernefs,  there  are  feveral  Reafons,  that  might 
obhge  them  to  omit  it,  until  they  arrived  in  the  promised  Land, 
when  they  were  to  renew  the  Ordinance  of  the  Paflbver,  and, 
previous  to  that,  were  all  to  be  circumcis'd;  becaufe  no  uncir- 
cumcis'd  Perfon,  nor  any  one  who  had  a  Son,  or  a  Man-Servant 
in  his  Houfe  uncircumcis'd,  was  capable  of  being  admitted  to  it, 
Exod.  xii.  43.  2d,  The  Rolling  anvay  the  Reproach  (j/"  Egypt,  is 
fuppos'd  by  fome,  to  relate  to  the  Reproaches,  which  the  Egypti- 
ans us'd  to  call  upon  the  Ifraelites,  viz.  that  the  Egyptians,  feeing 
the  Ifraelites  wander  fo  long  in  the  Wildernefs,  reproach'd  and 
flouted  them,  as  if  they  were  brought  to  be  deftroy'd  there,  and 
not  conduced  into  the  promised  Land,  from  which  Reproaches 
God  now  deliver'd  them,  when,  by  enjoining  Circumcifion,  he 
gave  them  AlTurance,  that  they  fhould  Ihortly  enjoy  the  Country, 
which  no  uncircumcis'd  Perfon  might  inherit.  Our  learned 
Spencer  thinks  the  Reproach  of  Egypt  to  be  the  Sla'very,  to  which 
they  had  long  been  there  fubjeft,  but  were  now  fully  declar'd  a 
free  People,  by  receiving  a  Mark  of  the  Seed  of  Abraham,  and 
being  made  Heirs  of  the  promis'd  Land.  But  the  moft  common 
Opinion  is,  that,  by  the  Reproach  of  Egypt,  is  meant  nothing 
elfc  but  Uncircumcifion,  with  which  the  Ifraelites  always  upbraid- 
ed other  People,  and  particularly  the  Egyptians,  with  whom 
they  had  liv'd  fo  long,  and  were  heft  acquainted ;  and,  admitting 
this  to  be  the  true  (as  it  is  the  moft  unconftrained)  Senfe,  this  Paf- 
fage  is  a  plani  Proof,  that  the  Ifraelites  could  not  learn  the  Rite 
of  Circumcifion  from  the  Egyptians,  (as  fome  pretend)  but  that 
the  Egyptians,  contrary -wife,  muft  have  had  it  from  them.  U- 
niverlal  Hiftory,  Lib.  i .  c  7.  Spencer  de  Leg.  Heb.  Lib.  i .  c.  4. 
Patrick^  Commentary,  and  Shuckf or d's  Connection,  Vol.  IIL 
Lib.  12. 


86  ^^e  Hiftory  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M  B^ead,  God  infifted  Upon  the  Obffervance  of  his  Ordi- 
*553  ^^"^^  nances :  He  was  minded  indeed,  that  all  Things  now  ftiould 
J551,  £f<:.*go  on  in  their  regular  Wav  ;  and  therefore,  for  the  futurfe, 
FromjoOi.  i.  he  left  them  to  the  Provifion,  which  this  Land  of  Plenty 
2jj],^f[^ afforded  them,  and  ceas'd  to  fupply  them  any  longer  with 

Manna. 
Take,  and  GILGJL  was  much  about  two  Miles  from  Jericho^  and 
/df*  Jericho,  therefore  Jojhiiu  might  poflibly  go  out  alone  to  reconnoitre 
the  City,  and  to  think  of  the  propereft  Way  of  befieging 
it ;  when,  all  on  a  fudden,  there  f  appeared  to  him  a  Per- 
fon  cloath'd  in  Armour,  and  ftanding  at  fome  Diftance,  with 
a  drawn  Sword  in  bi^  Hand.  Undaunted  at  this  unufual 
Sight,  Jofljua  advances  to  him,  and,  having  demanded  of 
what  Party  he  was,  the  Vifion  reply'd,  that  he  was  for  the 
Hofi  of  Jfr'?el^  whofe  Captain  and  Guardian  he  was ;  and, 
as  Jo/hua,  in  humble  Adoration,  was  fallen  proftrate  be- 
fore him,  he  orderM  him  (in  the  Manner  he  had  done 
Mofes  at  the  burning  Bufli)  to  loofe  his  Sandals  from  off  his 
Feet,  and  then  proceeded  to  inflrruft  him  in  what  Form  he 
would  have  the  Siege  carry'd  on,  that  the  Canaanttes  might 

perceive, 

f  Who  this  Perfon  was,  that  appeared  to  Jojhua,  is  not  fo 
well  agreed  among  Commentators.  Some  are  of  Opinion, 
tliat  it  was  an  Angel,  who,  becaufe  the  Hebrenv  calls  him  Gebir, 
is  fuppofed  to  be  Gabriel;  but  there  are  feveral  Reafons,  in 
this  very  Account  of  his  Apparition,  which  denote  him  to  be  a 
divine,  and  not  a  created  Being.  For,  in  the  firft  Place,  be- 
fides  his  affuming  the  Title  of  the  Captain  of  the  Hofi  of  the  Lord, 
(an  Image  under  which  God  himfelf  is  frequently  reprefented  in 
Scripture)  fojhud?,  calling  him  feho'vah,  or  the  Lord,  a  Name, 
which  neither  Jojhua  fhould  have  given,  nor  he  accepted  of, 
had  he  been  no  more  than  an  Angel ;  his  falling  down,  and 
worfhipping  him,  which  he  durft  not  have  done,  (fmce  God 
alone  is  to  be  adord)  nor  would  the  other  have  permitted,  but 
rather  have  reprov'd  him,  as  we  find  one  of  them  did  St.  John 
Rev.  xxii.  10.  are  the  fureft  Evidence  of  the  Divinity  of  his 
Perfon.  For,  when  inftead  of  reproving  him  for  doing  him  too 
much  Honour,  we  find  him  commanding  him  to  do  more,  by  re- 
quiring him  to  \oo{e  his  Shoes  from  off  his  Feet,  infifcing  upon  the 
higheft  Acknowledgement  of  a  divine  Prefence,  that  was  us^d 
among  the  Eafiern  Nations,  we  cannot  but  think  ourfelves  obliged 
(with  a  learned  Rabbin)  freely  to  confefs,  that  this  Angel,  nvho 
fuffered  himfelf  to  be  nvorfipfd,  and  by  nvhofe  Prefence  the  Place 
nx-'here  he  appear  d  -uias  fanitified,  fo  that  Jofhua  nxsas  commanded 
to  put  off  his  Shoes,  no  doubt  nvas  the  -very  fame,  nvhom  all  the 
Angels  of  Heaven  do  n.vo>f>ip.  Job,  a  Coch.  upon  the  Gemara 
of  tjie  6«A/^i^r///,  Vol.  IIL  Differtation  IL  '         ' 


Chap.  I.    from  the  KraeVites  entering  Cana3.n,  ^c.  8y 

perceive,  that  it  was  fomething  more  than  the  Arm  of  Fle/hy    A.  M. 
that  fought  againft  them.  Ant.^'chrift. 

The  Form  of  the  Siege  was  this; All  the  Army  1451,  fife. 

was  to  march  round  the  City,  with  feven  Priefts  before  theJ'j^^^J^^  ■* 
Ark,  having  in  their  Hands  Trumpets  made  of  Rams- 
Horns,  fix  Days  fucceflively.  On  the  feventhy  after  the 
Army  had  gone  round  the  City  feven  Times,  upon  Signal 
given,  the  Priefts  were  to  blow  a  long  Blaft  with  their 
Trumpets,  and  the  People  on  a  fudden  fet  up  a  loud  Shout; 
at  which  Inftant  the  Walls  of  the  City  ftiould  fall  fo  flat  to 
the  Ground,  that  they  might  diredlly  walk  into  it  without 
any  Let  or  Obftru£lion.  Thefe  Orders  were  put  in  Execu- 
tion ;  and  accordingly  on  the  feventh  Day,  the  Walls  fell, 
and  the  Ifraelites  enter'd.  They  put  every  one,  Men, 
Women,  and  Children,  nay  the  very  Beafts,  to  die  Sword, 
and  fpar'd  no  living  Creature,  but  Rahab  onl/,  and  fuch 
Relations,  as  (he  had  taken  underthe  Protection  of  herRoof, 
according  to  the  Stipulation,  which  had  been  made  with 
her.  For  Jojhua  had  given  the  two  Spies  a  ftri<St  Charge 
before-hand,  that,  when  the  Town  was  going  to  be  fack'd, 
they  fhould  repair  to  her  Houfe,  and  convey  every  Thing 
fafe  out,  that  belong'd  to  her  ;  which  accordingly  they  did, 
and  then  the  whole  Army  fell  on,  and  fet  Fire  to  the  City, 
and  deftroy'd  every  Thing  in  it,  except  the  Silver  and  Gold, 
and  fuch  Veflels  of  Brafs  and  Iron,  as  were  to  be  put  into 
the  Treafury  of  the  Houfe  of  the  Lord^  as  they  had  done 
once  before  (a)  in  a  Cafe  of  the  like  Nature:  And,  that  it 
might  never  be  rebuilt  again,  Jo^ua  f  denounc'd  a  pro' 
F  4  phetkk 

(a)  Numb.  xxxi.  22,  23. 

f  The  Words  of  JoJhua\  Execration  are  thefe  :  — — — 
Curfed  be  the  Man  before  the  Lord,  that  raifeth  up,  and  buildeth 
this  City  Jericho;  he  Jhall  lay  the  Foundation  thereof  in  his  Firfl- 
born,  and  in  his  youngejl  Son  (hall  he  fet  up  the  Gates  of  it,  Jofll.  vi. 
26.  "  This  Anathema  (fays  Maimonides)  was  pronounc'd,  that 
*'  the  Miracle  of  the  Subverfion  of  Jericho  might  be  kept  in 
*'  perpetual  Memory  ;  for  whofoever  faw  the  Walls  funk  deep 
*'  into  the  Earth  {as  he  underjiands  it)  would  clearly  difcern, 
*'  that  this  was  not  the  Form  of  a  Building  deftroy'd  by  Men, 
*'  but  miraculoufly  thrown  down  by  God."  Hiel  however,  in 
the  Reign  of  Ahab,  either  not  remembering,  or  not  believing 
this  Denunciation,  was  fo  taken  with  the  Beauty  of  its  Situation, 
that  he  rebuilt  Jericho,  and  (as  the  facred  Hiftory  informs  us) 
laid  the  Foundation  thereof  in  Ab\r2.m.,  his  Fir  ft -born,  and  fet  up 
the  Gates  thereof  in  his  youngeji  Son  Segub,  according  to  the  Word 
of  the  Lord,  ivhich  he  fpake  by  Jofhua,  the  Sgn  ^Nun,  i  Kings 

xvj. 


?8  The  Eijiory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

^'  ©■'<:  P^^^^^^  Imprecation  on  the  Man,  {viz.  that  it  fliould  occa- 
Ant^ChriIt/^°"  ^^^  u'^er  Ruin  of  his  Family)  that  fhould  attempt  it. 
1451,  &c.  f  JI  was  a  little  City,  about  twelve  Miles  diftantfrom 
SXS' '' ^^''''^'^'' '  ^"'^^  2is  Jojhua  knew,  that  it  was  neither  popu- 
K,„r-yj~.^ ^o"s^  nor  well  defended,  he  detach'd  a  fmall  Body,  of  three 
7heDiaih  of Thoufznd  Men  only,  to  go,  and  attack  it.  But,  contrary 
Achan  /or  to  their  Expeftation,  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Place  fally'd 
^FaTlf^ the^^^  upon  them,  and,  having  flain  feme  few,  put  the  reft 
Boctj.  to  Flight,    and  purfu'd   them  as  far  as  their  own  Camp. 

This  Defeat  (how  fmall  foever)  flruck  fuch  a  Damp  upon 
the  People's  Courage,    that  *  Jojhua  was   forc'd  to  have 

Recourfe 

xvi.  34.  However,  after  that  Hi  el  had  ventur'd  to  rebuild  it, 
no  Scruple  was  made  of  inhabiting  it ;  for  it  afterwards  became 
famous  upon  many  Accounts.  Here  the  Prophet  fweeten'd  the 
Waters  of  the  Spring  that  fupply'd  it,  and  the  neighbouring 
Countries :  Here  Herod  built  a  fumptuous  Palace :  It  was  the 
Dwelling-place  oi  Zacchem;  and  was  honour'd  with  the  Pre- 
fence  of  Chrijl,  who  vouchfaf 'd  likewife  to  work  feme  Miraclas 
here.     Univerfal  Hiftory,  Lib.  i.e.  7. 

J  We  have  this  Place  mention'd  in  the  Hiftory  of  Abraham^ 
who,  both  before  and  after  his  going  into  Egypt,  pitch'd  his 
Tent  between  Bethel  and  Ji,  or  Hai,  as  it  was  then  call'd  ;  and, 
from  both  Gen.  xii.  8.  and  Jo/h.  vii.  z.  it  appears,  that 
this  City  lay  to  the  Eaji  of  Bethel,  about  three  Leagues  from 
Jericho,  and  one  from  Bethel,  as  Mafias  informs  us ;  and  the 
Reafon  why  Jojhua  fent  fo  fmall  a  Detachment  againft  it  was, 
,  becaufe  the  Place  in  itfelf  was  neither  ftrong  nor  large.     For, 

when  it  was  taken,  the  Number  of  the  Slain,  both  in  it,  and  Be- 
thel, which  (as  fome  think)  was  confederate  with  it,  were  but 
t'wcl^e'Thoufand,  both  of  Men  a7id  Women,  Jofh.  viii.  25.  The 
Providence  of  God  however  was  very  vifible  in  fending  fo  fmall  a 
Party  againft  Ai :  For,  if  the  Flight  of  three  Thoufand  Men  put 
the  I/r^elites  into  fuch  a  Confternation,  as  we  rt^AjoJh.  vii.  5,6. 
what  a  Condition  would  they  have  been  in,  if  all  the  People  had 
been  difcomiitted,  as  doubtlefs  would  have  happen'd,  while  the 
Guilt  of  ^<r/6rt»'s  Sacrilege  remain'd  unpunifh'd?  Wells\  Geogra- 
phy, Vol.  II.  c.  4. 

*  The  Spirits  ofthe  Army  (as  Jofiphus  tells  us)  were  fo  funk 
upon  this  Diforder,  andcaft  down  into  fuch  a  Defperation  of  bet- 
ter Things  to  come,  that,  after  they  had  fpent  the  whole  Day  in 
Fafting,  Weeping,  and  Mourning,  Jojhua  addrefs'd  himfelf,  with 
a  more  than  ordinary  Importunity,  to  Almighty  God,  in  Words 
to  this  Effeft  :  "  It  is  not  any  Temerity,  O  Lord,  or  Ambition 
"  of  our  own,  that  has  brought  us  hither  to  make  War  upon  this 
"  People,  but  a  pure  Deference  and  Refpeft  to  the  Perfuafion  of 
"  thy  Servant  Mofes,  that  has  incited  us  to  this  Undertaking, 
■'•  and  Rot  without  a  Warrant  of  many  Signs  and  Miracles,  to 

"  convince 


Chap.  I.    from  the  K^sitXitts  entering  Canaan,  6?^.  89 

Recourfe  to   God,  who  immediately  anfvver'd    him  Cby    ^''^ 
Urim,  as  isfuppos'd)  that  his  Commands  had  been  Jacrile-  j^^^J'q^^^q^^ 
giotijly  infring'd,    and   therefore  order'd  him  to  have  the  145 »>  ^c- 
Offender  punifh'd  with  Death,  and  direded  him  to  a  Me- fj^^J^-Jg-;- 
thod,  how  to  difcover  who  he  was. 

Before  the  Taking  of  'Jericho^  (^)  Jofhua  had  caution'd 
the  People  not  to  fpare  any  Thing  that  was  in  it,  but  to 
burn,  and  deftroy  all  that  came  in  their  Way,  except  Sil- 
ver, and  Gold,  and  Brafs,  and  Iron,  which  were  to  be 
confecrated  to  the  Lord  ;  But,  notwithftanding  his  ftridt 
Charge  againft  referving  any  Thing,  that  was  either  devo- 
ted to  this  general  Deflru6tion,  or  confecrated  to  the  Lord  ; 
a  Man  of  the  Tribe  of  Judah^  whofe  Name  was  Achan^ 
took  fome  of  the  rich  Plunder,  and  conceal'd  it  in  his  Tent. 
To  find  out  the  Perfon  therefore,  Jajhuoy  early  next  Mor- 
ning, call'd  all  the  Tribes  together  before  the  Tabernacle, 
where,  f  by  cafting  the  Lot,  firft  upon  the  Tribes,  and  fo 

proceeding 

*'  convince  us,  that  he  had  Reafon  and  Authority  on  his  Side, 
"  when  he  told  us,  that  thou  thyfelf  hadft  promis'd  us  the  Pof- 
*'  feflion  of  this  Country,  and  to  gives  us  Vidtory  over  all  our 
*'  Enemies.  But  what  a  Change  is  here,  all  on  a  fudden,  in  the 
"  Difappointment  of  our  Hopes,  and  in  the  Lofs  of  our  Friends  ? 
*'  As  if  either  Mofes%  Prediftion  had  hot  been  of  divine  Infpira- 
*'  tion,  or,  otherwife  thy  Promifes  and  Purpofes  variable.  If 
"  this  be  the  beginning  of  a  War,  we  cannot  but  dread  the 
*'  farther  Progrefs  of  it,  for  fear  that  this  Mifcarriage,  upon  the 
"  firft  Experiment,  fhould  prove  only  the  Earneft  of  greater 
"  Evils  to  come.  But,  Lord,  thou  alone,  that  art  able  to  give 
"  us  Relief,  help  us,  and  fave  us.  Vouchfafe  unto  us  Comfort, 
''  and  Viftory ;  and  be  gracioufly  pleas'd  to  preferve  us  from  the 
*'  Snare  of  defpairing  for  the  future.  Jeivijh  Antiquities,  Lib. 
"   5.  c.    I. 

(ij  Jofh.  vi.   18,  19. 

f  Some  Jenjoijh  Doftors  are  of  Opinion,  that,  in  the  Dif- 
covery  of  the  guilty  Perfon,  there  was  no  Ufe  made  of  Lots  at 
all,  but  that  all  Ifrael,  being  order'd  to  pafs  by  the  High-Prieft, 
who,  on  this  Occafion,  had  his  Peroral  on,  in  which  were  the 
twelve  Stones  with  the  Names  of  the  twelve  Tribes  engraven  on 
them,  when  the  Tribe,  to  which  the  guilty  Perfon  belonged, 
was  call'd,  the  Stone,  in  which  was  the  Name  of  that  Tribe, 
chang'd  Colour,  and  turn'd  black  ;  and  fo  it  did,  when  the  Fa- 
mily, theHoufhold,  and  the  Perfon  was  call'd  :  But  this  is  a  mere 
Fidlion.  There  is  much  more  Probability  in  the  Opinion  of 
thofe,  who  fuppofe,  that,  at  firft,  twelve  Lots,  or  Tickets  were 
put  into  one  Urn,  on  each  of  which  was  written  the  Name  of 
one  of  thefe  twelve  Tribes :  That  when  one  of  the  twelve  Tribes 

was 


9(^  'the  Hifiory  of  the  BIBLE,      Book  V. 

A.  M*.    proceeding  from  Tribe  to  Family,  from  Family  to  Houfhold, 
A^53>  S'f-  and  from  Houfhold  to  particular  Perfons,  the  Criminal  was. 

Ant.    Chrilt.         ,    n       r  a1  c-/   /t        >       a   i  • 

1451,  ^c.  at  lait,  found  to  be  Achan  ;  who,  upon  jojhua  s  Admoni- 
FromJoA.i.  tion,  confcfs'd  the  Fa6t,  vi%.  that  he  had  fecreted  *  a  royal 
to  theEad.  ^  j^^j^g^  j^Q  hundred  Shekels  of  Silver,  and  a  large  Wedge 
of  Gold  ;  and  when,  upon  Search,  the  Things  were  pro- 
duced in  the  Prefence  of  all  the  People,  they  took  him, 
and  all  his  Family,  his  Cattle,  his  Tent,  and  all  his  Mo- 
veables, and  carrying  them  to  a  neighbouring  Valley, 
(which,    from  that  Time,  f  in   AUufion  to  this  Man's 

Name, 

was  found  guilty,  then  were  there  as  many  Lots  put  in,  as 
there  were  Families  in  that  Tribe;  after  that,  as  many  as  there 
were  Houfholders  in  that  Family  ;  and,  at  laft,  as  many,  as 
there  were  Heads  in  that  Houfhold,  until  the  Criminal  was  de- 
tefted.  But  others  will  have  it,  that  this  was  done  by  the  High- 
Prieft  alone,  who,  by  a  divine  Infpiration,  at  that  Time,  was  en- 
abled, without  any  more  to  do,  to  declare  who  the  culpable 
Perfon  was.  Saurins  Differtations,  Vol.  III.  Le  Cure's  and 
Patrick's  Commentaries,   on  yoj^.  vii. 

*  In  the  Original,  this  Robe  is  call'd  a  Garment  of  Shinar, 
!.  e.  of  Babylon  ;  and  the  general  Opinion  is,  that  the  Richnefs 
and  Excellency  of  it  confifted  not  fo  much  in  the  Stuff,  whereof 
it  was  made,  as  in  the  Colour  whereof  it  was  dy'd,  which  moft 
fuppofe  to  have  been  Scarlet,  a  Colour  in  high  Efteem  among  the 
Ancients,  and  for  which  the  Babylonians  were  juftly  famous. 
Bochart  however  maintains,  that  the  Colour  of  this  Robe  was 
'various,  and  net  all  of  one  Sort ;  that  the  fcarlet  Colour  the 
Babylonians  firft  received  from  l^yre,  but  the  Party-colour,  whether 
fo  woven,  or  wrought  with  the  Needle,  was  of  their  own  In- 
dention, for  which  he  produces  many  Paflages  out  of  Heathen 
Authors.     Such  as, 

Non  ego  prstulerim  Babylonica  pida  fuperbe 

Texta,  Semiramia  quae  variantur  Acu.    Mart.  Ep.  Lib.  8. 

Haec  mihi  Memphitis  Tellus  dat  Munera,  vifta  eft 

Peftine  Niliaco  jam  Babylonis  Acus.  Ibid.  Lib.  14. 
\*idi  many  more  Citations  out  of  feveral  other  Writers.  How- 
ever this  be,  'tis  certain,  that  the  Robe  could  not  fail  of  being  a 
very  rich  and  fplendid  one,  and  therefore  captivated  tvda&x  Achari'^ 
t*ride,  or  rathgr  Covetoufnefs ;  ilnce  his  Purpofe  feems  to  have 
been,  not  fo  much  to  wear  It  himfelf,  as  to  fell  it  for  a  large 
Price.  Bochart\  Phaleg,  Lib.  i.  c.  g.  Saurin,  Lib.  3.  Dif- 
fertation  3- 

f  Tho'  his  Name  was  primarily  Achan,  yet,  ever  after  hts 
Execution,  he  was  call'd  Achar,  (fo  the  Syriack  Verfion,  Jofe- 
fhus,  Athanafius,  Bafil,  and  others,  mention'd  by  Bochart,  name 
him)  which  fignifies  the  Troubler  of  I/raeL     PatriclCs  Commen- 

tsay,  on  Jo^.  viii.    , 


Chap.  I.       from  the  UntVitts  eftierifig  Canaan,  ^c.       91 

Name,  was  call'd  the  Valley  of  Ahar)  \\  there  they  fto-    A.  m. 
ned  him,  and  thofe  belonging  to  his  Family,  as  Accompli-  An"  cSS. 
ces  in  his  Crimes.     Whatevpr  Goods  or  Utenfils  he  had,  1451,  &c, 
thefe  they  confum'd  with  Fire,    and  fo  rais'd  a  great  Heap^'^°"'J°^-'« 
of  Stones  over  all,  that  thereby  they  might  perpetuate  the ^  Af-Jj 
Meniory  of  the  Crime,  and  deter  others  from  the  like  Pro- 
vocation. 

After  this  Execution  of  the  divine  Juftice,   God  or- Tie  Tay^/ng 
dered  Jojhua  to  attempt  the  Conqueft  of  At  once  more,  and  ""^  Sacking 
promis'd  him  Succefs  ;  which  might  beft  be  obtain'd,  as  he^-'     '' 
told  him,    by  laying  an  Ambufcade  fomewhere  behind  the 
City,  towards  Bethel,  f  Thirty  Thoufand  Men  were  there- 
fore drawn  out,  and  fent  away  by  Night  upon  this  Expediti- 
on, with  Inftruftions  to  enter  the  City,  as  foon  as  the  Signal 
Cwhich  was  to  be  a  Spear,  with  a  Banner  upon  it)  was  gi- 
ven them  :  And  early  next  Morning,  he  himfelf  marched, 
with  the  Remainder  of  his  Forces,    againft  the  City.     As 
foon  as  the  King  of  At  perceiv'd  him,  he  fally'd  haftily  out 
of  the  Town,    with  all  his  Troops,  and  all  his  People, 

and 


II  Since,  the  Law  againft  Sacrilege  condemns  TranfgrefTors  to 
the  Flaities,  and  God  commanded  the  Perfon  here  guilty  to  be 
burnt  accordingly,  Jq/h.  vii.  18.  the  y^wj  affirm,  that  ^c^^k  was 
aftually  burnt ;  and,  whereas  it  is  {aid  in  the  Text,  that  he  ivas 
jloned,  they  think  that  this  was  done,  nol  judicially,  but  accidentally 
by  the  People,  who  were  fo  highly  provok'd,  that  they  could  not 
forbear  cafting  Stones  at  him,  as  he  was  led  to  Execution.  '  Vid. 
Munft.  in  Jofh.  vii. 

f  Some  are  of  Opinion,    that  this  Detachment  of  thirty 
Thoufand  made  up  the  whole  Force,  that  was  employ'd  in  this 
Expedition  againft  Ai  •,  and  that,  out  of  thefe,  finje  Thoufand  were 
fent  to  lie  in  Ambufh,  that,  at  a  convenient  Time,  they  might 
fet  fire  to  the  City :  But  this  is  fo  direftly  contrary  t;o  God^s 
Command  of  "Jofhuas  taking  all  the  People  of  War  ivith  him^ 
which  accordingly,  in  chap.  viii.   3,  ii.  we  are  told  he  did,  that 
tliere  is  no  Foundation  for  it.     And  therefore  it  is  reafonable  to 
fuppofe,  that  the  whole  Body,  defign'd  for  the  Ambufcade,  con- 
fifted  of  thirty  Thoufand  Men,  and  that  the  five  Thoufand,  men- 
tion'd  in  the  i  zth  Verfe,  was  a  fmall  Party,  detach'd  from  thefe, 
in  order  to  creep  clofer  to  the  City,  while  the  five  and  twenty 
Thoufand  kept  themfelves  abfconded  behind  the  Mountains,  un- 
til a  proper  Signal  was  given,  both  from  the  City,  when  tWs 
imall  Party  had  taken  it,  and  from  the  grand  Army,  when  they 
had  repuls'd  the  Enemy,  that  then  they  might  come  out  from 
their  Ambufli,  and  intercept  them,  as  they  were  making  their 
Flight.    PatricK%  Commentary,  on  JoJh,  viii. 


$2  ^he  Hiftory  of  the  BIB  L  E,     Book  V. 

^  A,  M.^  anjj  fgii  yp^j^  jj^g  Jfraelites,  who,  at  the  firft  Onfet,  fled. 
Ant,  'chrift.^s  if  they  had  been  under  fome  great  Terror.  But  this  was 
145 1,  &c.  only  a  Feint ^  to  draw  the  Enemy  into  the  Plain;  and  there- 
to^th/Em).'  ^^"^^  ^^  ^°°"  ^^  7^/'-'«^  ^^w,  that,  by  this  Stratagem,  the  City 
I  was  pretty  well  empty'd,  he  gave  the  Signal  to  the  Am- 
bufcade,  which,  finding  it  now  defencelefs,  immediately 
enter'd,  and  fet  it  on  Fire. 

By  the  Afcent  of  the  Smoak,  'Jofhua  difcerned  that  his 
Men  had  got  Pofleflion  of  the  Town,  and  therefore  facing 
about,  he  began  to  charge  the  Enemy  very  brifkly  :  who, 
Jittle  expe(Sting  that  the  Ifraelites  would  rally,  began  now 
to  think  of  retreating  to  the  City ;  but,  when  they  faw  it 
all  in  Flames,  and  the  Party,  which  had  fet  it  on  Fire, 
ifluing  out,  and  jufl  going  to  fall  upon  their  Rear,  they 
were  fo  difmay'd  and  difpirited,  that  they  had  Power  nei- 
ther to  fight  nor  fly :  So  that  all  the  Army  was  cut  to 
Pieces ;  the  City  was  burnt,  and  made  an  Heap  of  Rub- 
biih ;  every  Soul  in  it,  Man,  Woman,  and  Child,  were 
put  to  the  Sword  ;  and  the  King,  who  was  taken  Prifoner, 
was  order'd  to  be  hang'd  upon  a  Gibbet  till  Sun-fet,  when 
be  was  taken  dovi'n,  thrown  in  at  a  Gate  of  the  City,  and 
a  Heap  of  Stones  rais'd  over  him. 

After  this  Adlion  was  over,  the  Cattle,  and  all  the 
Spoil  of  the  City,  was,  by  God's  Appointment,  given  to  the 
Soldiers  ;  and,  as  "Jojhua  was  now  not  far  diftant  from  the 
Mountains  of  Gerizim  and  Ebal^  this  reminded  him  of  the 
Command,  which  ('fj  Mufe s  h?i^  given,  about  reading  the 
Law,  with  the  Bleflings  and  Curfes  thereunto  annex'd, 
frorr*  thofe  two  Mountains ;  which  he  not  only  order'd  to 
be  done,  but  had  an  Altar  likewife  eredted,  whereon  not 
only  Sacrifices  were  ofFer'd,  to  give  God  the  Glory  of  all 
his  Vi6tories;  but  f  an  Abridgment  of  the  Law,  or  fome 
remarkable  Part  of  it  was  likewife  engraven,  at  the  fame 

Time 

(f)  Deut.  xi.    29.  and  xxvii.   i,t 13. 

\  It  is  a  Queftion  (as  we  faid  before,  page  24  in  the  Notes) 
among  the  Learned,  what  it  was  that  was  written  upon  thefe 
Stones  ?  But  befides  other  Conjeftures  already  enumerated,  fome 
think  it  not  unlikely,  to  have  been  a  Copy  of  the  Covenant,  by 
which  the  Children  of  Ifrael  acknowledg'd,  that  they  held  the 
Land  of  Canaan  of  God,  upon  Condition,  that  they  obferv'd  his 
Laws,  to  which  they  and  their  Pofterity  had  oblig'd  themfelves  ; 
for  this  was  the  third  Time,  that  the  Covenant  between  God  and 
his  People  was  renewed,  and  therefore  the  Contents  of  that  Cove- 
nant might  be  vei-y  proper,  at  this  Time,  to  be  thus  monumental- 
^  recorded.     Patrick  onD&i.z.  xxvii.  3.  and  Jolh.  viii.  32. 


Chap.  I.     from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.       g^ 

Time  that  the  ivhoJe  of  it  was  read  in  a  large  AfTembly  of   ^-  ^• 
all  the  Tribes.  A^t.^Chrifl. 

JOSHUJ's  Succefs  againft  the  two  Towns  of  yericho,i^s^-   ®''^- 
and  >^/,   and  the  terrible  Slaughter  he  had  made  among  their'^''°'^J°^- '• 
Inhabitants,    had  *  fo  alarm'd  the  Kings  on  that  Side  the._  _      Jj 
Jordan^  that  they  confederated  together,  and  enter'd  imoThc-  League 
League  for  their  mutual  Defence;  But  the  Gibeonites,  (ore-"'''f[''y  Z"^- 
feeing  the  Deftrudlion  that  was  haftening  upon  them,  en^^beomtes** 
deavour'd  by  a  Stratagem  to  gain  a  Peace  with  the  Ifraelites^ 
which  they  effected  in  this  Manner. They  chofe  a  cer- 
tain Number  of  artful  Men,  who  f  were  inftrudted  to  feign 

themfelves 

*  The  Jenjos,  in  the  Tahnud,  tell  us  likewife,  that  a  fartlier 
Caufe  of  the  Gibeonites  Fear,  was,  the  Infcription,  which  they 
had  met  with  upon  Mount  Ebal,  where,  among  other  Parts  of 
the  Law,  which  Jojhua  (as  they  pretend)  wrote  upon  Stones, 
they  found  the  Orders,  which  both  he  and  Mofcs  had  received 
from  God,  utterly  to  extirpate  all  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Land  of 
Canaan.     Saurin,  Lib.  iii.  Differtation  4. 

f  It  is  a  Queftion  among  the  Cafuijis,  whether  the  Gibeonites 
could,  with  a  good  Confcience,  pretend  that  they  were  Foreign- 
ers, and  tell  a  Lye  to  fave  their  Lives  ?  And  to  this  Pujfetidorf 
(Droit  de  la  Nature,  Lib.  iv.  c.  2.)  thus  replies.  The  Artifice  of 
the  Gibeonites,  fays  he,  had  nothing  blameable  in  it,  nor  does  it 
■properly  deferije  the  Name  of  a  Lye :  For  ivhat  Crime  is  there  in  any 
pne^s  making  ufe  of  an  innocent  FiSiion,  in  order  to  elude  the  Fury  of 
an  Enemy,  that  nvould  dcjlroy  all  before  them  ?  Nor  did  the  Ifrae- 
lites indeed  properly  receinje  any  Damage  from  this  hnpnfiure  :  For 
•what  does  any  one  lofe,  in  not  Jhedding  the  Blood  of  another,  'when  he 
has  it  in  his  Ponver  to  take  from  him  all  his  Subjiance,  after  halv- 
ing fo  lueaken  d  and  difarm^ d  him,  that  he  is  no  7nore  able  to  rebel 
againfi  him  ?  But  the  Opinion  of  this  great  Man  feems  to  be  a 
little  erroneous  in  this  Cafe.  Had  the  Ifraelites  indeed  been  a 
Pack  of  common  Murtherers,  who,  without  any  Commiffion 
from  Heaven,  were  carrying  Blood  and  Defolation  into  Coun- 
tries, where  they  had  no  Right;  or  had  the  Gibeonites  been  igno- 
rant, that  a  miraculous  Providence  conduced  thefe  Conquerors  j 
the  Fraud,  which  they  here  put  upon  them,  might  then  be 
deem'd  innocent :  For  there  is  no  Law,  that  obliges  us,  under 
the  pretence  of  Sincerity,  to  fubmit  to  fuch  Incendiaries,  and 
mercilefs  Ufurpers,  as  are  for  fetting  Fire  to  our  Cities,  and  put- 
ting us  and  our  Families  to  the  Edge  of  the  Sword.  But  the  Cafe 
of  the  G/^f(3«//f  J  was  particular;  and  if,  in  other  Things,  they 
went  contrary  to  Truth,  in  this  they  certainly  adher'd  to  it,  v/hen 
they  told  fojhua.  We  are  come,  bcccufe  of  the  Name  of  the  Lord 
thy  God,  for  moe  ha^ue  heard  of  the  Fame  of  him,  and  all  that  he 
did  in  Egypt,  and  all  that  he  did  to  the  /Tt's  Kings  of  the  Amorites, 
that  ^were  beyond  ]or^2iXx,l^c.  Jofh,  i.x.  9,  to.     Tlie  Idea,  vv'hich 

they 


94  '^he  BJiory  of  the'&l^h  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  themfelves  Amhaffadors  come  from  a  far  diftant  Country, 
idit?  Chrift. '"  order  to  obtain  a  League  with  the  People  of  Ifrael:  And, 
1451,  6ff,  to  gain  Credit  to  this  their  Pretence,  they  drefled  them- 
^^'^T^p^''^^^^^®  in  old  Cloaths,  had  old  clouted  Shoes  on  their  Feet, 
*, carried  dry  mufty  Bread  in  their  Bags,  and  the  Bottles, 
wherein  they  kept  their  Wine,  were  f  all  fadly  tarnifti'd 
and  torn.  In  this  Plight  they  came  to  the  Camp  at  Gilgal, 
and,  being  introduc'd  to  Jojhua^  they  told  him,  *'  That 
*'  the  Fame  of  many  Miracles,  which  God  had  wrought 
**  for  them  in  the  Land  of  Egypt^  and  the  wonderful  Suc- 
*'  ceffes,  wherewith  he  had  blefs'd  their  Armsagainft  every 
**  Power y  that  had  oppos'd  them  in  their  coming  to  that 
*'  Place,  had  reach'd  even  their  remote  and  diltant  Coun- 
*'  try  ;  for  which  Reafon  their  States  and  Rulers  had  fent 
"  them  a  long  Way,  that,  by  all  Means  imaginable,  they 
*'  might  obtain  a  Peace  with  a  People  fo  renown'd  all  the 
*'  World  over,  and  fo  favour'd  and  honour'd  by  Gods  :'* 
And  then  fhewing  their  Cloaths,  Shoes,  and  other  Tokens 
of  the  long  Journey  they  had  taken,  they  folemnly  aflur'd 
them,  that  all  thefe  Things  were  quite  new,  when  at  firft 
they  fet  out  from  home,  and  thence  left  them  to  judge  how 
diftant  and  remote  their  Country  was. 

This  plaufible  Story,  confirm'd  as  they  thought  by 
fo  many  Evidences,  gain'd  Credit  with  the  Ifraelites,  fo 
that  they  enter'd  into  amicable  Alliance  with  them  ;  and 
the  other  took  Care  to  have  the  Treaty  immediately  ratify'd 
both  by  Jojhua,  and  all  the  Princes  of  the  Congregation. 
In  three  Days  Time  the  Impofture  was  difcover'd  ;  and 
they,  who  pretended  to  come  from  a  diftant  Country, 
yfexQ  found  to  be  near  Neighbours,  and  fome  of  thofe 

very 

they  had  conceiv''d  of  the  God  oi  Ifrael,  fhould  have  put  them 
upon  fome  other  Expedient,  than  that  of  Lying  and  Deceit.  They 
ftiould  have  inquir'd  (as  far  as  the  obfcure  Difpenfation  they  were 
under  would  have  permitted  them)  into  the  Caufe  of  God's  Seve- 
rity againft  them.  They  fhould  have  acknowledg'd,  that  it  was 
their  grievous  Sins,  which  drew  down  this  heavy  Judgment  upon 
their  Nation;  and,  after  they  had  repented  thereof  in  Sackcloth 
and  Alhes,  they  fhould  have  committed  the  reft  to  Providence, 
never  doubting,  but  that  he,  who  had  chang'd  the  very  Courfe  of 
Nature  to  punifh  the  Guilty,  would  always  find  out  fome  Means 
or  other  to  fave  the  Penitent :  But  this  they  did  not  do,  and 
therefore  they  were  culpable.     Saurin,  Vol.  III.  DifTertation  4. 

f  Thefe  Bottles  were  not  of  Glafs,  or  Clay,  as  thofe  in  ufe  a- 
mong  us,  but  were  made  of  Leather,  in  which  they  formerly 
(and  even  now  in  fome  Countries)  kept  their  Wine. 


Chap.  I.     from  tbel{ra.t\kc5  entering  Czna.zn,  &c.        ^^ 

very  People,  whom  Jajhua  was  commiflion'd  to  deftroy  :    J^-  M. 
So  that  when  the  Thing  came  to  be  rumour'd  about,  the'^An? ^^^'^^ 
People  began  to  murmur  againft  their  Princes  foi  their  In- 1451,  &c. 
difcretion,  and  were  for  having  the  League  cancell'd  ;  but,^^°™J^-*- 
as  it  was  confirm'd  by  a  folemn  Oath,  this  they  could  not.  ^ 

do,  without  incurring  the  divine  Difpleafure.  And  there- 
fore, tho'  they  might  not  take  away  their  Lives,  they 
might  neverthelefs  hold  them  in  a  State  of  Servitude,  and, 
as  long  as  they  liv'd,  make  them  ufeful  Drudges,  Hewers 
of  Wood,  and  Drawers  of  Water,  and  the  like,  which 
would  both  punifh  them  much,  and  prove  full  as  beneficial 
to  the  Common-wealth ;  and  with  this  Apology  the  Peo- 
ple were  appeas'd.  Jojhua  however  fent  for  fome  of  tlie 
Gibeon'ttes^  and  having  expoftulated  the  Cheat  with  them, 
(which  they  excus'd  upon  the  Score  of  faving  their  own 
Lives)  he  told  them  what  the  Determination  of  the  Princes 
was,  viz.  that  they  (hould  remain  in  a  State  of  perpetual 
pondage;  which  they  receiv'd  without  any  Manner  of  Mur- 
muring, and  humbly  acquiefc'd  in  whatever  was  thought 
-proper  to  be  impos'd  upon  them. 

The  confederate  Princes,  hearing  of  this  feparate  Trea-TiS^  ^o^utfi 
4y,  which  the  G'lheon'ites  had  made  with  Ifrael,  were  rQ.of  tie Cpfe- 
-folv'd  to  be  reveng'd  of  them  for  their  Defertion  of  the  com- /„^^,i/sou^* 
mon  Caufe  j  and  accordingly  joining  all  their  Forces  toge-fl»^  Sun  and 
ither,  they  came  and  invefled  their  Town.    The  Gibeoniies,^'"'"!'   .... 
in  this  Diftrefs,  not  daring  to  truft  to  their  own  Strength,    "  '"^ 
-fent  an  Exprefs  to  fofhiia  for  fpeedy  Help;  who  fet  out 
with  all  Expedition,  and,  by  quick  Marches,  and  the  Fa- 
vour of  the  Night,  came  upon  the  Enemy  (ooner  than  they 
expected,  and,  early  next  Morning,  fell  upon  them,  and 
routed  them.     In  this  Expedition  God  had  all  along  en- 
courag'd  Jojhua^  and  promis'd  him  Succefs ;  and  therefore, 
as  the  confederate  Forces  were  endeavouring  to  efcape,  and 
fave  themfelves  by  Flight,  he  pour'd  fuch  a  Storm  of  Hail 
upon  them,  as  deftroy'd  more,  than  what  perifh'd   by  the 
Sword. 

yOSHUJf  on  the  other  Hand,  was  very  defirous  to 
make  the  moft  of  this  happy  Opportunity ;  and  therefore, 
in  full  Chafe  of  Vi£lory,  he  addrefs'd  himfelf  to  God,  that 
the  Sun  and  Moon  might  fland  ftill,  and  fo  prolong  the  Day, 
until  he  had  compleated  hisVidory  ;  which  God  was  pleas'd 
to  grant .  So  that  this  was  the  moft  memorable  Day,  that 
ever  happen'd,  wherein  the  Almighty  lijieh'd  to  the  Voice  of  a 
Man,  to  change  the  Courfe  of  Nature,  and  flop  the  Mo- 
tion of  thofe  rolling  Orbs. 

The 


g6  The  Hijiory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

^-  ^'        The  confederate  Kings,  being  thus  put  to  Flight,  and 
Anu'chrat.^i'^herfrighten'd  at  the  Storm  of  Hail,  or  at  the  clofe  Pur- 
MSi,  &'•  fuit  of  the  Enemy,  made  to  a  Cave  near  f  Makkedah,  and 
w  SSi ''  ^^^""^  ^^"  '"  ^°  ^'"^^  themfelves  :  But  Jijhua,  having  Intel- 
^_  ^  -  _j  ligence  of  it,  commanded  the  Cave  to  be  block'd  up,  and 
a  Guard  to  be  fet  over  it,  and  fo  continu'd  his  Purfuit,  that 
he  might  cut  off  as  many,  as  he  poffibly  could,  before  they 
reach'd  to  their  fortify 'd  Towns.     In  his  Return,  he  order'd 
the  Cave  to  be  open'd,  and  the  Kings  to  be  brought  forth ; 
and,  when  Execution  vi^as  done  upon  them,  he  caus'd  their 
Bodies  to  be  hang'd  upon  feveral  Trees,  until  the  Evening  ; 
when  they  were  taken  down,  and  caft  into  the  Cave,  where 
they  thought  tt)  have  hid  themfelves,  fo  that  the  Place  of 
their  intended   SanSiuary  became  their  Sepulchre.     After 
thisfignal  Vidtory,  Jojhua  took  all  the /^«/^^r«  Parts  oi  Ca- 
naan, which  afterwards  belong'd  to  the  Tribes  of  Judahy 
Simeon,  Benjamin,  Dan,  and  Ephraim  ;  and,  having  thus 
ended  his  fecond  Campaign,  he  return'd,  with  his  Army,  to 
the  Camp  at  Gilgal. 

Here  he  continu'd  for  fome  Time  without  entering  up- 

cf'tbe'conje  on  ^ny  frefti  Adion,  until  feveral  Princes  of  the  North  of 

derste  Ktrt^s  Canaan,  under  Jabin  King  of   Hazor,  confederated  to- 

"'^'^**-gether,  and  rais'd  a  vaft  Number  of  Forces,  which  en- 

camp'd   not  far   from  f   the  Waters   of    Merom  j    and 

what 

f  It  was  a  City  in  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  about  eight  Miles  dif- 
tant  f'  cm  Eleutheropolis,  which  Place,  tho'  it  is  no  where  men- 
tioned in  the  Scripture-Hiftory,  becaufe  it  was  built  after  the 
Deftrudlion  of  Jerufalem,  is,  neverthelefs,  frequently  taken 
notice  of  by  Eufebius,  and  "Jerom,  as  a  Point,  from  whence  they 
meafure  the  Diftances  of  other  Places.  Its  Name  imports  a  free 
City,  and  was  itfelf  fituate  in  the  Tribe  of  Judah.  Welh\  Geo- 
graphy of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  II.  c.  4. 

-f  Thefe  Waters  are  generally  fuppos'd,  by  learned  Men,  to  be 
the  Lake  Semechon,  which  lies  between  the  Head  of  the  River 
Jordan,  and  the  Lake  of  Gennefareth  ;  fince  it  is  agreed  on  all 
Hands,  that  the  City  Hazor,  where  Jahin  reign'd,  was  fituate 
upon  this  Lake.  But  others  think  that  the  Waters  of  Merom,  or 
Merome,  were  fomewhere  about  the  Brook  Kijhon  ;  fince  there  is 
a  Place  of  that  Name  mention'd  in  the  Account  of  the  Battle 
againft  5//tr^z,  Judg.  v.  21.  And  it  is  more  rational  to  think, 
that  the  confederate  Kings  advanc'd  as  far  as  the  Brook  Kijhov, 
and  to  a  Pafs,  which  led  into  their  Country,  to  hinder  Jofiua 
from  penetrating  it,  or  even  to  attack  him  in  the  Country,  where 
he  himfelf  lay  eiicamp'd,  than  to  imagine  that  they  waited  for 
him,  in  the  Midft  of  their  own  Country,  leaving  all  Galilee  at 

his 


Chap.  I.      from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.    97 

*  what  made  the  Army  more  formidable,  was  the  great    A,  M. 
Number  of  Horfes,  and  *  arm'd  Chariots  they  had,  where-  Am^'cki^ii 
as  the  Ifraelites  were  all  Foot.     This  however  hid   not  in  1451,  &=c. 
the  leaft  difcourage  Jajhua^  who,  in  Purfuance  of  the  In-^'^o^'J^-** 
ftru6tions  which  God  had  given  him,  immediately  took  the , 
Field,  march'd  dire6tly  towards  the  Enemy,  fell  fuddenly 
upon  them,  and  put  all  (except  thofe,  *  that  made  their 

Efcape 

his  Mercy,  and  the  whole  Traft,  from  the  Brook  of  Kijhon,  to 
the  Lake  Semechon.  Wells%  Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament, 
Vol.  III.  c.  5,  Rela7id\  Palcft.  Lib.  I.  c.  40.  and  Calmet  oa 
Jofh.  xi.  5. 

*  Their  whole  Army,  according  to  Joftphus,  was  computed  to  a- 
mount  to  three  hundred  Thoufand  Foot,  ten  Tlioufand  Horfe,and 
two  Thoufand  Chariots;,  and  to  oppofe  againlt  thefe  the  Ifraelites 
had  no  Horfe  in  their  Armies,  becaule  God  had  interdidted  them, 
{Deut.  xvii.  16.)  left  a  Traffick  into  Egypt  for  that  Sort  of  Cat- 
tle Ihould  be  a  Snare  to  engage  them  in  Idolatry ;  or  left,  having 
a  Quantity  thereof,  they  ftiould  put  their  Confidence  rather  in 
them,  than  in  the  Divine  Affiftance  j  for  which  Reafon  the  Pro- 
phet denounces  a  Woe  upon  them  that  go  do^n  into  Egypt /or 
Help,  and  Jiay  on  Horfes,  and  truji  in  Chariots,  becaufe  they  are 
many,  and  in  Horfemen,  becaufe  they  are  ftrong,  hut  they  look  not  ta 
the  Holy  One  of  Ifrael,  neither  feek  they  the  Lord,  Ifa,  xxxi.  I. 

*  The  Chariots,  which  the  ancient  Hiftorians  ufually  call 
Currus  Falciferi,  Co'vini^ Falciferi,  ^adrigcs  Falcatae,  hp^LCLicc 
Spj7ravo4>()pa>  ^c.  are  defcrib'd  after  the  following  Maimer :  "  The 
*'  Beam,  to  which  the  Horfes  were  faften'd,  was  arm'd  with 
*'  Spikes  with  Iron-points,  which  projedled  forward  :  The  Yokes 
**  of  the  Horfes  had  two  cutting  Falchions,  of  three  Cubits 
*'  length ;  The  Axle-Trees  had  fixed  to  them  two  Iron-Spits, 
**  with  Scythes  at  their  Extremities ;  the  Spokes  of  the  Wheels 
"  were  arm'd  with  Javelins,  and  the  very  Fellows  with  Scythes, 
*'  which  tore  every  Thing  they  met  with  to  Pieces.  The  Axle- 
*'  Tree  was  longer,  and  the  Wheels  ftronger  than  ufual,  that  they 
"  might  be  the  better  able  to  bear  a  Shock,  and  the  Chariot 
**  lefs  liable  to  be  overturned."  The  Charioteer,  who  was  cover'd 
all  over  with  Armour,  fat  in  a  kind  of  Tower,  made  of  very  folid 
Wood,  about  Breaft  high,  and  fometimcs  Men  well  arm'd  were 
put  into  the  Chariot,  and  fought  from  thence  with  Darts  and  Ar- 
rows. So  that  a  dreadful  Slaughter  thefe  Machines  muft  at  firft 
have  made,  when  they  met  with  the  Enemies  Troops ;  but  in 
Time,  when  Men  came  to  find  out  the  Way  of  declining  them, 
they  did  not  fo  much  Execution,  and  were  confequently  difus'd. 
Vid.  Diodorus  Siculus,  Lib.  17.  ^int.  Cui-tius,  Lib.  4.  Xeno' 
phon  Cyropaed.  Lib.  6.     Lucretius,  De  Rer.  Nat.  Lib.  6. 

*  Some  Jeavifh  Authors  will  needs  have  it,  that,  when  Jofoua, 
went  into  the  Land  of  Canaan,  he  propos 'd  three  Things  to  the 

Inhabitants 

Vol,  III.  G 


9?  "The  Hiftory  ef  the  BIB  L  E,    Book  V: 

A.  M,  Efcape  into  other  Countries)  to  the  Sword ;  ham-ftrung 
J^5jj^f^'(J[^  their  Horfes,  and  burnt  their  Chariots  with  Fire.  Jabin 
1451,  &c.  had  been  tlie  Head  of  the  Confederacy  againft  him,  and 
fi'oraJo*- '-therefore  he  kill'd  him,  and  caus'd  his  City  to  be  burnt  to 
^°  ^  J    ,  \the  Ground  j  but  the  other  Cities,  whofe  Inhabitants  were 

flain  in  Battle,  he  left  (landing,  and  gave  the  Plunder  of  them 

to  the  Soldiers. 
rheTHvir^on    Thus  Jojhua  fubdu'd  all  the  Land  of  Canaan  f  by 
e/tbe  Land  jDegrces :    He  put  its  Inhabitants,  its  Kings,  (who  were 

amovg  the  ®^^ 

7'riia. 

Inhabitants  thereof,  either  that  they  fhould  leave  the  Country,  or 
come  and  make  their  Submiffion,  or  take  up  Arms  and  fight  him. 
But  this  is  faid,  in  feme  Meafure  to  excufe  the  Je^ijh  General, 
and  to  mollify  the  Rigour  of  his  Proceedings.  His  exprefs  Com- 
mand from  God  was,  to  extirpate  the  feven  Nations,  without 
making  any  Treaty,  or  giving  Quarter  \  And,  tho'  the  Gibeo- 
nites  by  Guile  had  obtain'd  a  kind  of  League  with  him,  yet  the 
Conditions,  which  he  thereupon  impos'd,  were  fo  very  hard, 
that  they  could  not  but  deter  others  from  making  the  like  At- 
tempt. It  is  not  therefore  to  be  wonder'd,  that  the  Canaanites, 
■who  faw  themfelves  drove  to  the  Neceffity  either  of  Death  or  Sla- 
very, (after  they  had  tried  the  Fate  of  their  Arms  fo  often  to  no 
Purpofe)  ftiould  endeavour  to  make  their  efcape  from  a  People 
4every  where  viftorious,  and  who  were  enjoin'd  to  be  cruel  and 
remorfelefs  by  their  very  God,  who  had  given  them  this  Succefs. 
Nor  can  we  fuppofe,  but  that  God,  who  was  minded  to  make 
Room  for  his  own  People,  did  (according  to  his  Promife,  Exod. 
xxiii.  27.)  injeft  upon  this  Occafion  a  Terror  extraordinary  into 
the  Natives  of  the  Country,  and  make  them  defire  to  be  gone : 
^nd  when  they  were  defirous  to  be  gone,  they  had  the  Ports,  ly- 
ang  upon  the  Mediterranean-Sea,  very  commodious  for  their  Pur- 
pofe. For,  whether  the  Towns  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  were  at  this 
Time  built  or  no,  'tis  certain,  that  the  Places,  where  thefe  Towns 
Hood,  could  not  but  be  proper  Harbours  for  Shipping ;  and  as 
the  Phoenicians  were  ftill  Mailers  of  the  Sea-Coafts,  by  their  Af- 
fiftance  the  Canaanites  might  make  their  Efcape  into  what  Parts 
they  pleas'd.  The  Phoenicians,  much  about  this  Time,  did  cer- 
tainly fend  out  a  vaft  many  Colonies ;  but,  as  it  cannot  be  fup- 
pos'd,  that  fo  fmall  a  Country  ftiould  produce  fuch  Swarms,  the 
grcateft  Part  of  them  are  prefum'd  to  be  the  Refugees  of  Canaan^ 
who  made  their  Efcape  by  Shipping  to  all  the  Coafts,  which  lay 
round  the  Mediterranean  and  jEgean  Seas,  and  even  to  other 
Parts  of  Europe,  Afta,  and  Africa,  as  the  learned  Bochart  has 
given  us  a  large  Account  in  his  Canaan,  from  page  345,  to  page 
699^  Calmefs  DifTertation  fur  le  Pays,  ou  fe  fauverent  les  Ca- 
'/laT.ines  chaffez  par  Jofue. 

•\  Thefe  great  Atchievements  may  be  allow'd  to  have  taken  up 
feme  Years.    The  Hiiiory  indeed  informi  us,  that  Jojhua  made 

War 


3 


e  3 

iMiiw       mmiiii       liiMiiiii 


7 5 

tiiiiin     Muiiiii     mimiiiiil 


0  3  8  3\o 

iiiiiiiii   I  wiij       .iiiiiiiiiiii      iiiiiiiM      aiiiim      I Mill      miiiiiii, 


39 


,  JOaodtcta . 


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MUD 


niA  5\r  E  J^9r 


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'J^rzpa/u 


PA 

of 


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S  Y ILIA. 


1  TE 


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^poilon. 


TRIBE  'arEPH:^AI3 
TRIBE  otyTHIB  EorJ3E:N^    i 


rTRIBEof-4  ^^ . 


^Jil 


A 

J^^P  OF 

<2!;^:  z  -r  y^y  among  z/ 
Xm  Tribes   ^  ^ 


ID 


U^ldE 


i:  JD  o 


Chap.  I.     from  i^e  I fraditts  entering  C2ina.a.n,  ^c.       gg 

one  and  thirty  in  Number j  and  all  the  Giants^  that  dwelt    A.  M. 
therein,  except  fome  few  that  ftill  remained  among  the^^j^^^^^^.^^; 
Philijiines,  to  the  Sword  ;   and   having  now  extended  hisi4si,  sff 
Conqueft,  as  far  as  it  was  convenient  at  that  Time,  he  be-^'°"'J'^^'* 
gan  to  think  of  dividing  the  Country  among  the  Tribes,  °    °   "  • 
that  were  yet  unprovided  for,  and  of  difmifling  the  two 
Tribes  and  an    half,    who  had  accompany'd  him  in  the 
Wars,  but  had  their  Habitations  already  fettled  by  Mofes, 
on  the  Eajl  Side  of  the  River  Jordan.     To  this  Purpofe  he 
appointed  Commijjioners,  who  fhould  take  an  exacft  Survey 
of  the  Country,  and  bring  in  a  full  Report  without  Delay  ; 
which  when  he  had  done,  f  the  Country  was  divided  into 

G  2  equal 

War  a  long  Time  ivith  all  thefe  Kings,  Jofti.  xi.  1 8.  And,  from 
the  Words  of  Caleb,  wherein  he  gives  JoJJjua  an  Account  of  his 
Age,  and  that  it  was  Ji<ve  and  forty  Tears,  fince  he  wasfent  a  Spy 
to  Kadejh-barnea,  there  cannot  be  well  lefs,  than  between  fix 
and  feven  Years,  fpent  in  this  War ;    and  why  the  War  was  fo 

long  continu'd,  God  himfelf  afligns  this  Reafon  : Iijuill 

not  drive  them  out  from  before  thee  in  one  Tear,  left  the  Land  become 
deflate,  and  the  Beafts  of  the  Field  multiply  againft  thee:  By  little 
and  little  n)jill  I  drive  them  out  from  before  thee,  untill  thou  be  in- 
treafed and  inherit  the  Land.     Exod.  xxiii.  29,  30. 

•f'  Thofe  who  are  minded  to  know  what  particular  Towns 
and  Territories  fell  to  each  Tribe,  had  beft  confult  what  Jofe- 
phus  in  his  fLiuiJh  Antiquities ;  Jerom,  de  Locis  Hebraicis  ;  Re- 
land,  de  Urbibus  &  Vicis  Paleftinae  ;  Mafius,  in  Jofhuam  ;  Ful^ 
ler,  in  his  P/^iZ^- Sight ;  Raleigh,  in  his  Hiftory,  Part  I.  Lib.  2, 
Wells,  in  his  Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  II.  Pa- 
trick, Pool,  Le  Clerc,  and  feveral  others,  in  their  Commentaries, 
have  faid  upon  this  Subjeft.  We  Ihall  make  this  one  Remark, 
which  Mafius,  in  his  rich  Commentary  upon  Jofua,  furniihes 
us  with,  viz.  that  as  Jacob  and  Mofes,  at  the  Approach  of  their 
Deaths,  foretold  the  very  Soil  and  Situation  of  every  particular 
Country  that  fhould  fall  to  each  Tribe  :  fo,  upon  this  Divifion 
by  Lots,  it  accordingly  came  to  pafs.  To  the  Tribe  of  Judah, 
there  fell  a  Country,  abounding  with  Vines,  and  Pafture-Grounds, 
Gen.  xlix.  1 1 .  To  that  oi  AJhur,  one  plenteous  in  Oil,  hon,  and 
Brafs,  Deut.  xxxiii.  24,  25.  To  that  of  Naphtali,  one  extend- 
ing from  the  Weft  to  the  South  of  Judea,  Ibid,  xxxiii.  23.  To 
that  oi  Benjamin,  one,  in  which  the  Temple  was  afterwards  built. 
Ibid,  xxxiii.  12.  To  thofe  of  Zebulun  and  IJfachar,  fuch  as  had 
Plenty  of  Sea-Ports,  Gen.  jlix.  13.  To  thofe  of  Ephraim  and 
ManaJJeh,  fuch  as  were  renown'd  for  their  precious  Fruits,  Deut. 
xxxiii.  14.  And  to  tliofe  of  Simeon  and  Levi,  no  particular 
Countries  at  all;  for  as  much  as  the  former  had  a  Portion  with 
Judah,  and  the  other  was  interfpers^d  among  the  feveral  Tribes. 
Since  therefore  (as  our  Commentator  reafons)  each  particular  Lot 

anfwer'd 


lOo  Ihe  Hiftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V; 

A.  M.  e^al  Portions,  for  which  each  Tribe  (according  (d)  to 
5553.^^^-  God's  Direaions)  caft  Lots  :  But,  becaufe  fome  Tribes 
1451,  fife  were  larger,  and  fome  Territories  richer,  than  others, 
ftomjoih.i.yojhua  and  Eleazar,  together  with  the  Princes  of  the  Peo- 
to  the  End.   p]^^  j^^j^  ^^j.g  j^  ^jj^j£^  ^j^g  Proportion  of  the  Land  to  the 

Largenefs  of  the  Tribe,  and,  in  fubdividing  that,  to  confi- 
der  the  Number  of  each  Family,  and  Houftiold  j  purfuing 
exa£tly  the  Orders,  which  God  gave  to  his  Servant  Mofes : 
(e)  Unto  thefe  the  Land  jl)  all  he  divided  for  an  Inheritance^ 
according  to  the  tiumher  of  Natnes.  To  many  thou  Jhalt  give 
the  more  Inheritance',  and  to.  few  thou /halt  give  the  lefs  In- 

beritance. Noiwithftanding  the  Land  Jhall  he  divided  hy 

Lot'y according  to  Lot  Jhall  the  Pojfejfton  thereof  hedi' 

vided  among  many,  and  few. 

Having  thus  divided  the  Country  on  the  Weft  Side  of 
the  y or  dan,  Jojhua  bad  a  little  Place  given  him  for  his  own 
Habitation  not  far  from  Shiloh,  where,  after  the  Wars, 
the  Tabernacle  was  fet  up,  that  he  might  have  an  Opportu- 
nity of  confulting  God  upon  any  Occafion;  and,  after 'all 
Things  were  in  this  Manner  regulated,  he  called  together 
the  Reuhenites,  Gadites,  and  the  Half  Tribe  of  Manajfeh^ 
who  had  ferv'd  for  almoft  feven  Years,  as  Auxiliaries  in  the 
Wars  of  Canaan,  and  gave  them  an  honourable  Difmiflion. 
**  He  acknowledg'd,  that  they  had  duly  executed  the  Con- 
*'  dition,  which  they  promis'd  to  Mofes,  in  accompanying 
*'  their  Brethren,  and  helping  them  to  fubdue  their  Ene- 
*'  mies,  and  commended  their  Courage  and  Fidelity  for  (b 
*'  doing.  He  exhorted  them,  now  that  they  were  going 
*'  to  feparate  from  the  Tabernacle,  never  to  negledl  the 
*«  Service  of  God,  but  to  bear  always  in  Mind  thofe  vene- 
'*  rable  Laws,  which  he  had  given  them  by  his  great  Le- 
**  giflator.  He  advis'd  them  to  diftribute  a  Share  of  the  rich 
*'  Booty  they  had  taken  from  the  Canaanites,  among  their 
*'  Brethren  on  the  other  Side  of  Jordan;  becaufe,  tho* 
**  they  had  not  partaken  of  the  Peril  of  the  late  War,  they 
**  had  neverthelefs  done  them  great  Service,  in  protedting 
*'  their  Families  from  the  Infults  of  their  Enemies  on  every 
•*  Side:"  And  *  with  thefe  Acknowledgments,  and  Ex- 
hortations, 

anfwer'd  fo  exaflly  to  each  Predidlion,  it  muft  needs  be  the  Height 
of  Infolence  or  Stupidity,  not  to  acknowledge  the  divine  Infpira- 
tion  in  thefe  Prediftions,  and  the  divine  Direction  in  thefe  Lots. 

(dO  Jofli.  xiv.  2.         [e)  Numb.  xxvi.  53,  ^c. 

*  Jofiphus,  in  the  Speech,  which  he  introduces  Jojhua  making 
to  the  Reubenites,  &c.  at  their  Parting,   concludes  with  thefa 

Words :«— • 


Chap.  I.   from  the Krzd'ites  entering  Cansmny  (^c.        loi 

hortations,  together  with  many  fincere  Wiflies  for  ^eir    A.  m. 
Pf ofperity  and  Welfare,  *  he  fent  them  away ;  but  they ^j^t!'c^Ift. 
had  not  been  long  gone,  before  a  fad  Mifunderftanding  had  1451,  &e.' 
like  to  have  hafltjcn'd  between  them  and  the  other  Tribes.  ^'T^^;'* 

Upon  their  Arrival  on  the  other  Side  of  yordan^  theyi 
erefted  an  Altar  near  the  Place,  where  they  and  their  Bre- 
thren had  miraculoufly  pafs'd  over,  not  for  any  religious 
Ufe,  but  as  a  Memorial  to  fucceeding  Generations,  that, 
tho*  they  were  parted  by  the  Ri^ser,  yet  they  were  of  the 
fame  Extradl  and  Religiorf,  and  held  an  equal  Right  to  the 
Tabernacle  2X  Shiloh^  and  to  theWorlhip  of  God  perform 'd 
there,  that  die  Inhabitants  of  the  other  Side  had.  But, 
whether  thofe  on  the  other  Side  were  mifinform'd,  or  mif- 
apprehended  their  Intent,  fo  it  was,  that  they  fell  into  a 
violent  Rage  againft  them,  as  Apojlatei  from  the  true  Reli- 
gion ;  and  immediately  took  up  Arms  for  the  Vindication 
of  the  Worfliip  and  Religion  of  their  Forefathers,  and  to 
avenge  the  Caufe  of  God  upon  the  Heads  and  chief  Authors 
of  this  Defection.  But,  before  they  proceeded  to  thefe 
Extremities,  they  were  advis'd  by  their  Rulers  to  fufpend 
the  Execution  of  their  Wrath,  until  they  had  fent  a  De- 
putation to  them  in  order  to  know  the  Reafon  of  their  buildr  t 

G  3  ing 

Words :—- — "  But,  I  pray  ye,  let  no  Diftance  of  Place  fet 
*'  Limits  to  our  Friendfhip.  The  Interpofition  of  Ri'vers  mufi: 
*'  never  divide  our  AfFeftions  ;  for,  on  which  Bank  foever,  we 
*'  are  all  Hebrenvs  ftill.  Abraham  was  the  common  Father  of  us 
*•  all,  let  our  Abode  be  where  it  will.  It  was  from  one  and  the 
*'  fame  God,  that  all  our  Forefathers  receiv'd  their  Being ;  and 
"  that  God  we  are  all  to  worfhip,  according  to  the  Ordinances 
*'  and  Inftitutions  left  us  by  Mofes.  So  long  as  we  Hand  firm  to 
*'  that  Way  of  Religion,  we  may  be  fure  of  the  Favour  and 
*'  Proteftion  of  that  God,  for  our  Comfort;  but,  when  ever  you 
•'  apoftatize  into  an  Hankering  after  Jlrange  Gods,  the  God  of 
*'  your  Fathers  will  call  you  off."  Jeivijh  Antiquities,  Lib.  5. 
C.    I. 

*The  Chronicon  Samaritanum  (if  we  may  believe  what  it  re- 
ports, page  92,  93.)  tells  us,  that  when  Jojkua  fent  the  Reuben? tes 
away,  he  appointed  Nephiel  to  be  his  Deputy  on  the  other  Side  of 
Jordan ;  that  he  doathed  him  with  a  royal  Robe,  put  a  Crown 
pn  his  Head,  and  made  him  ride  on  an  Horfe  of  State,  whilft  a 
Cryer  went  before  him,  proclaiming,  T^his  is  the  King  of  the  tivo 
bribes  and  an  tfalf,  the  Prejident  of  Jufiice,  the  DireSlor  of  Af- 
fairs, and  the  General  in  the  Camp  :  Let  his  Determination  be  cgn- 
(lufi've.  In  all  difficult  Caiijcs  let  him  dejire  an  Anfnjjer  from  Elea- 
zar,  the  High-Prieji  ;  and,  if  any  onejhall  contradiSi  his  Sentence^ 
»r  tvithdra'wfrom  his  Allegiance,  it  Jhall  be  lanxfulfor  any  one  t9 
iill  that  Man,  and  the  fwhoh  Cgrtgregatim  Jkall  be  blemihfst    , 


102  '!the  Hijiory  of  the  BIB  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.  ing  fuch  an  Altar ;  which  accordingly  they  did,  and  made 
Ant^  Cta^ft.^^°'^^  of  Phineas^  the  Son  of  Eleazar,  with  ten  other  Per- 
1451,  £ff.  fons  of  eminent  Diftindtion,  to  go  upon  the  Embafly.  As 
Ffomjofh.  i.  foon  as  they  were  come  into  the  Land  f  of  Gilead,  *  they 
'  I  reprefented  the  great  Surprize,  that  the  reft  of  the  Tribes 
were  in  at  their  building  this  Altar;  and  told  them  very 
roundly,  that  they  fear'd  it  portended  a  Defe£lion  into  Ido^ 
latry.  To  diffvvade  them  therefore  from  that,  they  put 
them  in  mind  of  the  Calamities,  which  God  had  formerly 
fent  upon  them  for  their  Worlhip  o{  Baal-peer  ;  and  tha^, 
if  fo  lately  he  had  been  fo  fevere  upon  them  for  the  Offence 
of  one  Man,  viz.  Achan  only,  what  might  they  not  exped, 
when  two  Tribes  and  an  half  were  going  to  make  a  ge- 
neral Revolt  ?  And,  as  they  fufpedled  that  the  Abfence'  of 
the  Tabernacle  might  give  fome  Occafion  to  this  Innovati- 
on, 

f  GilecJ,  which  took  its  Name  from  Gilead,  the  Son  of  iWa- 
chir,  and  Grandfon  of  Manajfehy  is  often  put  for  the  whole 
Country,  that  lies  on  the  Eaft-Side  of  Jordan,  which  the  Chil- 
dren of  IfraeUook  from  the  Moahites  and  Midianites,  &c. 

*  Jofephus  makes  Phineas  the  Speaker  upon  this  Occafion,  who 
delivers  his  Commifllon  in  Words  to  this  EfFeft :  — — — "  We 
**  are  very  fenfible,  that  the  Crime,  charg'd  upon  you  at  pre- 
*'  fent,  is  too  heinous  to  be  punifh'd  by  Words  only  ;  but  we 
*'  have  not  taken  up  Arms  (Hand  over  Head)  to  execute  a  Ven- 
**  geance  according  to  the  Degree  of  the  Iniquity  :  For  it  is  out 
■*  of  Refpcft  to  our  Allies,  and  in  Hopes  that  fecond,  andfound- 
"  er.  Thoughts  may  bring  you  to  better  Reafon,  that  we  are  en- 
"  S^g'^  vL^on  this  Embaify,  and  fpeak  in  this  Affembly.  We 
*'  do  but  defire  to  be  fincerely  inform'd,  upon  what  Motives, 
"  and  with  what  Defign,  you  have  now  rais'd  this  Altar.  If  you 
"  have  done  it  out  of  any  pious  End,  we  have  no  Quarrel  with 
"  you ;  but  if  you  are  gone  over  to  a  falfe  Worftiip,  it  is  for 
"  our  God,  and  our  Religion,  that  we  muft  draw  our  Swords 
"  againft  you.  We  fpeak  our  Fears  ;  for,  we  cannot  think  it 
"  credible  yet,  that  a  People,  fo  well  inftru<aed  in  the  Will,  and 
"  in  the  Laws,  of  God.  our  Friends  and  Allies,  that  we  have  but 
*'  juft  now  parted  with ;  a  People  newly  eftabUfh'd  in  the  Lot 
**  of  a  plentiful  Pofieflion  by  God's  fpecial  Grace  and  Provi- 
"  dence ;  we  cannot,  I  fay,  believe  you  to  be  fo  infenfible  and 
"  ungrateful,  as  to  abandon  the  holy  Tabernacle,  the  Ark,  the 
"  Altar,  and  the  Worfhip  of  your  Forefathers,  to  join  with  the 
"  C^w^iTwVfj- in  the  Worftiip  of  falfe  Gods  :  Or  if  unhappily  you 
*'  fliould  have  been  fo  milled,  do  but  repent,  and  difclaim  your 
*'  Error,  and  return  to  that  Reverence,  you  owe  to  the  Laws  of 
"  God,  and  of  your  Country,  and  you  fhall  be  ftill  receiv'd,  ^r ." 
JewiJh  Antiquities,  Lib.  5.  c.  i. 


Chap.  I.     from  iheUraelkcs  entering  Canait),  ^c.       103 

on,  they  invited  them  to  come,  and  live  among  them,     A.  m. 
where  they  might  not  want  an  Opportunity  of  ferving  God,  Ant^c^ut 
according  to  the  Cuftom  of  their  Anceftors.  1451,  &c.' 

Concern'd  to  hear  the  ill  Opinion,  which  their  Bre- ^'"J^J^*^- *• 
thren  had  thus  conceived  of  them,  the  Reubenites,  Gadites^y 
and  Manajfites  *  protefted  their  Innocence  of  any  idolatrous 
Intention,  and  made  a  folemn  Appeal  to  God,  that  fo  far 
were  they  from  fetting  up  any  Altar,  in  Oppofition  to  his^ 
that  the  only  Defign  of  that  Strufture  was,  to  perpetuate 
their  Title  to  the  Service  of  the  Tabernacle,  and  to  prevent 
their  lateft  Pofterity  from  being  excluded  from  it.  Which 
when  Phineas  and  the  reft  of  the  Deputies  heard,  they  ex- 
preffed  no  fmall  Satisfadion  ;  and  as  they  related  the  Account 
oi^%  whole  Matter  upon  their  Retugi,  the  People  were 
infinitely  pleas'd  with  the  Refult  of  their  EmbaiTy,  and 
chang'd  their  angry  Thoughts  of  War  into  the  tender  Af- 
feftions of  brotherly  Love,  and  Peace:  While  the  Reuh- 
nitesy  on  the  other  Hand,  to  take  away  all  farther  Um- 
brage of  Sufpicion,  call'd  the  Altar  by  the  Name  of  Edy 
as  being  intended  for  a  ftanding  JVitnefs  (for  fo  the  Word 
fignifies)  that,  tho'  they  liv'd  at  a  Diftance  from  the  reft  of 
their  Brethren,  yet  had  they  both  but  one  Origin,  and  one 
God,  who  was  the  common  God  and  Father  of  all 
Jfrael, 

G  4  Thus 

*  If  we  can  fuppofe  any  Truth  in  the  Samaritan  Tradition, 
Nephiel,  who  is  faid  to  have  been  JoJhud%  Lieutenant  over  the 
two  Tribes  and  a  Half,  may  very  properly  be  thought  the  Per- 
fon,  who  anfwer'd  Phineas  in  thefe  Words,  which  Jofephus  thus 
puts  in  his  Mouth :  — —  "  We  are  not  confcious  of  having 
*'  ever  departed  from  our  Alliance,  neither  are  we,  in  any  Sortj, 
*'  guiky  of  that  AfFeftation  of  Novelty  in  eiefting  this  Altar, 
**  which  is  now  charg'd  upon  us.  We  know  but  one  God,  and 
"  that  God  is  the  God  of  all  the  Hebreivs  ;  and  but  one  Altar, 
*'  which  is  the  Brazen  Altar  before  the  Tabernacle.  As  for  tlus 
*'  Altar  here,  which  we  are  fufpefted  for,  it  was  never  intended 
*'  for  any  religious  Ufe,  but  only  for  a  ci'vil  Memorial  to  future 
*'  Times  of  our  Friendfhip  and  Alliance,  and  rather  to  keep  us 
*'  Heady  in  our  ancient  Religion,  than  to  be  any  ways  introduc- 
*'  tive  to  the  Violation  of  it.  We  can  fafely  appeal  to  God, 
*'  that  we  had  no  fuch  Thought  in  fetting  up  this  Altar,  as  is 
^*  imputed  to  us :  And  therefore  let  us  intreat  you  to  have  a 
"  better  Opinion  of  your  Brethren  for  the  future,  than  to  think 
"  us  guilty  of  fo  mortal  an  Apoftacy  from  the  Rites  and  Ciiftpms 
*'  of  our  Progenitors,  a  Sin  not  to  be  expiated,  in  any  of  the  Sons 
"  of  Abraham,  but  with  the  Lofs  of  his  Life."  Jewifli  Antiqui- 
ties, Lib.  s.c.i. 


104  ^^  Hijiory  of  /i^^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book.  V, 

A.  M.         Thus  were  the  Ifraelites^  on  both  Sides  of  the  River 
^A^^^'rFa  Jordan,    fettled   in  a  quiet  Poffeflion  of   their  Conquefts  ; 

Ant.  Chrift.  -',,1-  ,.^  ,j  J  .?, 

1451,  ©"f.    when  jojhua,  being  now  grown  old,  and  perceiving  the 
Fromjofh.  i.  Time  of  his  Death  approaching,  call'd  a  general  Aflembly 
1°^^'  of  the  Princes  and  Magiftrates,  and  as  many  of  the  com- 
Ttt  tpeeth  '^on  People,  as  could  be  got  together  upon  this  Occafion,  tp 
and  Dtath  cf  Shechem 'y    and  having,    in   a  very  tender  and  afFe£tionate 
jofhua  ""''Speech,  enumerated  the  many  bleffings,  which  God's  Pro- 
ri)«i«f/rm<;n<vidence  had  beftow'd  upon  them  and  their  Anceftors  j  how 
e/  jofeph'j   he  had  preferved  them  in  all  their  Dangers  and  Diftreffes,  and 
^onst.         reliev'd  them  in  all   their  Wants  j    had   made  them  vic- 
torious over  all  their  Enemies,  and,  from  a  mean  Begin- 
ning, rais'd  them  to  the  higheft  Degree  of  Reputation,  and 
brought  them  inll|^  the  quiet   Poffeflion  of  a  Land,  that 
abounded  with  all  Manner  of  Plenty  j  in  Gratitude  to  fo 
great  a   Protestor  and  Benefador,  he  exhorted  them  to  a 
faithful  Obfervance  of  his  Laws,  and  invited  them  to  a  fo- 
lemn  Renewal  of  the  Covenant^  which  their  Forefathers  had 
made  with  him.     Which  when  they  had  done,  he  not  only 
recorded  the  Covenant  in  the  Book  of  the  Law^  but  fet  up 
a  great  Stone  likewife,  under  an  Oak,  near  a  Place  of  re- 
ligious Wbrfiiip,  as  a  Teftimony  againft  them,  in  cafe  they 
fhould  prevaricate  from  God's  Service;  and  being  now  in 
the  hundred  and  tenth  Year  of  his  Age,  *  not  long  after 

this 

*  K^^^  the  Son  of  Sirach  gives  Us  a  long  Commuendation  of  Ja- 
Jhua,  Ecclus.  xlvi.  I,  i^c.    but  Jofephus  is  more  concife  in  his 

Charafter,  where  he  tells  us, "  Tliat  he  was  a  Man  of  po- 

"  litical  Prudence,  and  endued  alfo  with  a  fingular  Felicity  of 
"  popular  Eloquence  in  cxpreffing  his  Thoughts ;  brave  and 
*'  indefatigable  in  War  ;  and  no  lefs  juft  and  dextrous  in  Peace  j 
*'  and,  in  fliort,  that  he  was  a  Perfon  qualified  for  all  great  Pur- 
*'  poles."  He  is  generally  reputed  to  be  the  Author  of  the  Book 
that  goes  under  his  Name.  In  the  26th  Verfe  of  the  laft  Chap- 
ter, it  is  exprefsly  faid,  that  be  ivrote  thefe  Things.  Ecclus.  xlvi.  I . 
The  Son  of  Sirach  has  made  him  SucceJJor  to  Mofes  in  the  pro- 
phetick  Miniftry.  And  both  the  Church  and  Synagogue  have  all 
looked  upon  the  Book  as  Canonical.  The  Truth  is,  Jojhua  was 
the  only  facred  Penman,  we  know  of,  that  the  Ifraelites  had  in 
his  Age.  After  he  had  finifh'd  the  Divifion  of  the  Land,  'tis  faid, 
chap,  xxiii.  I .  that  he  had  many  Years  of  great  Leifure,  which  he 
very  probably  employ 'd  in  giving  an  Account  of  the  Death  and 
Burial  of  Mofes  and  Eleazar,  and  from  thence  continu'd  a  Narra- 
tive of  what  had  been  tranfafted  under  his  own  Adminiftration, 
filling  it  up  with  a  general  Terrier  of  the  Settlements  of  the 
Tribes,  which  was  highly  ex-pedient  for  the  Ifradita  to  have  re- 
corded. 


Chap. I.    from  the  l(ra.t\itts  entering  CzMzn,  &c.        105 

this  he  died,  and  vf?ishutfd  atTimnab-ferah,  in  Mount  A.  M.^  ^ 
Ephraim,  a  Place  which  the  Ifreelites,  in  Acknowledg- ^nt.  Chriii. 
ment  of  his  great  Services,  had  given  him.  l^^''rt'': 

In  a  ftiort  Time  after,  Eleazar  the  Son  of  ^aron  thefjJ^/°^^-;- 
Prieft,  who  liv'd  near  Jofljua,  and  died  foon  after  him,  was, 
buried  not  far  from  him,  in  one  of  the  Hills  of  Ephraim,  f 

a  Place, 

corded,  in  order  to  prevent  Confufions  about  their  Inheritances 
in  future  Ages.  Now  if  this  Suppofition  be  right,  the  Work  of 
yo/!>;ia  muft  begin  where  that  ofMo/es  ended,  njiz.  at  the  xxxivth 
Chapter  f^i  Deuteronomy,  and  ended  at  the  27th  Verfe  of  the 
axivth  Chapter  of  Jojhua.  For  as  Jojhua,  at  the  End  of  Deute- 
ronomy, added  an  Account  of  Mofes^  Death ;  fo  what  we  find 
from  the  28th  Verfe  of  the  xxivth  Chapter  of  Jojhua  to  the  End 
of  that  Book,  was  unqueftionably  not  written  until  Jojhua  and 
all  the  Elders  his  Contemporaries  were  gone  off  the  Stage,  and  was 
therefore  added  to  the  End  of  the  Book  of  Jojhua  by  fome  facred 
Penman  (moll  probably  by  Samuel)  who  was  afterwards  employ'd 
to  record  the  fubfequent  State  of  Affairs  of  Ifrael.  ShuckforeT^ 
Connexion  Vol.  III.  Lib.  xz.  and  Patrick^  Commentary,  on 
Jofli.  xxiv.  33.  But  there  is  not  the  hke  Certainty  of  another  Book 
of  Jojhua^,  which  the  Samaritans preferve  with  much  Refpeft, 
and  make  great  Ufeof,  in  the  Support  of  their  Pretenfions  againit 
the  Jenus ;  neither  can  we  tell,  whether  Jojhua  was  the  Author 
of  that  Prayer,  which  the  Je'ws  repeat  as  oft  as  they  go  into  the 
Synagogiies,  and  begins  thus,———//  is  our  Duty  to  praije  the 
Lord  of  the  Uninjerfe,  and  to  celebrate  the  Creation  of  the  World ; 
for  he  hath  not  made  us  like  unto  the  Nations  of  the  Earth,  but  hath 
prepard  for  us  an  Inheritance  infinitely  richer  and  greater,  &C. 
WagenfeiV^  Tela  Ignea  Satan^.  page  223.  and  Calmeth  Diftio- 
nary,  under  the  Word. 

f  This  Place  is,  in  the  Htbrenu,  call'd  the  Hill  of  Phineas,  it 
being  cuftomary  in  thofe  Days  for  Men  to  call  Places  by  the 
Name  of  their  eldeji  Son.  But  then  the  Queftion  is.  To  whom 
did  the  Ifraelites  give  this  Hill  ?  The  moft  probable  Anfwer  is, 
that  they  gave  it  to  Eleazar ;  for,  he  being  the  High-Prieft,  at  the 
Time  of  the  Divifion  of  the  Land,  they  thought  proper  to  give 
him  a  peculiar  Portion,  diftinft  from  other  Cities  of  the  Priefts, 
which  were  all  in  the  Tribes  of  Judah,  Benjamin,  and  SimeoHt 
and  none  in  the  Tribe  of  Ephraim,  Jolh.  xxi.  9,  17,  19.  And 
they  made  Choice  of  this  Country  the  rather,  that  he  might  be 
near  the  Tabernacle,  which  was  at  Shiloh,  and  near  to  Jojhua^ 
who  liv'd  at  Shechem,  to  be  ready,  on  all  Occafions,  to  advife 
him,  and  confult  the  Oracle  for  him.  But  then  againft  this 
there  lies  an  Objeftion,  'viz..  that  no  Lemte  or  Prieji  was  to  have 
any  Portion  in  the  Divifion  of  the  Land  ;  and  therefore  it  is  a 
receiv'd  Opinion  among  the  Jeius,  that  either  Eleazar,  or  Phi- 
neas, had  this  Inheritance  in  Right  of  his  Wife :  Tho'  we  cannot 
fee,  why  the  High-Prieft  efpecially,  who  was  geitainly  ^tjecond 

Perfon 


io6  n^  Hiftory  cf  f be  B  I  BL  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  a  Place,  which  the  Ifraelites  had  in  like  Manner  prefented 
/dt^cSi^ft.^'"^  v/ith,  and  which  afterwards  defcended  to  P^/«^^f,  his 
1451,  &--C.  Son,  and  SuccefTor  inthePriefthood.  And  as  the  Funerals 
Fromjoih.  i.  ^f  thefe  two  great  Men,  fo  near  the  fame  Time  and  Place, 
^  "  ■ ,  call'd  to  Remembrance  the  Bones  of  Jofeph^  which,  at  his 
Requeft,  *  had  been  brought  out  of  Egypt,  but  not  yet  in- 
terred ;  the  two  Tribes  of  Ephraim  and  Manajfeh  took 
this  Opportunity  to  perform  their  Obfequies  to  the  Remains 
of  their  great  Progenitor,  in  a  Parcel  of  Ground  near  5^*- 
ehem,  which  Jacob,  having  formerly  bought,  had  (f)  given 
to  his  Son  Jojephy  and  was  now  become  the  Inheritance  of 
his  Pofterity. 

ne    Objection. 

70SHU  A,  no  Doubt,  was  a  very  expert  General^ 
and  the  Succefs  of  his  Arms  againft  the  Canaanitts 
makes  no  mean  Figure  in  Hiftory  ;  but  a  great  deal  of 
this  may  be  refolved  into  the  Treachery  and  Perfidiouf- 
ncfs,  theFolly  and  Infatuation,  of  thofe,  that  pretended  to 
oppofe  him.  How  defpicable  an  Inftrument  foever  an 
Harlot  may  be,  yet  certainly  Rahab  ftood  Jojhua  in  no 
fmall  ftead,  when  (he  conceal'd  the  Spies,  and  (as  we 
may  fuppofe)  help'd  them  to  the  beft  Intelligence  that  fhe 
could.  In  the  New  Teftament  indeed,  (he  is  rank'd 
among  very  good  Company,  and  her  Charadter  and  Com- 
mendation (g)  is  twice  commemorated,  but  for  what 
Reafon  we  cannot  tell,  unlefs  it  be  [h)  for  lying  to  the 

♦*  Government, 

Perfon  in  the  Government,  might  not  have  a  Manfion-Houfe, 
and  feme  Domains,  allotted  him,  for  the  greater  State  and  Digni- 
ty of  his  Living,  without  any  great  Infringement  upon  the  gene- 
ral Laws.     P(j/rrV^'s  Commentary,  on  ^o/^.  xxiv.  33. 

*  It  may  reafonably  be  thought,  that  the  Bodies  of  the  reft 
of  the  Sons  of  Jacob,  from  whom  the  Twelve  Tribes  defcended, 
were  brought  into  Canaan,  to  be  there  interred,  as  Jofephusxt- 
lates  from  antient  Tradition,  Antiquities,  Lib.  3.  r.  4.  and  as  Sf. 
Stephen  confirms  it,  Ads  vii.  16.  For  tho'  Joftph  excell'd  them 
all  in  Dignity,  and  gave  this  fpecial  Charge  about  his  Body,  yet 
every  Tribe,  no  Doubt,  had  as  great  a  Regard  for  their  Progeni- 
tor, and  would  be  inclin'd  to  do  the  fame  for  their  Fathers,  tliat 
yofeph's  Defcendants  did  for  him  :  But  whether  they  bury'd  them 
in  the  Sepulchre  of  Machpelah,  or  in  fome  eminent  Place  in  their 
own  Tribe,  as  Jofeph  was,  there  is  no  one,  that  gives  us  any  Acr 
count.     Patricks  Commentary  on  yoj^.  xxiv.  32. 

(/J  Gen.  xlviii.  22.  CgJ  Heb.  xi.  31.  and  Jam.  ii.  2|, 

(bj  Chriftianity  as  old  as  the  Creation,  p.  263  = 


Chap.  I.     from  the  Kratlites  entering  Can2L2Lr\,  &c.       107 

'*  Government,  and  betraying  her  Country  into  the  Hands    A.  m. 
**  of  its  moft  cruel  Enemies  j  which  is  furely  an  Example,  Antf 'ctt«. 
*'  that  deferves  our  deteftation  rather  than  Praife.  1451,  &>c. 

*'  The  Ifraelites  were  commanded  by  God  (whofe  In- ^'°|"J°^-'.'« 
*'  junflions  we  are  not  to  difpute)  (i)  to  have  no  Mercy  up- 
*'  on  the  Inhabitants  oi  Canaan,  but  to  fmite  and  utterly  de~ 
''^  Jiroy  them',  and  therefore  it  looks  like  mere  Madnefs  and 
**  Infatuation,  that  a  People,  who  knew  themfclves  devoted 
**  to  Deftrudtion,  (inftead  of  going  over  to  the  Enemy, 
**  or  oppofing  them  by  Piece-meals)  did  not  Confederate  all 
•*  together,  either  to  expel  thofe  Invaders  from  their  Coun-f. 
•'  tries,  or  to  fell  their  JLiives  and  Liberties  at  as  dear  a 
**  Price  as  poffible. 

**  Some  of  thefe  Nations  were  accounted  a  bold  and 
**  warlike  People ;  but  certainly  the  Inhabitants  of  Jericho 
*'  a6ted  like  mere  Pultroons,  when  they  coop'd  themfelves 
*'  up  within  the  Walls  of  the  City,  and  never  once  thought 
*^  of  difputing  the  Pafs  over  the  River  Jordan.  For, 
*'  whatever  we  may  talk  of  that  wonderful  Paflage,  'tis 
**  evident  (k)  from  the  Teftimony  of  Travellers,  that  the 
•'  River  was  no  more  than  a  Brook  in  Comparifon,  and 
*'  fordable  in  feveral  Places,  as  [1)  the  Scripture  itfclfal- 
"  lows.  But  even  fuppofe  it  was  not,  'tis  no  uncommon 
*•  Thing,  [m)  in  Hiftory,  to  read  of  Rivers,  larger  than 
**  this,  by  the  Force  of  fome  contrary  Wind,  driven  back, 
**  and  their  Channels  laid  dry. 

*'  For  a  People  obfervant  of  his  Laws,  God  no  doubt 
^*  will,  and  often  does,  work  Wonders,  in  order  to  give 
*'  them  an  Advantage  over  their  Enemies  ;  but  is  hard  to 
"  conceive,  what  Reafon  there  fliould  be  for  exerting  any 
*'  miraculous  Power  in  Behalf  of  thofe,  who,  as  if  afliam'd 
*'  of  the  Covenant  made  with  their  Forefather  Abraham^ 
**  had  now  omitted  the  Sacrament  of  Circumcifion  fo  long  ; 
*'  and,  in  afhort  Time  after,  had  no  manner  of  regard  to 
•'  God's  Sabbath^  when  they  went  founding  their  Horns 
*'  about  Jericho,  or  rather  (as  fome  think)  aflaulted  the 
*'  Town,  and  imbru'd  their  Hands  in  the  Blood  of  fo  ma- 
^'  ny  Innocents,  on  that  facred  Day. 

*'  Instead  of  Rams-Homs,  \vhich  are  a  little  impro- 
"  per,  one  would  think,  to  make  mufical  Inftruments  of, 

'*  a  Soldier, 

[i]  Deut.  vli.  2.  (i)  Sandjs's  Travels,  lib.  iii.  p.  T41. 

{I)  Jofh.  ii.  7.  {m)  Vid.  Plinfs  Hift.  Lib."  ii.  Cap.  102. 

Dieny/,  Halifarn.  Antiq.  Romimi.  Lib.  vi.  p.  351,  and  Lib.  vii. 
p.  409, 


jo8  "^e  Hifiory  c/  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  VJ 

A.  M.  «e  a  Soldier  would  be  tempted  to  fay,  that  the  Ifraelites 
A^^'(^ritt  "  niade  ufe  of  Battering' Rams  upon  this  Occafion :  But 
1451,  Sff.  "  thofe,  who  have  fludy'd  the  Philofophy  of  Sounds,  will 
Fromjofh.i.  <c  jg||  ^g^  jj^^t  they  have  a  certain  natural  Fitnefs  to  break 
to  the  End.  ^,,  ^^j  demolifh  folid  Bodies  ;  or,  if  this  was  not  the  Cafe, 
"  from  the  violent  EfFefts  of  fubterraneous  Eruptions,  or 
*^  the  blowing  up  fome  Magazines  of  Powder,  one  would 
*'  really  imagine,  that  the  Fall  of  the  Walls  of  ^^ric^fl  was 
*'  occafion'd  by  fome  fuch  natural  Caufe. 

' '  JOSHUAy  as  an  old  experienc'd  General,  was  doubt- 
*«  lefs  Mafter  of  many  Stratagems,  which  the  ignorant 
*'  Herd  knew  nothing  of;  and  therefore  he  might  give  the 
**  Word  of  Command  for  them  to  fljout  aloudy  when,  at 
**  the  fame  Time,  he  order'd  the  Match  to  be  laid  to  the 
•'  Train,  that  led  to  the  Mine  under  the  Walls,  and  fo  they, 
*'  poor  Creatures,  might  imagine,  that  it  was  either  their 
♦'  Noife,  or  fome  miraculous  Stroak,  that  made  them  fall ; 
**  when,  in  reality^  the  whole  was  efFedled  by  nothing  elfe, 
*^  but  fome  new  Device  in  War.  But  by  what  Means  fo- 
^'  ever  he  vanquifti'd  the  City,  it  feems  a  little  extravagant, 
*'  if  not  brutal  in  him,  after  he  had  laid  it  in  Afties,  to  load 
**  it  with  fuch  heavy  Imprecations,  when  he  had  loft  no 
•*  Men,  and  met  with  fo  little  Moleftation,  in  taking  it. 

*'  What  the  myfterious  Oracle  of  Vrim  and  Thummim 
^'  may  be,  'tis  paft  the  Skill  of  Man  perhaps  to  know  5 
*'  but,  be  it  what  it  will,  it  feems  to  have  done  the  Ifrae- 
**  lites  no  great  Service,  when  it  could  not  hinder  yojhua 
**  and  the  other  Princes,  no  not  even  Eleazar  himfelf,  who 
*'  wore  it,  from  being  impos'd  on  by  the  Gibeonites.  The 
*'  Gibeonites  indeed  adled  the  crafty  Part,  and,  fmceitwas 
**  to  fave  themfelves,  were  not  much  to  be  difcommended  ; 
'*  but  certainly  the  Ifraelites  might  have  known  better, 
*'  than  to  think  themfelves  bound  by  an  Oath,  that  was  not 
^*  only  drawn  from  them  by  IVile  and  Artifice,  but  was 
'*  repugnant  JikewifeJo  that  divine  Injunction,  which  pre- 
*'  vioufly  oblig'd  them  to  extirpate  all  the  Canaanites,  even 
*^  tho'  they  fu'd  for  Peace  never  fo  earneftly,  and  (m)  to 
*'  mah  no  Covenant  with  them,  even  tho'  they  ofFer'd  to 
*'  become  Profelytes  never  fo  fincerely. 

"The  Ifraelites  indeed,  according  to  the  Reprefenta- 
*'  tion  which  Jojhua  gives  us  of  them,  were  at  the  heft  but 
**  a  giddy,  thoughtlcfs,  kind  of  People,  elated  with  Succef- 
**  fes,  dejeded  with  any  Misfortunes,  and  wild  and  boifte- 

**  rou5 

(m)  Deut.  vii.  2.  ^e. 


Chap.  I:    from  the  Ur^elkcs  entermg  Canaan,  (^c.      ipo 

««  rous  in  the  Profecution  of  their  Paffions  ;  for,  to  infuk    A.  M. 
«<  over  o»^  poor  City  with  Imprecations  and  Curfes,  when^S53>  ^'f- 
*«  it  already  lay  in  Afhes,  (as  was  the  Cafe  at  Jericho)  to  1451,  grc.  * 
*«  droop  in  their  Courage,  and  utterly  defpond,  upon  ^Fiomjoth.i. 
««  fmall  Defeat  given  them  at  another,  (as  was  the  Cafe  of  J*  ^^^  ^^' 
««  jii)  and  to  fly  into  a  Flame,  take  up  Arms,  and  vow 
«'  Revenge,  tho'  they  knew  not  well  for  what,  fas  was 
*'  the  Cafe  between  them  and  their  Brethren  beyond  Jor~ 
««  dan)  argues  fuch  a  Bafenefs  of  Mind,  and  Barbarity  of 
**  Temper,  and  Rudenefs  of  Manners,  as  but  badly  be- 
««  come  the  eleft  People  of  God. 

**  But  well  may  the  Author  of  this  Book  make  thus  free 
<'  with  his  People,  when  he  is  not  afraid  to  record  fuch 
**  Things,  as  cannot  but  refiedl  Difhonour  upon  the  facred 
*'  Attributes  of  God  himfelf.  Achan  indeed  was  a  wicked 
*'  Man  in  purloining  fome  Part  of  the  Plunder  to  himfelf  ; 
*'  but  what  had  his  poor  Children  done,  that  they  mufl  be 
*'  committed  to  the  fame  Flames  ?  The  City  o'i  At  had  given 
**  i\iQ Ifraelites  fome  Moleftation,  and  was  to  be  fubdu'd  at 
«*  all  Adventures ;  but  what  Neceflity  was  there  for  God  to 
*'  make  ufe  of  Stratagem  and  Artifice  (Means,  which  feem 
•*  below  the  Greatnefs  of  the  Almighty,  and  *  which  fome 
**  Nations  and  Generals  have  rejected,  as  unworthy  brave 
*'  Men  j  to  give  the  Viftory  to  his  own  Creatures  ? 

*'  To  thefe  People  of  his,  indeed,  he  had  been  very  kind^ 
*'  in  giving  them  what  he  did  of  the  Land  of  Canaan ;  but 
**  fmce  his  Promife  extended  to  the  whole,  fmce,  (n)  from 
*'  the  Wildernefs,  and  this  Lebanon,  unto  the  great  River 
*'  Euphrates,  all  the  Land  of  the  Hittites,  and  unto  the 
*'  great  Sea,  towards  the  going  down  of  the  Sun,  (as  he  af- 
"  fur'd  fQJhua)  was  to  he  their  Coaji^  it  looks  a  little 
*'  ftrange,  that  God  (hould  falfify  his  Promife  (for  all  thefe 
•*  Territories  they  never  poflefs'd)  and  thus  cut  them  fhort. 

"  Other 

*  It  was  the  Expreffion  of  Alexander  the  Great,  that  he  would 
notjieal  a  'viSlory.  The  ancient  Greeks  gave  Notice  to  their  E- 
nemies,  when,  and  where,  they  fhould  engage  them.  The  old 
Romans  knew  not  what  Cunning  and  fubtle  Wiles  in  carrying  on 
War  meant :  Non  Fraude,  neque  occulie,  fed  palam,  ^  Armatum 
Populum  Romanum  Hofesfuos  ulcifci.  They  fought  Viftory  only 
by  Force  and  honeft  Fighting,  defiring  that  their  Enemies  might 
be  convinc'd  of  their  Valour,  and  fubmit  to  them  without  Re- 
gret, becaufe  they  were  the  ftronger.  Calmst^  Coaunentary,  on 
Jofh.  viii. 

(n)  Jofh.  i.  4. 


Ho  7he  Hiftory  of  the 'RIB  I.  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.        *'  Other  Slips  in  our  Author  may  be  excufable;  his 
A^^^ci^ft  **  talking  of  the  (o)  SanSfuarfs  being  at  Shechem,  when 
145*1,  &c.  **  indifputably  it  was  at  Shiloh^  may  charitably  be  imputed 
Fromjofh.i."  to  fome  fmall  Defedl  of  Memory;    but  it  really  fhocks 
to  the  End.^tt  ^^^^    ^^j  j^  enough  to  impeach  the  Authority  of  the 
•        «'  Book  itfelf,  to  find  recorded  in  it  fuch  Paflages,  as  feem 
*'  to  leave  an  Imputation  of  Cruelty,  Craft,  and  Breach  of 
"  Promife,  upon  God,  whom  all  Mankind  mufl  allow  to 
"  be  the  Fountain  and  Foundation  of  all  Honour,  Truth, 
*'  and  Goodnefs." 
Jhfwer'd.by     (p)  WHO  is  like  utito  thee,  O  Lord,  among  the  Gods  f 
Jhtwing  the  jj^q  jj  {jj^g  j^fjfg  fjjgg^  gloriius  in  Holinefs,  fearful  in  Prat- 
tbtclxaz-   y^^>  <^o'i^S  Wonders  ?  Thou,  in  thy  Mercy,  hajl  led  forth  the 
nites  made  no  People,  whom  thou  haft  redeemed;  thou  haft  guided  them,  in. 
hetur  De-     ^jjy  Strength,  unto  thy  holy  Habitation.  The  People  Jhall  hear^ 
andjhall  be  afraid ;  Sorrow  Jhall  take  hold  on  the  Inhabitants 
of  Paleftina.     The  Elders  of  Edom  Jhall  be  amazed ;  the 
mighty  Men  of  Moab  Jhall  tremble,  and  all  the  Inhabitants 
of  Canaan  Jhall  melt  away.    Fear,  and  dread,  Jhall  fall  upon 
them.'  By  the  Greatnefs  of  thy  Arm  they  [hall  beasjlill  as  a 
Stone,  till  thyPeople  pafs  over,  O  Lord,  till  thy  People  pafs 
tver,  whom  thou  haji  purchafed.     Thoujhalt  bring  them  in, 
and  plant  them  in  the  Mountain  of  thine  Inheritance,  in  the 
Place,  O  Lord,  which  thou  haJi  made  for  them  to  dwell  in\ 
in  the  SanSiuary,  O  Lord,  which  thy  Hand  hath  ejiabltjhed. 
These  Words  are  part  of  that  triumphant  Song,  which 
Mofes  made,  upon  the  Deftrudion  of  the  Egyptians  in  the 
Red-Sea.     They  are  plain  Predidions  of  what  befel  the 
Jfraelites  forty  Years  after,  and  a  Declaration  they  are,  that 
the  Conqueft  of  their  Country  was,  not  only  by  the  Order 
and  Appointment,  but  by  the  immediate  Help  andAffiftance, 
of  God ;  (q)  for  (as  the  Pfalmift  exprefles  it)  they  gat  not 
the  Land  in  Pejfejfion  thro*  their  own  Sword,  neither  was  it 
their  own  Arm  that  helped  them  ;  but  thy  right  Hand,  and 
thine  Arm,  and  the  Light  of  thy  Countenance^,  hecaufe  thou 
hadji  a  Favour  unto  them.     And,  if  God   fo  imm.ediately 
concern'd  himfelf  in  the  Conqueft  of  the  Country,  we  need 
not  wonder,  that  we  hear  of  the  People,  who  were  to  de- 
fend it,   being  amaz*d  and  trembling,  and  melting  away  for 
Fear.     The  Jewijl)  Doftors  have  a  Tradition,  that  the 
vaft  heaps  of  Waters,  pil'd  upon  one  another,  while  the 
Jfraelites  pafs'd  over  the  River  Jordan,  being  feen  by  the 
People  of  Jericho,  and  other  adjacent  Places,  occafion'd  fo 

general 

(o)  Ibid.  xxiv.  25,  z6.    ;(/)Exod,  XV,  xi.  ^c.      {?)Pfal. 
xliv.  3,  4. 


Chap.  I.     from  the  l(r atVites  entering  Czn^izn^  ^c.       in 

general  a  Confternation,  that  they  never  once  thought  of    A  M. 
maintaining  the  Pafs.   And  indeed  their  Confternation  muft  Anl^ 'chHft. 
have  been  very  great,  when  we  find  them  enclofing  them- 1451,  &e. 
felves  within  their  Walls,  and  fufFering  the  Jfraelites  to  fur-  [^"J'^^gJ/* 
round  them  feven  Days  fucceffively,  without  even  once  at-      _*_-^ 
tempting  to  make  a  Sally.     They  faw,  in  (hort,  that  a 
Power,  fuperior  to  all  human  Oppofition,  was  engag'd  a- 
gainft  them  j  and  therefore  what  ever  prior  Meafures  they 
had  taken  for  their  mutual  Defence,  upon  the  Approach  of 
an  Army,  commanded  by  one,  who,  when  he  pleafes,  (r) 
maketh  the  Devices  of  the  People  inejfetTlual,  and  cajleth  out 
the  Counfels  of  Princes,  they  were  all  broken  and   difcon- 
certed. 

It  cannot  be  deny 'd  indeed  but  that,  in  antient  Times,  j^alja^  „4^aa 
there  was  a  great  Affinity  between  the  Bufinefs  of  an  Hojiefs^  Harkt. 
and  an  Harlot.  Thofe,  who  kept  Inns,  or  publick  Houfes 
for  the  Entertainment  of  Strangers,  made  no  Scruple  of 
proftituting  their  Bodies  :  And  for  this  Reafon  perhaps  it  is, 
that,  in  the  Hebrew  Tongue,  there  is  but  one  Word,  viz. 
%onah,  to  denote  Perfons  of  both  Profeflions.  For  this 
Reafon  very  likely  it  was,  that  the  Septuagint,  fpeaking  of 
Rahahy  gives  her  the  Appellation  of  an  Harlot,  and  (as  the 
Septuagint  was,  at  this  Time,  the  common  Tranflation  of 
the  Jews)  for  this  very  Reafon,  the  two  Apoftles,  (s)  St. 
Paul,  and  (/)  St.  James,  as  they  found  it  in  the  Tranflati- 
on, might  make  ufe  of  the  fame  Expreffion.  It  is  to  be 
obferv'd  however,  that,  as  theExpreiTionis  capable  of  anothei" 
Senfe,  the  Chaldee  Paraphraft  calls  her  by  a  Word,  which 
comes  from  the  Greek  jiavioxevrpicc,  or  a  Woman  that  kept  a 
publick  Houfe,  without  any  Work  of  Infamy  ;  and  there- 
fore Charity  fhould  incline  us  to  think  the  beft  of  a  Perfon, 
whom  both  thefe  Apoftles  have  rank'd  with  Abraham,  the 
Father  of  the  Faithful,  and  propounded  as  an  Example  of 
Faith  and  good  Works  ;  who  was  admitted  into  the  Society 
of  God's  People ;  marry 'd  into  a  f  noble  Family  of  the 
Tribe  of  Judah  ;  and  of  whofe  Pofterity  Chrijl,  the  Sa- 
viour of  the  World,  was  born. 

To  fave  the  Lives  of  the  Innocent  is  certainly  a  very  ^^rjfkmeam 
commendable  Thing  ;  but  whether  it  may  be  done  by  the^^^°^  'Jf  "* 

Help /:»«/!  offi' 

cen, 

(r)  Ibid,  xxxiii.  10.      ^  [s)  Heb.  xi.  31.  (/)  Jam.  ii.  25. 

(f )  Rahab  marry 'd  Salmsnt,  a  Prince  of  Judah,  by  whom  fhc 
had  Boa%.  Boax  was  Father  of  Obed,  Obedoi  JeJJe,  and  Jeff 
of  King  Da'vid  :  So  that  Jefus  Chrijl  did  not  difdain  to  reckon 
this  Canaanitijh  Womjyi  among  hb  Anceftors.  Calmef^  Didio- 
nary. 


112  i:he  Hiflory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V.' 

A.  M.    Help  of  Diffimulation  and  Falftiood,  or  whether  Rahaby  m 
A  ^^'chtift  concealing  the  Spies,  and  pretending  to  the  King's  Meffen- 
1451,  &<:'  gers,  that  they  were  juft  gone,  did  not  incur  the  Sin  of  wil- 
Fromjofh.  i.  ful  Lying,  is  a  Queftion  not  fo  very  eafy  to  be  refolv'd. 
Co  the  Em^.  y^^^^  ^^  t^gy  are  Members  of  a  Civil  Society,  have  certain- 
ly a  Right  to  Truth,  and  the  very  Defign  of  Speech  is  to 
be  the  Conveyance  of  our  real  Sentiments  to  one  another  5 
but  feme  Cafuifts  are  of  Opinion,  that  Circumftances  may 
fo  happen,  as  to  make  it  both  lawful  and  neceflary,  not  on- 
ly to  difguife  the  Truth,  but  to  impofe  upon  others  by  a 
falfe  Information.     Suppofe  a  Madman,  for  Inftance,  with 
a  drawn  Sword   in  his   Hand,  fhould  purfue  a  Friend  of 
mine,  with  a  full  intent  to  kill    him  j  and  my  Priend,  by 
the  Benefit  of  fome  fhort  Turning,  gives  him  the  Drop,  fo 
that,  having  loft  Sight  of  him,  he  comes  and  demands  of 
xne,  which  Way   he  took  j  but  I,  inftead  of  fetting  him 
right,  point   the  Aflaffin   another  Way  :   In  this  Cafe,  I 
prefume,  I  commit  no  Crime,  becaufe  the  Man,  in  thefe 
Circumftances,  has  forfeited  all  Right  to  Truth,  nor  could  I 
indeed  impart  it  to  him,  without  making  myfelf  inftrumen- 
tal  to  my  Friend's  Murther.     This,  in   a  great  Meafure, 
was  Rahab's  Cafe.     Her  Defign  was,  to  fave  the  Spies  from 
the  Hands  of  thofe,  that  were  fent  to  apprehend  them,   but 
in  vain  had  Ihe  form'd  fuch  a  Defign,  unlefs  fhe  was  re- 
folv'd to  put  it  in  Execution  ;  and  yet,  what  other  Way 
had  fhe  of  executing  it,  but  by  telling  a  Lye  ?  It  had  been 
to  no  Purpofe  for  her  to  have  hid  them  on  the  Roof  of  her 
Houfe,  if,  for  the  Sake  of  Truth,  ftie  had  thought  herfclf 
oblig'd  to  difcover  the  Place  of  their  Concealment ;  if  her 
Silence  had  given  any  Umbrage  of  Sufpicion  to  their  Pur- 
fuers  ;  if  (he  had  not,  in  fhort,  by  a  bold  AfTertion,  divert- 
ed their  Enquiry  fome  other  Way.     In  this  Cafe  the  Defign 
and  the  Means  of  executing  it  were  infeparable.     And  yet, 
fmce  a  Defign,  which  could  no  ways  be  executed  without 
the  Help  of  a  Lye,  is  both  prais'd  and  propos'd  in  the  Scrip- 
ture, as  a  Pattern  for  the  Church  to  imitate,  what  Right 
have  we  to  condemn  it?  Or,  upon  what  Prefumption  can 
we  imagine,  that  Rahab  would  have  adled  more  agreeably 
to  the  Mind  of  God,  in  difcovering  the  Spies  out  of  Refpedt 
to  Truth,  than  (he  did,  in  preferving  them  by  Virtue  of  a 
feign'd  Story  ?  But  there  is  another  Way  of  accounting  for 

Rahab' &  Condudl,  and  that  is  this- (u)  The  Author 

of 

(»)  Sh^c^/prtTi  Conneftion,  Vol.  Ill,  Lib.  xU. 


Chap.  I.    from  the  Ifradites  entering  Canaan,  &c.         113 

of  the  Epiftle  to  the  Hebrews  informs  us,  that  (x)  by  Faith  A.  M. 
Jheperi/h'dnot  with  them  that  believed  not^  when  Jhe  had  '"<?- Ant?  Chrift. 
ceiv^d  the  Spies  with  Peace  -,  where  the  G7-eek  Words  are  145 1,  &c. 
not  Tor?  ariV?,  ivith  the  Unbelievers,  h\Xt  roU  a.-ztt^v',aaai,  '^^''^^^'ll°^'?^°^l^' 
the  difobedient,  or  thofe  that  were  not  perfuaded  of  the  Truth  ^_,  _  'j 
of  what  was  told  them.  But  how  the  Inhabitants  of  'Jeri- 
cho can  be  faid  to  be  unconvinc'd  or  difobedient,  if  God  had 
revealed  nothing  to  them,  or  requir'd  nothing  of  them,  we 
cannot  conceive.  Some  Information  muft  have  been  given 
both  to  them  and  Rahab,  otherwife  they  could  not  be  con- 
demn'd  for  Difobedience,  nor  fhe  commended  for  her 
Faith,  i.  e.  for  believing,  and  a£ling,  according  to  the 
Will  of  God,  made  known  unto  her.  Upon  the  Suppofi- 
tion  then,  that  the  Defign  of  God  towards  the  Inhabitants 
of  Canaan  was  fome  way  or  other  reveal'd  to  the  King,  and 
People  of  Jericho,  and  both  he  and  they  had  been  fufficient- 
ly  warn'd  to  fave  themfelves  from  the  Deftrudion  that  was 
coming  upon  them,  if  they  would  not  obey,  but  if  Rahab 
did,  and  adled  conformably  to  the  Information  that  was 
given  her,  her  whole  Behaviour  will  not  only  ftand  clear 
of  every  criminal  Imputation,  but  be  highly  commendable, 
and  juftly  deferve  a  Rank  among  thofe  illuftrious  Patterns, 
which  the  Apojile  propofes  to  our  Imitation,  as  being  a  Per- 
(lon  juftify'd  not  only  by  her  Faith,  (y)  but  her  IVorks  like- 
wife,  when  fbe  receivd  the  MeJJengers,  and  fent  them  out 
another  Way. 

The  Declaration,  which  their  kind  Protedlrefs  makes  to^"'^  '•*^% 
them,  (z)  /  know  that  the  Lord  hath  given  you  the  Land,  htr^o^n 
and  that  your  Terror  is  fallen  upon  us,  and  that  all  the  Inha-Ccurtry. 
bitants  of  the  Land  faint  becaufe  of  you,  for  the  Lord  your 
Gody  he  is  God  in  Heaven  above,  and  in  Earth  beneath,  be- 
fpeaks  the  full  Perfuafion  of  her  Mind  ;  and  therefore,  not 
doubting,  but  that  the  Ruler  of  the  Univerfe  had  an  uncon- 
troulable  Right  to  difpofe  of  all  Kingdoms  and  Countries 
according  to  his  good  Pleafure,  fhe  judg'd  it  rcafonable  to 
obey  God  rather  than  Man,  and  thereupon  endeavour 'd,  as 
much  as  in  her  lay,  to  deliver  up  the  Land  to  the  true  Ozv- 
ners,  to  thofe,  whom  God,  by  his  Donation,  had  made  its 
rightful  Proprietors, 

An  Order  from  Heaven  moft  certainly  releafes  the  Sub' 
jeSi  from  his  Allegiance  to  his  Prince,  and  the  Citizen  from 
the  Engagement,  he  hes  under  to  thofe,  that  are  of  the  fame 

Society : 

{x)  Heb.  xi.  31.         (y)  Jam.  ii.  25.       [z]  Jolh.  ii.  9,  il. 
Vol.  III.  H 


114  ^he  Bijlory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

2  ^"  ©V  ^^^'^^y  '  ^^^  therefore  Rahah^  having  fuch  an  Order,  (or, 
Antf  chrift.  ^^  l*^^^*  what  was  equivalent  to  it)  was  at  full  Liberty  to  ef- 
1451J  ^c.  poufe  what  Party  fhe  pleas'd,  and  muft  have  been  perfidious 
SThS.''*°  ^°'^'  ^"'^  forgetful  of  her  own  Prefervation,  if  (he  had 
'  laded  otherwife  than  fhe  did.  P'or  (a)  even  fetting  afide 
her  Faith^  (for  which  {he  is  fo  juftly  commended  in  the 
Go/pel)  if  Ihe  had  heard  of  the  Deftru6lion  of  Pharaoh  in 
Egypt^  and  of  the  other  two  Kings  on  the  Eaji  Side  of  Jor* 
dan^  the  King  of  'Jericho  can  hardly  be  fuppos'd  to  be  igno-- 
rant  of  their  Fate  :  And  therefore  it  was  as  natural  for  her  to 
be  terrify 'd  at  it,  and  to  provide  for  her  Safety,  as  it  was 
for  him  to  make  a  brave  Refiftance,  or  perilh  in  the  Attempt. 
If  therefore  what  the  Scripture  feems  to  intimate  be  true, 
v'lT..  that  Jofhua  was  oblig'd  toofi^er  Peace,  before  he  made 
ufe  of  the  Sword  againft  any  of  the  Canaanitijh  Nations ;  it 
was  as  lawful  for  her,  or  any  other  Subjedl,  to  accept  this 
Peace,  as  it  was  glorious  perhaps  for  a  Monarch  to  refufe 
it.  At  leaft  we  cannot  but  think,  that  the  Refufal  of  fuch 
advantageous  Terms  from  an  iirefiftible  Conqueror y  at  the 
Rifque  of  being  all  infallibly  ?nnjjacred  by  him,  for  the 
Sake  of  a  King,  who  (for  aught  that  appears  to  the  contrary) 
might  be  a  petty  Tyrant,  or  for  the  Sake  of  a  People,  whom 
Fear  had  render'd  incapable  of  making  any  tolerable  Refift- 
ance  ;  when  perhaps  the  Difference  of  being  under  the  na- 
tural Monarch,  (if  he  was  really  fuch)  or  the  Conqueror, 
was  inconfiderable,  or  (it  may  be)  on  ihe  Side  of  the  latter  : 
We  cannot  but  think,  I  fay,  that  fuch  a  Refufal  would  have 
been  an  Inftance  of  Patriotifm,  not  to  be  expedled  from  a 
Canaanite^  and,  much  lefs,  from  fuch  a  young  Hojiefs,  as 
Rahab  muft  have  been,  fince  we  read  of  her  being  the  Mo- 
ther of  Boa%^  above  thirty  Years  after  this.  So  that,  upon 
the  whole,  flie  adlcd  a  Part,  that  might  naturally  be  ex- 
pcdlcd  from  her,  no  ways  inglorious  in  itfelf,  and  highly  a- 
greeable  to  the  Will  of  God,  when  flie  adjoin'd  heifelf  to 
thofe,  who,  by  his  Almighty  Arm,  were  fo  vifibly  fupport- 
ed  ;  and  abandon 'd  the  Intereft  of  thofe,  who,  upon  fo  ma- 
ny Accounts,  were  very  jullly  devoted  to  Deftruflion. 
Ter. font  for  What  the  Spirit  fays  unto  the  Church  at  Thyatira,  (h) 
G<,d'i  r-at-  I  gave  her  Space  to  repent  of  her  Fornication,  but  Jhe  repent- 
'"■'.  'f^S.'"V''  ed  not  ;  Behold,  I  will  caji  her  into  a  Bed,  and  them  that 
veicy.  commit  Adultery  ivitb  her  into  great  Tribulation,  and  1  will 

kill  her  Children  with  Death,  and  give  unto  every  one  accord- 
ing i^his  f Forks,  is  very  applicable  to  the  feveral  Nations  in 

the 

(«)  Univerf.  Hill.  lib.  i.  c.  7         {b)  Revel,  ii.  21,  ^c. 


Chap.  I.      from  the  Urndkes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      115 

the  Land  of  Canaan.     Four  hundred  Years  were  to  inter-     A.  M. 
vene  between  the  CommenGement  of  the  Promife  to  Abra-  ^.^  c^fa 
ham.,  and  this  Completion  of  it;  and  the  Reafon,  which  145 1,  Sff.* 
God  gives  for  this  long  Delay,  is,   that  (c)  the  Iniquity  ,^From  joih,  i. 
/Z»<?  Amorites  (and  by  the  Amorites  he   means  all  the  other. _  -  —  "j 
Nations  of  Canaan)  was  not  yet  fu^l :  And  (d)  eventho'' 
(as  the  Author  of  the  Book  of  Wifdom  argues)  he  could 
have  deJlroy*d  them  all  with  one  rough  Word.,  yet^  executing 
his  'Judgments  by  little  and  little,  he  gave  them  Place  of  Re- 
pentance, not  being  ignorant  that  they  were  an  haughty  Ge- 
neration, and  that  their  Malice  was  bred  in  them,  and  their 
Cogitation  would  never  be  changed.     For  inftead  of  reform- 
ing, the  only  Effect,  which  this  Delay  had,  was,  to  make 
them  more  confirm'd  in  Wickednefs,  and  becaufe  (e)  this 
Sentence  againji  their  evil  Works  was  not  fpeedily  executed., 
therefore  were  their  Hearts  the  fuller  fet  in  them  to  do  Evil. 
What  the  Nature  and  Heinoufnefs  of  their  Iniquities 
were,  we  may  beft  learn  from  (f)  the  many  Precautions, 
which  God  gives  his  People  againft  them  ;  for  he  hated  them 
(as  the  (g)  fame  Author  has  drawn  up  the  Articles  of  Ac- 
cufation  againft  them)  for  doing  mofl  odious  Works  of  Witch- 
craft, and  wicked  Sacrifices,  for  their  mercilefs  murthering 
of  Children^  devouring  of  Man's  Flejh,  and  feajling  upon 
Blood',  and  if  we  may  fuppofe,  that  God,  fome  way  or 
other,  had  given  thefe  Nations  fufficient  Notice  of  his  in- 
tended Severity  againft  them  if   they  did  not  repent ;  had 
abundant  Reafon  to  preferve  his  own  People  from  the  In* 
fediion  of  the  Abominations ;  and,  before  their  Extirpation 
was  executed,  did,  (h)  by  his  Servant  Jojkua,  offer  them 
Conditions  of  Peace  :  Tho'  the  divine  Counfels  are  a  Secret 
to  us,  yet  (even  upon  this  Face  of  Things)  we  cannot  find 
any  Fault  with  his  Treatment  of  them,  fince,  v/henhehad 
given  them   Space  to  repent,  and  they  repented  not,  his  Ju- 
ftice  was  certainly  then  at  Liberty  to  take  what  Vengeance 
his  divine  Wifdom  (hould  think  fit. 

And  indeed  this  feems  to  be  one  of  the  Reafons,  "why  Reafotisfof 
God  divided  the  River  for  the  Ifraelites,  who  were  to  be 'i'^^*^"*^'^ 
the  Inftruments  of  this  his  Vengeance,  to  pafs  over,   viz.  Jordan! 
That  thereby  he  might  inje£l  a  Terror  into  the  Inhabitants 
of  Canaan,    and  fo  facilitate  the  Conqueft  of  their  Coun- 
try.    On  the  Side  of  Jordan,  the  Kings  of  the  Neigh- 
H  2  bourhood 

[c]  Gen.  XV.   16,  (d)  Wifd.  xii.  9,  10.        (?)  Ecclef. 

viii.   II.  (f)  Vid.  Lev.  xviii.  4,     Deut.  ix.  4,  6'c. 

(f)  Wifd.  xii.   4,5.        (^)  Deut.  XX,  10,  11.  Joih.  xi.  19, 


1 16  ^he  Hifiory  of  the  'Rl'&h  E,    Book  V. 

^  ■^'  ^'^  bourhood  fear'd  no  Invafion.  The  Depth  of  the  River 
Ant.  'chrlit.  (efpecially  at  the  Time  of  its  Overflowing,  which  was  in 
145 1,  ©■<:•  the  Harveji^  when  the  Ifraelltes  (i)  pafs'd  it)  was  Barrier 
Sthe"^fild  '*  ^"ffici^"''  *^^y  thought,  againft  all  that  the  Ifraelites  could 
' ,  do.  For,  in  thofe  Days,  Pontoons  were  Things  never  heard 
of  in  military  Expeditions ;  and  the  *  Stream  is  (even  at 
this  Day)  allow'd  to  be  too  fierce  and  rapid  for  any  one  to 
fwim  over :  And  therefore,  as  they  expefted  no  Danger  from 
that  Quarter,  and  might  for  that  Reafon  draw  out  no  For- 
ces to  defend  that  Side  of  their  Frontier ;  fo  the  facred  Hif- 
torian  has  taken  Care  to  inform  us,  that  {k)  when  all  the 
Kings  of  the  Amorites,  which  were  on  the  Side  of  Jordan 
nvejlward^  and  all  the  Kings  of  the  Canaanites,  which  were 
by  the  Sea,  heard  that  the  Lord  had  dried  up  the  Waters  of 
Jordan  froin  before  the  Children  of  Ifrael,  until  they  were 
pajjed  cver^  their  Hearts  melted,  neither  was  there  Spirit  in 
them  any  more. 

And  as  this  miraculous  Paflage  could  not  but  fill  their 
Enemies  with  Confufion,  fo  it  added,  no  Doubt,  frefh 
Courage  to  the  Ifraelites,  when  they  came  to  confider,  that 
the  fame  God,  about  40  Years  before,  had  wrought  the 
like  Miracle  for  them  in  their  Paflage  of  the  Red-Sea  j  that 

then 

(i)  Jolh.  iii.  15.  I  Chron.  xH.  15.  and  Eccluf.  xxiv.  26. 

*  That  the  facred  Writings  do  conftantly  reprefent  this  River 
as  not  fordable,  except  at  feme  particular  Places,  very  probably 
made  by  Art,  that  the  Countries  on  each  Side  may  have  a  freer 
Communication,  is  plain  from  the  PafTages,  to  which  thefe  fe- 
veral  Citations  Jojh.  ii.  2.  Judg.  iii.  28.  and  xii.  5.  2  Kings  ii. 
i  4  do  refer.  That  it  was  not  a  poor  and  inconfiderable  Stream, 
fuch  as  fome  have  reprefented  it,  is  evident  from  the  Account  of 
Thfvtnot  (in  his  Travels,  page  193)  who  himfelf  went  near  the 
Place,  where  the  Ifraelites  pafs'd  over,  and  defcribes  it  to  be 
"  half  as  broad  as  the  Seine  at  Paris,  very  deep,  and  very  ra- 
"  pid  "  which  agrees  very  well  with  what  Maund^-ell  (in  his 
Journey  from  Aleppo,  p.  83.)  fays  of  it,  nitz.  "  Tivdt  its  Chan- 
*'  nel  is  twenty  Yards  over,  deeper  than  a  Man's  Hejglit,  and 
"  runs  with  fuch  ^  Current,  that  there  is  no  fwimming  againft  it:" 
And  that  (whatever  the  prefent  Condition  of  Jordan  may  be)  'tis 
certain,  when  the  Ifraelites  came  into  Canaan,  it  was  a  much 
larger  River  than  now  it  is,  for  even  in  Pliny  s  Time,  (Nat.  Hift. 
Lib.  V.)  its  Channel  was  much  larger  than  what  it  now  runs  in, 
having  then  the  Title  of  Jmnis  Ambitiofus;  and,  in  the  Days, 
when  Strabo  wrote  (according  to  his  Geog.  Lib.  xvi.)  even  Vef- 
fels  of  Burthen  might  navigate  in  it.  ,  Shuciford'a  Connexion, 
Vol.  IIL  Lib.  xii. 

(i)  Jofli.  v.   I. 


Chap.  I.    fromthelfradkesenfemigCc.nzcLn^^c.        117 

then  he  divided  the  Waves^  (/)  to  confirm  the  Commiffion,    A.  M. 
which  he  h^d  given  Mofes^  and  now  had  parted  the  •^^''^«»^  am?  c^a 
to  ftrengthen  the  Authority  of  his  Succeflbr,  Jo/fma,  andtOMSi,   &c'. 
give  them  AfTurance,  that  {m)  he  would  be  with  the  one,  ^jfromjofh.  f. 
he  had  been  with  the  other,  and  empower  the  latter  to  make  t^_,^^_"jj 
good  their  Pofleffion  of  the  Land  of  Promife,  even  as  he 
had  enabled  the  former  to  accompliih  tl\eir  Deliverance  out 
ef  the  Land  of  Bondage. 

In  all  Rivers  whatever,  there,    queftionlefs,  are  {omt  And  that  it 
fliallower  Places  than  ordinary,  or  fome  Paflages,  either  hy  ^^^""I'y 
Boats  or  Bridges,  that  may  be  call'd  Fords  ;   but   that  the        "*  "*** 
Jordan,  at  this  Time,  was  either  fo  vaftly  overflown,  as  to 
render  thefe  Fords  impaffable,  or  that  the  Ifraelites  crofs'd 
it  at  Places,  which  the  Enemy  never  thought  of,  and  where 
none  of  thefe  Pajfes  were  to  be  found,  is  pretty  evident  from 
the  Canaanites  making  no  Preparation  to  defend  their  Coafts 
on  the  River-fide,  and  from  the  great  Confternation,    we 
£nd  them  in,  when  once  they  underftood  that  the  Jewijh 
Army  had  got  over.     For  (whatever  Opinion  we,   at  this 
Diflance  of  Time,    may  have  of  the  Matter)  they  juflly 
inferr'd,  that  the  Sufpeniion  of  a  River's  Courfe  'could  be 
efFefted  no  other  Way,   than  by  a  divine  Power,    either 
immediately  adding  itfelf,    or   by   the  In/lrunientality  of  its 
Angels.     And  though  there  poffibly  may  be  fome  Inftances 
in  Hiftory,  wherein,  by  the  Violence  of  adverfe  Winds, 
-the  Courfe  of  Rivers  has  either  been  retarded,  or  *  driven 
back  ;  yet,  as  we  read  of  no  fach  Wind  concern'd  in  this 
Event,  the  Prediction  ot  Jojhua,   and  the  Promifes  of  God 
concerning  this  Miracle,  the  Time  in  which  he  chofe  to 
work  it,   and  the  Analogy  it  bears  with  what  before  was 
wrought  at  the  Red-Sea  ;  thefe,  and  feveral  other  Circum- 
ftances,   make  this  Tranfaftion  beyond  Compare,  and  rank 
it,  not  only  among  thofe  Prodigies,  which  very  rarely  come 
to  pafs,   but  among  thofe  ftupendous  Works,  which  (con- 
trary to  the  Laws  of  Nature)  the  great  Author  and  Ruler 
of  the  Univerfe,  for  the  Prefervation  of  his  People,  and  the 

H  3  Manifef- 

(/)  Saurin's  Diflertation  fur  le  Paffage  du  Jourdain.     {m)  Joih. 

*  Something  of  this  Nature  feems  to  have  happened  in  Auguf- 
ius\  Time,  according  to  that  known  Pafiage  in  Horace  : 
Vidimus  Flavum  Tiberlm,  retortis 
Littore  Etrufco  violenter  Undis, 
Ire  dejeftum  Monumenta  Regis, 

Templaque  r^<f .        Lib.  i.  Ode  IL 


11 S  the  Hiftory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

A-  M.     Manifeftation  of  his  own  Glory,    is  fometimes  obferv'd 

Aiit.  Chrift.^O  .  . 

4451,  £ff.       [ri]   Hey  that  is  horn  in  thy  Houfe^  or  he  that  is  bought 
f'^^h^'^F^fi  ''^•^^''  ^h  Money ^  tnuj}  needs  be  circumcijed^  and  my  Covenant 
^  -      [jfhall  be  in  your  Flefl)  for  an  tverlajiing   Covenant ;    and  the 
Why i.trcum.uncircumcifed  Man-child,  whofe  Flejh  of  his  Forefkin  is  not 
ciftonmi^kt   circumcifed,    that  Soul  pall  be   cut  off  from  his  People  ;  he 
'  hath  broken  7ny  Covenant.     Thefe  are  the  Words  of  the  Pre- 
cept, and  they  feem  to  be  fo  very  urgent  and  exprefs,    that 
one  would  really  think  the  Ordinance  was  intended  not  only 
for  a  Diftin£lion  between  Jew  and  Gentile,  but  for  an  In- 
ftitution  likewife,    to  tike  away  the  Guilt  of  Original  Sin. 
And  yet,  even  upon  this  Suppofuion,  (0)  the  People's  fre- 
quent moving  from  Place  to  Place,  the  Uncertainty  of  their 
Decampments,  and  the  Inconvenience  of  their  Travelling, 
which  would  make  it  dangerous  for  Children  to  be  circum- 
cifed  before  a  March,  might  be  fome  Apology  for  their 
omittmg  the  Obfervation  of  this  Rite,    even  though  they 
had  no  divine  Difpenfation  for  it. 

{p)  It  is  one  of  the  general  Rules  among  the  Jews^ 
that  no  Precept,  (alwas  meaning  no  ceremonial  Prcceipty  for 
fome  Precepts  there  are,  that  were  to  be  obferv'd,  even  at 
the  Expence  of  their  Lives)  whofe  Obfervation  occaftons 
Death,  is  to  be  attended  to,  becaufe  the  Scriptures  fay,  that 
he  who  obferveth  thefe  Laws,  Jhall  live,  not  die,  by  them. 
But  how  frivolous  foever  this  Reafon  may  be,  it  is  certain, 
that,  in  Cafe  they  apprehended  any  Danger  from  the  Ope- 
ration, they  carry'd  this  Difpenfation  fo  fa*",  as  to  exempt 
the  next  Child  from  having  this  Ordinance  pafs  upon  him,  if 
fo  be  that  his  Brother  before  him  died  of  the  Wound  which 
he  receiv'd  in  Circumcifion.  And,  for  a  farther  Excufe, 
they  add,  that,  during  their  Sojourning  in  the  Wildernefs,  for 
one  Crime  or  other,  their  Forefathers  were  generally  under 
the  divine  Difp'eafure,  in  which  Condition  it  would  have 
been  a  Prophana'.ion  of  the  Sacrament  to  have  admi- 
niftered  it. 

But  then,  if  the  other  Notion  of  this  Ordinance  be 
admitted,  vi%.  that  it  was  no  more  than  a  Note  of  Diftinc- 
tion  between  the  Jfraelites  and  other  Nations,  as  the  Ifrae- 
iites  were  now  alone  in  the  Wildernefs,  there  was  no  Dan- 
ger of  their  mixing  with  others,  and  confequently  lefs  Rea- 
fon for  their  Obfervation  of  this  dijlinguifhing  Rite,  until 

they 

(k)  Gen.  xvii.  13,^4.  (0)  ^^arrVs  Diflert.  furlaPrifcde 
Jpico,  (p)  Light/hot\  Hoi.  Heb.  in  i  Cor.  vii.  19. 


Ch  AP.  I.  from  f be  ICraeVite^  entering  Canaan,  &c,  119 

they  fhould  enter  upon  the  PoflefTion  of  a  Country,  where    A.  m, 
every  Kind  of  Idolatry  furrounded   them  on  all  Hands.        Ant^  chHft. 

Thus,  whether  we  look  upon  the  Rhe  o(  Circumcijfton,  1451,  &c 
as  a  Sacrament  of  /«?//W/o«  into  the  yifw//?-  Church,   or   a^'""''J°'^'^-'- 
Character  of  Diftindtion  only  between  them  and  other  Peo- ._  _  _  ^ 
pie,  the  Ifraelites  might,  without  the  Imputation  of  much 
Guilt,   omit  the  outward  Obfervance  of  it,  if  fo  be  that 
they  did  but  attend  to  what  was  the  true  Intent  and  Mea- 
ning of  it,    viz.   {q)  the  clrcumcijing  the  Forejkin  of  their 
Hearts  ;    (r)  for  he  is  not  a  Jew,    (as  St.  Paul  excellently 
argues)  who  is  one  outwardly,  neither  is  that  Circumcifion^ 
which  is  outward  in  the  Flejh  ;   but  he  is  a  Jew,  who  is  one 
inwardly.,  and  Circumcijton  is  that  of  the  Hearty    in  the  Spi- 
rit, and  not  in  the  Letter,  whofe  Praife  is  not  of  Men,  but 
of  God. 

In  like  Manner,  the  Obferva'ion  of  the  Sahhath-Day^^^^^'''^^^' 
was  a  Precept  of  fevere  Injunflion  j  but,  whether  the/^,^-^^ 
Deftru6lion  of  Jericho  happen'd  on  that  Day,  or  any  other 
of  the  Week,  (as  the  Ifraelites  were  order'd  to  compafs  the 
City  for  feven  Days  fuccejfively)  'tis  certain,  that  one  of 
thefe  Days  muft  neceflarily  have  been  the  Sabbath ;  and  yet 
we  mufl  not  fuppofe  that  they  committed  any  great  Offence 
in  what  they  did,  becaufe  the  fame  Authority,  which  made 
the  Law  for  the  Obfervation  of  it,  gave  now  a  full  I/icence 
for  the  Prophanation  of  it.  The  Perfon  who  met  Jijhua, 
and  prefcrib'd  the  Form  of  the  Siege  of  fericho,  by  his  A{- 
fumption  of  divine  Honours  and  Appellatfons,  was  doubt- 
lefs  the  fame,  who  deliver'd  the  Law  from  Mount  Sinai  : 
And  therefore  we  need  not  queftion  but  that  now  he  afled  in 
as  full  Power,  in  fufpending,  f  fmce  his  Orders  could  not  be 
executed  without  fuch  Sufpenfion)  as  he  then  did  in  enjoi- 
ning the  Obfervation  of  the  Sabbath ;  and  'tis  in  Allufion 
(as  fome  imagine)  to  this  very  Paflage,  that  our  blefled 
Saviour  pronounc'd  that  Maxim  in  the  Gofpel,  (s)  the  Sab- 
bath was  made  for  Man,  and  not  Man  for  the  Sabbath. 

However  this  be,  'tis  certain,  that,  before  our  Savi- 
our's Days,  the  Jews  carry'd  the  Obfervation  of  the  Sab- 
bath to  a  great  Degree  of  Rigour.  In  the  Time  of  the 
Maccabees,  they  wouM  not  fo  much  as  defend  themfelves 
againft  the  Affault  of  their  Enemies  on  that  Day,  (/)  but 
yielded  their  Throats  to  be  cut,  rather  than  ftir  an  Hand  in 
(heir  own  Vindication :  Whereas  this  Example  of  their  Fore- 

H  4  fathers 

{q)  Deut.  X.  16.  (r)  Rom.  ii.  28,29.  {$)  Mark  ii.  2.7, 
[f]  Prideaux'i  Connexion,  Part  XL  Vol.  IV. 


.'V 


I20  ^e  Hifiory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

^-  ^     fathers  invejling,   if  not  fack'ing  Jericho  on  the  Sabbath-day, 
Anl^'chrirt.  might  have  taught  them,  one  would  think,  that,  in  Cafes  ot 
1451,  &c.  this  Nature,  it  was  allowable,  not  only  to  defend  themfelves, 
J^'^°'PJg^'"but  to  prevent  their  Enemies  annoying  them,  nay,  even  to 
^  -       '_j fall  upon,  and  deftroy  them,   whenever  a  favourable  Op- 
portunity prefented  itfelf  on  that  Day. 
Why  Rams-      In  the  Conqueft  of  Jericho  however,  fome  have  ima- 
Uormivere  gined,  thzt  Rams-homs  ^wtxc  not  "^To^tx  Materials,  where- 
^herlkifp'of^^  to  make  T  rumpets  ;  that  they  are  not  fo  eafily  perfora- 
Jericho.       ted,  nor  can  they  ever  be  brought  to  make  a  Sound,  fhrill 
and  extenfive  enough  for  their  particular  Purpofes  j    and 
therefore  they  conceive,  that  Brafs,  or  Silver,  or  any  other 
Metal  had  been  more  convenient  for  thisUfe;  whereupon  («) 
they  derive  the  Word  Jobel,    in  the  Singular,  (which  we 
render  a  Rairis-Hom)  not  from  the  Arabick,  which  fig- 
nifies  a  Ram,  but  from  Jubal,  the  Name  of  him,  who 
was  the  firft  Inventor  of  mufical   Inftruments :  And,  ac- 
cording to  this  Senfe,  the  Trumpets,  which  the  Priefts  up- 
on this  Occafion  us'd,  may  be  faid  to  have  been  fafhion'd 
according  to  thofe,  which  Jubal  _/fry?  invented. 

This  Interpretation  of  the  Words  (which  is  no  bad  one) 
removes  all  the  Incongruity,  that  may  feem  to  arife  from 
the  Matter,  whereof  thefe  Trumpets  were  compos'd  :  But 
■   then,    it  is  to  be  confider'd,  that,  as  the  firft  Inftruments  of 
this  Kind  were  probably  made  of  Horns,  fo  has  the  Notion 
of  the  Impoilibility  of  boring  a  Ram's -Horn  been  fufficient- 
ly  confuted  by  our  learned  Spencer.     The  Truth  is,   every 
one  knows,    that   in   the  Infide  of  it  there  is  a  fofter  Part, 
which  may  be  drawn  out  by  Art;  after  which   it  is  hollow 
all  the  Way  up,    except  four  or  five  Inches  towards  the 
Top,  Part  of  which  is  fawed  off,  to  make  it  broad  enough 
,  for  the  Mouth,  and  then  the  reft  is  eafily  bored.     But  whe- 
ther there  is  any  Foundation  for  that  Fancy  of  the  Jews, 
that  thefe  Horns  were  retain'd  in  the  Proclamation  of  fome 
of  their  greateft  Feftivals,    in  Memory  of  Ifaac's  being  ref- 
cued  from  his  Father  Abraham's  Knife  by  the  Subftitution  of 
a  Ram  in  his  Stead,   is  a  Point  that  we  leave  to  the  Specula- 
tions of  the  Curious. 
^be  Tak-        Whatever  Materials  thefe  Trumpets  were  made  of, 
ffit  miracu'  it  is  impofHble  to  conceive,  that  tliere  fhould  be  any  Power  in 
im.  their  Sound  to  demolifh  Cities;  and  tho'  the  Noife  of  a  great 

Number  of  People  might  be  very  loud,  yet  ftill  it  would  re- 
quire 

(a)  Maftus  in.  Jofh.  vi.  4.  Bocharf^  Hierof.  lib.  ii.  c.  43.  and 
QilmetixiLoQMsa.. 


Chap.  I.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        iii 

quire  a  Miracle  in  Jojhua  to  know,  what  the  juft  Proportion     A.  m. 
was  between  their  Noife,  and   the  Strength  of  the  Walls  of  ^^^J^^'c^Jt^ 
Jericho^  fmce  the  leaft  Deviation  in  this  Refpedl  would  have  1451,  &c. ' 
defeated  the  whole  Experiment.  fjT/End '" 

What  the  Effecl  of  Gunpowder,  or  of  other  fulphu-!°,L^  ",  j 
reous  Matter  fir'd  under  Ground,  or  in  the  Bowels  of  the 
Earth,  is,  no  one,  that  has  feen  either  the  fpringing  of  a 
Mine,  or  felt  the  Convulfions  of  an  Earthquake,  needs  be 
told  i  but  that  no  Stratagem  of  this  Kind  could  be  employ'd 
in  the  Siege  of  Jericho,  is  manifeft,  becaufe  the  Invention 
of  Gun-Powder  is  a  novel  Thing,  nor  had  the  Ifraelites 
been  long  enough  on  the  we/iern  Side  of  Jordan,  to  have 
undermined  its  Walls,  even  tho'  they  had  had  the  Secret  of 
fome  inflammatory  Stratum,  to  have  lodged  under  them. 
On  the  contrary,  the  whole  Procefs  of  this  Siege  (if  we  may 
fo  call  it)  was  manag'd  at  fuch  a  Rate,  as  plainly  difcover'd 
an  Expectance  of  a  Miracle  to  be  wrought :  For  had  not 
this  been  the  Cafe,  inftead  offauntring  about  the  Walls  for 
feven  Days,  they  ftiouldhave  been  working  in  XhtixTrenches^ 
and  carrying  on  their  Approaches,  as  we  now  call  it. 

The  Art  of  War  was  then  but  in  its  Infancy ;  and,  as 
the  Manner  of  undermining  and  blowing  up  the  moft  pon  - 
derous  Bodies,  was  what  the  Ancients  were  unacquainted 
with,  fo  was  the  Battering -Ram  an  Invention  of  a  later 
Date  than  fome  imagine,  {x)  Pliny  indeed  feems  to  fay, 
that  Epeus  firft  made  Ufe  of  it  at  the  Siege  of  Troy  ;  but, 
in  all  Probability,  {y)  Ezekiel  is  the  earlieft  Author  that  men- 
tions this  Machine^  and  perhaps  the  firft  Time  that  it  was 
employ'd  was  under  Nebuchadnezzar,  at  the  Siege  oijeru- 
falem. 

But  there  is  no  need  to  ranfack  Hiflory,  for  theC^- 
futation  of  this  Syjtem,  which  (z)  they,  who  propofe  it,  do 
neverthelefs  acknowledge,  that,  tho'  the  Walls  of  Jericho 
might  have  fallen,  without  any  extraordinary  A£t  of  the 
divine  Power,  yet,  by  the  Circumftanccs  of  the  whole  Ac- 
count, it  appears,  that  this  Event  was  altogether  mira- 
culous. Nor  ftiould  Jojhua's  denouncing  an  Anathema 
over  the  vanquifli'd  City  be  thought  a  Thing  unprecedent-  fmgTmZl 
ed,  or  a  Token  of  a  furious  and  implacable  Spirit,  fmcecommon 
the  like  Pradice  has  been  obferv'd  by  fome  of  the  greatefl '^'^"'^• 

Generals 

(x)  Lib.  vii.  c.  56.  (y)  Ezek.  iv.  i,  2.  andxxi.  22. 

(z)  P.  Merfenne,  in  his  Comment,  on  Gevejis,  and  D.  Geo.  Merhof, 
de  Scypho  Vitreo,  per  certum  humanas  Vocis  Tonum  frado. 


122  The  Hiflory  of  the  BIB  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  ^    Generals  of  other  Nations  ;  forafmuch  as  C^)  Agamemnorty 

^ntf'chj[ft,  after    he  had   taken  Troy^  denounc'd  a  Curfe  upon  thofe,' 

1451,  &c,  who  fhould,  at  any  Time,  attempt  to  rebuild  it;  the  Ro- 

*^'°™J°^-'-W(7«j  pubhfli'd  a  Decree  of  Execration  againft  them,    who 

y_      -  Jj  fhould  do  the  hke  to  Carthage ;  and  when  {h)  Crajfus  had 

demolifh'd  Sidon^  (which  had  been  a  lurking  Place  to  the 

Tyrant  Glauctas)  he  wifii'd    the  greateft  Evils  imaginable 

upon  the  Head  of  that  Man,  who  fhould  but  fo  much  as 

build  a  Wall  about  the  Place,    where  it  once  flood. 

ut^'flfi        ^^  ^^'  '^^  Queftions   in  the  J^w///*  Schools,    there  is 

Thummim  "One  more  difficult,  than  what  we  are  to  underftand  by 

^erc.         the  Urim  and  Thummim^  which  Mofes  takes  Notice  of,  as 

fomething  belonging  to  the  Attire  of  the  High-Prieft,  and 

withal  enabling  him  to  give  Refponfes  to  fuch,  as  by  his 

Mediation  came  to  confult  God.     (c)  The  two  Words  are 

varioufly  tranflated  ;  but,  in  the  main,  all  the  Tranflations 

amount  much  to  the   fame  Purport ;  and,  as   this  facred 

Thing  (be  it  what  it  will)  was  to  be  plac'd  on  the  High- 

Prieft's  Breaft,  it  very  properly  reminded  him  of  the  great 

Qualifications,  requifite   in  thofe  of  his  Order  ;  Light,  or 

Sufficiency  of  fpiritual  Knowledge  j  and  PerfeSiion,  or  the 

Virtue  and  Sanctity  of  his  Life. 

The  general  Opinion  indeed  is,  that  this  Urim  and 
Thummim  were  one  and  the  fame  Thing :  But  (d)  an  in- 
genious Writer  of  our  own  Nation  conceives  them  to  be 
two  different  Oracles,  and  apply'd  to  different  Purpofes  ; 
that  Urim  was  the  Oracle,  whereby  God  gave  Anfwer  to 
thofe,  who  ccmfulted  him  in  difficult  Cafes,  and  Thummim, 
that,  whereby  the  High-Prieft  knew  whether  God  did  ac- 
cept the  Sacrifice  or  no ;  that  therefore  the  former  is  call'd 
Light,  as  giving  Knowledge,  which  difpels  the  Darknefs 
of  our  Minds  ;  and  the  other  Integrity,  or  Perfedlion,  be- 
caufe  they,  whofe  Sacrifices  God  accepted,  were  accounted 
Thummim^  i.  e.  juft,  and  righteous  in  his  Sight ;  In  fhort, 
that  by  Reformer,  the  Jews  were  afcertain'd  of  the  Coun- 
fel  or  Will  of  God  ;  by  the  latter,  of  his  Favour  and  good 
Acceptance.  But  this  Diftindtion  has  not  met  with  a  gene- 
ral Approbation,  becaufe,  however,  there  may  be  (e)  Paf- 
fages  where  the  one  is  mention'd  without  the  other,  yet  in 

this 

{a)  Strabo,  lib.  xiii.  p.  898.  [b]  Zonar^e  Anna).  lib.  ix.  p. 
409.  {c)  Ednuards\  Enquiry  into  difficult  Texts,  Part  II. 

(J)  Mf/^'s  Difcourfe  35.  {e)  Numb,  xxvii.  21.     i  Sam. 

xx\'iii.  6. 


Chap.L    from  the  Ursidites  entering  Canaan,  £s?r.        125 

this  Cafe,  the  one  (which  is  generally  the  TJrim)  may  well    A-  M. 
enough  be  fuppos'd  to  include  both.  Ant^'chrift. 

The  "Jeiv'Jb  T)o^oxs  ztQ  mo&Xy  of  Opinion,  that  the  1451,  Sff. 
Uritn  and  TImmmim  were  nothing  elfe,  but  the  precious  ^^°|"J°*-'' 
Stones  which  were  fet  upon  the  Breaft-plate  j  and  that,  [f)  ^ 
by  the  fhining  or  protuberating  of  the  Letters  in  the  Names 
of  the  twelve  Tribes,  engraven  upon  the  twelve  Stones,  the 
High-Prieft,  when  he  came  to  confult  Gcd,  could  read  the 
Anfwer  :  But,  in  this  Opinion,  there  are  fome  Difficulties 
hardly  to  be  furmounted.  For,  befides  that  all  the  Letters 
in  the  Hebrew  Alphabet  are  not  to  be  found  on  the  Peiioal^ 
fince  there  are  four,  viz.  Heth^  Teth,  2ade^  and  Koph 
manifeftly  wanting  ;  {g)  the  Queftion  is,  by  what  Rules  the 
High-Prieji  could  make  a  Combination  of  thefe  Letters, 
(fuppofing  there  were  enough  of  them)  and  fo  put  them  to- 
gether, as  to  fpell  out  the  divine  Oracle;  becaufe  it  is  not 
pretended  that  thefe  Letters  mov'd  out  of  their  Places,  but 
only  fwell'd,  or  rais'd  themfelves  above  the  reft  ?  Suppofe, 
for  Inftance,  that  any  fix  of  thefe  Letters  fhould  have  fwell'd, 
or  Ihone  with  a  more  than  ordinary  Luftre,  yet,  how  fhould 
the  High-Prieft  know  to  difpofe  of  them  in  right  Order, 
and  which  fhould  be  firft,  and  which  laft  ?  If  it  be  faid. 
By  the  Spirit  of  Prophecy  :  This  vacates  all  the  Neceftity 
of  the  TJrim  and  Thummim  ;  becaufe  a  prophetick  Spirit 
would  teach  him  what  he  defir'd  to  know,  without  any 
farther  Affiftance. 

{h)  CHRISTOPHORUS  a  Caftro,  and,  from  him,  (i) 
Dr.  Spencer  will  needs  have  it,  that  this  Vrim  and  Thum^ 
mim  were  two  little  Images,  (much  of  the  fame  Make  with 
the  Gentile  Teraphim)  which,  being  folded  in  the  Doub- 
ling of  the  Breaji- Plate,  did  from  thence  give  oracular  An- 
fwers  by  an  audible  Voice,  and  that  this  Device  was  taken 
from  the  Egyptians.  But,  befides  that  the  Word  Teraphim 
(to  which  thefe  others  were  compar'd)  is  feldom  or  never 
taken  in  a  good  Senfe,  it  feems  a  little  improbable,  that,  in 
a  Matter  fo  folemn  and  facred,  the  Jews  ftiould  be  left  to 
follow  the  Examples  of  the  idolatrous  Egyptians,  (k)  The 
facred  Records  indeed  inform  us,  that  the  Jews  borrow'd 
of  the  Egyptians  Jewels  of  Silver,  and  Gold,  and  Rai- 
ment ;  but  they  no  where  intimate,  that  the  Jewijh  High- 
Prieft  borrow'd  his  pontifical^  and  particularly  his  oracular 

Habit, 

(f)  Prideaux\  Connexion,  Part  II.  lib.  iii.  (g)  Calmet\ 
Diaionary,  under  the  Word  t/rm.  (/?>)  DeVaticinio.  (/)  Dif- 
fert.  de  Urim  &  Thummim.       [k)  Ednfjards\  Enquiry,  Part  \l. 


124  'I'he  Hiftory  of  the  BIBLE,    Book  V. 

A.  M.     Habit,    from  them  :    And   therefore  to  think,  that  God, 
Ant^  Chrift.  ^^^  declares  himfelf  fo  pofitively  againft   the   idolatrous 
1451,  &c.  Pradtice  of  the  Gentiles,  {hould,  by  thcfe  Images  oi  Pagan 
Fromjorh.  i.  Jnvention,  take  the  ready  Way  to  give  them  Countenance 
^^  ^-%"iiJj  and   Encouragement ;    or   to  think,  that  the  Jews,  who 
'     ~  were  exprefsly  commanded  not  to  learn  the  Way  of  the  Hea-- 
then  ;   and  (/)  after  the  Doings  of  the  Land  of  Egypt,  where 
they  had  dwelt,  not  to  do ;  were  permitted,   nay,  comman- 
ded to  make  ufe  of  this  magical  2xAfuperfiitious  Rite,  is  fuch 
an  Heap  of  odd  and  wild  Conceits,  as  no  unprejudic'd  Mind 
can  ever  entertain. 

Others  therefore  are  of  Opinion,  that  it  was  the  Te- 
iragrammaton,  or  ineffable  Name  of  God  j  and  others, 
that  it  was  no  more  than  the  two  plain  Words  of  Vrim  and 
Thummitn,  written  or  engraven  on  fome  Plate  of  Gold  or 
precious  Stones,  which,  when  plac'd  upon  the  PeSforal^ 
would  give  it  an  oracular  Power  :  (m)  But  the  moft  proba- 
ble Opinion  is,  that  it  was  no  corporeal  Thing  at  all,  but 
only  a  certain  Virtue  (which  God  was  pleas'd  to  give  to  the 
BrenJl^Plate  at  its  Confecration)  of  obtaining  an  oracular 
Anfwer  from  him,  whenever  the  High-Prieft  fhould  put  it 
on  in  order  to  afk  Counfel  of  him,  in  the  Manner  that  he 
had  appointed  ;  and  that  the  Names  of  Vrim  and  Thum- 
mim  were  given  it,  only  to  denote  the  Clearnefs  and  Perf' 
picuity^  which  thofe  Anfwers  of  God  had,  viz.  that  they 
were  not  like  the  Heathen  Oracles,  enigmatical,  and  ambi" 
guous,  but  plain  and  manifeft,  and  fuch,  as  never  fell  fhort 
of  Perfection,  either  in  the  Fulnefs  of  the  AnfWer,  or  the 
'  Certainty  of  the  Truth  of  it. 
VpoH  v>hai  Whether  this  Oracle  was  only  confulted  in  the  great 
ATM/onjcsB- and  important  Affairs  of  the  State,  or  might  be  advis'd 
/ulted.  ^ifj^  jj^  Queftions  of  a  lower  Nature,  is  not  entirely  de- 
termin'd  by  the  Learned',  but  the  moft  prevailing  Opinion 
is,  that  the  High-PrieJ}  (wi^o  was  the  only  officiating  Mi- 
nifter  in  this  Ceremony)  was  not  allow'd  to  addrefs  it  for 
any  private  Perfon,  but  only  for  the  King,  the  Prefident  of 
the  Sanhedrim,  the  General  of  the  Army,  or  fome  other 
publick  Governor  in  Jfrael;  and  that,  not  upon  any  pri- 
vate Affairs,  but  fuch  only,  as  related  to  the  publick  In- 
tereft  of  the  Nation,  whether  in  Church  or  ^tate. 
The  Manner  When  therefore  any  fuch  Matter  happen'd,  wherein  it 
•f  doing  ii.  was   neceffary  to  confult  God,  the  Cuftom  was  for  the 

High- 

(I)  Levit.  xviii.  3.  (w)  ?nV/^«K;p's  Connexion,  Part  I. 

lib.  iii. 


Chap.  I.      froift  the  Ifraelltes  etHering  Canaan,  £f?t\       125 

High-Prieji  to  put  on  his  Robes  and  Breaft-Plate,  and  fo    A.  m. 
prefent  himfelf,  not  within  the  Veil  of  the  Holy  of  Holies  ^'^^'^^^^^ 
(for  thither  he  never  enter'd,    but  once  a  Year,  on  the  1451,  &c. 
great  Day  of  Expiation)  but  without  the  Veil  in  the  ^-'"^JV  fj°^J°R '  I* 
Place^  and  there  (landing,  with  his  Face  diredly  towards.        _  J 
the  Ark,  or  Mercy  Seat,  whereon  the  divine  Prefence  ref- 
ted,  he  propounded  the  Matter ;  and  at  fome  Diftance  be- 
hind him,  but  without  the  holy  Place,  flood  the  Perfon,  for 
whom  the  Oracle  was  confulted,  in  devout  ExpeiSation  of 
the  Anfwer,  which  (as  [n)  it  feems  moft  congruous  to  the 
Thing)  was  given  him  in  an  audible  Voice  from  the  Mercy- 
Seat,  which  was  within  behind  the  Veil. 

Here  it  was  that  Mofes  went  to  afk  Counfel  of  God  in 
all  Cafes  J  and  from  hence  he  was  anfwer'd  in  an  audible 
Voice;  And,  in  like  Manner,  whenever  the  High- Priefl 
prefented  himfelf  before  God,  according  to  the  Prefcripti- 
on  of  the  divine  Law,  'tis  reafonable  to  believe,  that  God 
gave  him  an  Anfwer  in  the  fame  Way  that  he  did  Mojes, 
i.  e.  by  an  audible  Voice  from  the  Mercy-Seat :  And  for 
this  Reafon  it  is,  that  fuch  Addrefs  for  Counfel  is  called  en- 
quiring at  the  Mouth  of  God,  and  the  Holy  of  Holies  (the 
Place  where  the  Mercy- Seat  flood,  and  from  which  the 
Anfwer  was  given)  is  fo  often  in  Scripture  fliled  (0)  the  Ora- 
cle, becaufe  from  thence  were  the  Oracles  of  God  deliver'd 
to  fuch,  as  came  to  afk  Counfel  of  him. 

*  Such  was  the  Handing  Oracle,  which  the  Ifraelites 
might  have  had  recourfe  to  upon  all  important  Occafions ; 

and  if,  in  their  League  with  the  Gibeonites,  they  were  too  ff^ytheHzt^ 
hafly  and  precipitate,  their  Unadvifednefs  is  only  to  hQ^^'^^J''^'. 
blam'd,  and  not  the  Infufficiency  of  that  Means,  which  ivich/anding 
God  had  appointed  for  their  better  Information.  The  fiiort  '*0'  i'^^tbis 
of  the  Matter  is,  the  pretended  foreign  AmbafTadors  drew  ^"*^^^* 

them 

(«)  Prideaux's  Connedlion,  Part  L  lib.  iii.  {o)  Exod.  xxv. 
18,  20.  Chap,  xxxvii.  6.  Lev.  xvi.  2.  i -Kings  vi.  5,  ^r. 
2  Chron.  iii.  16.  Chap.  iv.  20,  ^c.   Pfal.  xxviii.  2. 

*  The  Jcwijh  Doftors  think,  that  the  Cuftom  of  confulting 
God  by  Urim  and  Thmnmim  continu'd  no  longer  than  under  the 
Tabernacle :  For  it  is  a  Maxim  among  them,  that  the  Holy  Spi- 
rit fpake  to  the  Children  of  J/rael  by  L/rim  and  Thummim,  while 
the  Tabernacle  lafted  ;  under  the 7?;^?  Temple,  /.  e,  the  Temple 
of  Solomo7i,  by  the  Prophets;  and  under  i\i&ftco>;d  Temple,  or  af- 
ter the  Captivity  of  Babjlon,  by  the  Bath'col,  or  Daughter  of 

the 


126  The  Biftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  them  in  by  a  Wile  and  Artifice.  Tlie  Story  of  their  old. 
Ant^  Chrirt  Shoes  and  mouldy  Bread  was  lb  well  contriv'd,  and  fcem'd 
1451.  fiff.  fo  very  plaufible,  that  they  took  the  Thing  for  granted,  as 
Fromjofh.  i.  vi^e  fay,  (/))  They  took  of  their  ViSiuals^  (as  the  Text  ex- 
°  ^  "  ■  I  prefles  \t)  or  receiv'd  theip,  without  any  farther  Enquiry, 
upon  the  Account  of  the  Stalenefs  of  their  Provifion,  and 
(q)  ajked  not  Counfel  of  the  Mouth  of  the  Lord;  and  there- 
fore no  Wonder,  that  God  fhould  fuffer  them  to  be  out- 
witted, when  they  had  an  infallible  Dire6lor  fo  near  at 
hand,  and  yet,  in  a  Matter  of  fuch  Moment,  as  that  of 
entring  into  a  national  Treaty^  never  once  bethought  them- 
felves  to  confult  him. 

But  there  was  a  greater  Error  in  their  Conduft  with 
Relation  to  the  Gibeonites.  The  Orders  and  Dire<51:ions, 
which  God  gave  them,  when  they  enter'd  into  a  State  of 

War,  were  to  this  EfFedt. (r)  That  to  all  Cities, 

which,  upon  their  Summons,  furrender'd  to  them,  they 
were  to  give  Quarter  j  to  fave  their  Lives,  but,  at  the  fame 
Time,  to  make  them  their  Slaves  and  Tributaries ;  but, 
that  to  fuch  as  flighted  their  Summons,  and  ftood  upon  their 
Defence,  they  were  not  to  ufe  the  fame  Treatment.  If 
they  were  a  dijlant  Nation,  or  not  belonging  to  the  Coun- 
try of  Canaan^  upon  their  taking  any  Place,  they  were  to 
put  the  Men  only  to  the  Sword.,  fparing  the  Women  and 
Children,  and  other  living  Creatures  that  were  found  in  it  ; 
but,  if  they  were  a  neighbouring  or  Canaanitijh  Stzte^  that 
ftood  out  and  refifted,  they  were  to  dejlroy  all  without  Ex- 
ception, 

the  Voice,  by  which  they  mean,  a  Voice  fent  from  Heaven,  fuch 
as  was  heard  at  our  Saviour's  Baptifm  and  Transfiguration,  jVTatth. 
iii.  17.  Our  learned  Spencer  feems  to  have  adopted  this  Opini- 
on, and  endeavours  to  fupport  it  by  thefe  Arguments,  'viz.  That 
the  Urim  and  Thmnmim  were  a  Confequence  of  the  Theocracy  of 
the  Hebrews:  For,  while  the  Lord  immediately  govern'd  his  Peo- 
ple, it  was  neceflary  that  there  (hould  always  be  a  Means  at  hand, 
whereby  to  confult  him  upon  Affairs  that  concern'd  the  common 
Intereft  of  the  whole  Nation ;  but  fince  the  Theocracy  ceas'd, 
when  the  Kingdom  became  hereditary  in  the  Perfon  and  Family 
of  Solomon,  and  the  Intereft  of  the  Nation  ceas'd  to  be  common, 
after  the  Divifion  of'^-iS^/ into  two  Monarchies,  the  Oracles  of 
the  Urim  and  Thummim  muft  necefTarily  ceafe.  And  accordingly, 
if  we  confult  the  Sacred  Hiftory,  we  fhall  meet  with  noFootfteps 
of  thus  applying  to  God,  from  the  Building  of  Solomons  Tem- 
ple, to  the  Time  of  its  Deftruftion ;  and  after  its  Delh-uftion, 
all  are  agreed,  that  this  Oracle  was  never  reftor'd  again.  Spencer 
de  Urim  &  Thummim,  Cap.  2. 

(p)  Jofh.  ix.  14..        [q]  Ibid.        (r)  Deut.  xx.  12,  ^c. 


CttAP.I.    from  thel(r^e\kc5  entering  CamiLn,    ^c.      127 

ception,    and  fave  alive  nothing  that  hreatVd.      In  the    A.  M. 
whole,  however,  there  was  this  Injundion,  that  of  ^^'^'^^tll^ ^^^^ 
Country  foever  the  People  were,  and  whether  they  refifted,  145 1,  (^c. 
or  refifted  not,  the  Ifraelites  were  to  make  no  (s)  Covenant^^°'^i°^  •• 
with  theniy  nor  with  their  Gods  \  and  the  Reafon  hereof  is^ 

this {t)  That,  as  a  League  between  two  Nations 

implies,  in  the  very  Notion  of  it,  their  having  upon  fome 
Terms  given  their  Faith  to  each  other,  to  obferve  punctual- 
ly what  had  been  ftipulated  between  them  ;  and,  as  when 
fuch  publick  Faith  was  given  and  taken,  the  Parties  to  the 
Treaty  fwore  folemnly  to  each  other  by  their  refpedlive 
Gods ;  the  Ifraelites^  who  look'd  upon  the  Gods  of  thefe 
Nations  as  Vanity  and  Nothings  who  were  oblig'd  to  (u) 
overthrow  their  Altars,  burn  their  Groves,  hew  down  their 
Images,  and  utterly  extirpate  their  Religion,  were  totally 
debarr'd  from  entering  into  any  Treaty  or  Alliance  with 
them,  becaufe  they  could  not  recognize  their  Idols  as  Gods, 
nor  take  any  publick  Faith  from  the  Worfhippers  of  them. 
For  fo  the  People  feem  to  fay  to  the  Gibeonites,  at  their  firft 
coming  into  the  Camp  to  propofe  a  Treaty,  peradwnture 
you  dwell  among  us,  ••*  are  fome  of  thofe  neighbouring  Na- 
"  tions,  whom  we  are  order'd  to  deftroy,  whofe  Gods  we 
*'  are  to  drive  out,  and  whofe  Country  we  are  come  to 
**  take  Pofleflion  of,"  and  howjhall  we  make  a  League  with 
you  ?  "  The  Interdiction  we  are  under  will  not  permit  us ; 
"  and  therefore,  if  you  pretend  to  impofe  upon  us  in  this 
*'  Matter,  the  Covenant  of  courfe  is  null  and  invalid  ;  and 
**  fo  in  Reality  it  was." 

'Tis  reafonable  however  to  imagine,  that,  after  the  Fraud  ^„j  ^,^y 
of  the  Gibeonites  was  difcover'd,  the  Princes  of  T/r^'f/ might '■^7  abode /^ 
refledl  upon  their  NegleCl,  in  not  confulting  the  Divine  O-^*"^  ?^'^'-'' 
racle  before ;  and,  as  the  Peace,  which  they  had  enter'd  in-  beonites. 
to,  was  plainly  repugnant  to  God's  Command  of  extermina- 
ting all  the  Canaanites,  the  Queftion  was,  what  they  fliould 
do  in  this  Cafe ;  whether  abide  by  the  Treaty,  and  fo  poft- 
pone  the  Command  j  or  execute  the  Command,  and  fo  dif- 
annul  the  Treaty  :  The  whole  Strefs  of  the  Queftion  turns 
upon  this (x)  Whether  God  commanded  the  Ifrae- 
lites to  deftroy  all  the  People  of  Canaan  abfolutely,  and 
without  Exception;  or  whether  he  allow'd  them  to  fpare 
fuch  as  voluntarily  fubmitted  themfelves,  and  came  to  im- 
plore 

(j)  Exod.  xxiii.  32.  [t)  ShuckforcTs  Conne£lion,  Vol.  III. 
Lib.  xii.  [li)  Deut.  xii.  3.  {x)  Pufetidorf,  de  Jure  Gent. 
Lib,  iv.  Cap.  a.  Seft.  7,  de  Juramentis,  6°f, 


to  the  End. 


128  The  Hiftory  of  the  Bl'Q'L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.    plore  their  Pity  and  Prote(3ion.     The  Words  of  the  Injunc- 

^t^'chr[ft.  ^'°"  ^"  ^^'^  ^^^^  ^^^  ^"''^J  ^"^  exprefs  enough  ;  ( y)  When 
1451,  &c' thou  goeji  nigh  unto  a  City  to  fight  againji  it,  then  proclaim 
Fromjofh.  i.  p^^ce  unto  it^  and  if  it  make  thee  Anfwer  of  Peace ^  and 
open  unto  thee,  then  Jhall  all  the  People  that  are  found  there- 
in be  Tributaries  to  thee,  and  Jhallferve  thee. Thus 

Jhalt  thou  do  unto  all  the  Cities,  which  are  very  far  tfffrom 
thee,  and  which  are  not  of  the fe  C?Lnz?t.n\t\ih  Nations.  But 
of  the  Cities  of  thefe  People,  which  the  Lord  thy  God  doth 
give  thee  for  an  Inheritance,  thou  (halt  fave  alive  nothing 
that  breatheth,  hut  Jhalt  utterly  dejlroy  them,  that  they  teach 
thee  not  to  do  all  their  Abominations,  which  they  have  done  to 
their  Gods.  But  here  feme  great  Writers  have  obferv'd, 
that  this  utter  ExtinSiion  of  the  Canaanitijh  Nations,  con- 
fidering  the  Reafons  that  are  given  for  it,  both  here  and  (z) 
elfewhere,  is  to  be  look'd  upon  {a)  as  a  Permiflion,  rather 
than  a  pofitive  Command,  and  ftiould,  at  lead:,  (/»)  be  under- 
ftood  with  this  Limitation  ;  unlefs  they  immediately  fubmit- 
ied,  renounced  their  Idolatry,  and  did  every  Ihing  that  was 
enjoined  them.  And  to  this  Purpofe  (c)  the  j^ews  have  a 
Tradition,  that  Jojhua,  before  he  declar'd  War  againft  the 
feven  Nations,   wrote  Letters  to  them,  wherein  he  ofTer'd 

them  three  Conditions That,  if  they  were  minded  to 

depart,  they  (hould  quit  the  Country  immediately  j  if  they 
were  defirous  to  make  Peace,  they  Ihould  come  and  treat 
with  the  Ifraelites ;  but,  that  if  they  intended  to  fight  it 
out,  they  might  betake  themfelves  to  their  Arms:  And 
they  farther  add,  that  ihtfirjl  of  thefe  Conditions  the  Gir- 
gajlntes  embrac'd,  and  fled  into  Egypt ;  the  fecond  the  Gi- 
beojtites  accepted,  and  made  a  League  with  y<7/^«tf ;  and  the 
third  the  confederate  Kings  made  their  Choice,  when  they 
took  up  Arms  againft  the  Ifraelites,  and  were  all  defeated. 
But  this  is  no  more  than  a  bare  Hypothefis,  invented  on 
Purpofe  to  folve  the  Difficulty,  and  feems  not  to  have  near 
fo  good  a  Foundation,  as  that,  which  fuppofes,  that  the 
Princes  of  Ifrael,  remembring  their  former  Omiffion,  and 
their  Infecurity  in  afting  upon  their  own  Bottom,  might, 
in  this  Perplexity,  have  Recourfe  to  God  for  Advice,  and 
that  his  Anfwer  might  be,  that  the  League  (hould  be  ratified. 
Of  this  indeed  we  have  no  exprefs  Mention  in  Scripture;  but 

in 

(y)  Deut.  XX.  10,  ^c.       [z]  Exod.  xxiii.  33.  and  Deut.  vil. 
4.      _     [a)  Puffendorf,  ibid.  {h)  Grotius,  de  Jure  Belli, 

Lib.  ii.  Cap.  13.  [c)  SaunVs  Diikn.  fur  TArtifice  des 

Gabaonites,  Vol.  IIL 


Chap. I.    from  the I(v2i^\itt5  entering  C^n^i^n,  ^c.        129 

in  fo  (hort  an  Hiftory  of  fuch  a  Variety  of  Tranfaftions,  as    A.  M. 
that  of  Jojhua  is,  we  may  well  imagine,  thdt  feveral  ^'^'^-"^^^t" ^m 
cumftances  may  be  omitted.     For  that  fome  fuch  Ratifica-1451,  &c. 
tion  of  this  Treaty  was  determin'd  by  God,  we  have  great ^^""Jo'^'' 
Piefumption  to  believe  (d)    from  the  fevere  Punifliment, 
which  he  afterwards  inflicted  upon  the  Ifraelites,  and  the 
Pofterity  of  Saul^  for  his  having  flain  fome  of  the  Defen- 
dants of  thefe  Gibeonitesy  (not  improbably  (e)  at  the  facking 
of  the  Town  of  Nob).     For,  tho'  this  Adlion  of  Saul's  was 
cruel  and  inhumane,  becaufe  the  Decree  for  the  Extirpati- 
on of  the  Catmanites  was  now  extinct ;  yet,  what  made  it 
more  heinous  and  provoking  to  God,  was,  the  Infradion  of 
the  Treaty,  which  had  fubfifted  about  four  Ages,  and  which 
coft  the  Lives  of  feven  of  that  bloody  Prince's  Sons,  and 
Grandfons  to  atone. 

The  Heathens,  it  muft  be  own'd,  had  no  fmall  Refpedl 
and  Veneration  for  Oaths :  Whenever  they  took  one,  ic 
was  in  the  moft  folemn  and  religious  Manner,  {f )  They 
look'd  upon  the  Gods  as  Infpeftors,  and  Witneltes  of  what 
they  faid,  more  efpecially  at  fuch  a  Time  as  this.  They 
believ'd  that  the  Furies  were  appointed  to  be  Avengers  of 
all  Perjury  ;  and  that,  as  [g]  Difgracc  attended  it  in  this 
World,  fo  Deftruilion  would  purfue  it  in  the  next.  And, 
as  this  was  the  general  Notion  of  moft  heathe;i  Nations,  fo 
the  Giieonites^  who  had  hitherto  conceiv'd  a  good  Opinion 
of  the  God  of  Ifrael,  would  have  been  fkxdXigQXy  Jcandaliz^d, 
t  had  they  found  his  People  prevaricating  with  their  Oaths, 
even  tho'  they  were  made  upon  a  falfe  Suppofition.  For  Fear 
therefore,  left  any  Difhonour  fhould  fall  ultimately  upon  that 
divine  Majefty,whofe  Servants  they  were,  the  Princes  of  the 
Congregation  unanimoufly  agree,  (and  there  feems  to  be 
fomething  of  a  divine  Infpiration  in  this  their  Unanimity) 
and  declare  it  as  their  joint  Opinion,  {h)  We  havefworn  unto 
them  by  the  Lord  God  ^Ifrael,  and  therefore,  without  break- 
ing 

(d)  zSam.  xxi.  i,&f(r.  [e)  l  Sam.  xxii.  19.  (f)YiAt 
Heftod.  Dies,  Ver.  38,  i^c.  (g)  Perjurii  Pcena  Divina  Exi» 
tium,  Humana  Dedecus.     Cic.  de  Leg.  Lib.  ii. 

f  St.  Amhrofey  treating  of  this  Story,  fpeaks  of  it  in  this 

Manner :  — Jofhua  did  not  think  fit  to  break  the  Peace,  'v:hicb 

he  had  granted,  becaufe  it  'was  confirm  d  iMith  the  aixful  Solemni- 
ty of  an  Oath,  lefi,  ivhild  be  ivas  blaming  the  ?erfidioufncfs  of 
others,  he  himfelf  Jhould  be  nvorfe  than  his  Word,  and  forfeit  hif 
wjn  Honour.     De  Officiis,  Lib.  iii.  Cap.  lo, 

{h)  Jofh.ix,  19. 

Vol.  in.    ^  I 


I30  The  Hijiory  of  the  BIB  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.    ine  our  Oath,  or  forfeiting  his  Favour,  we  may  not  touch 

Ant.  Chrlft.  ^"^^' 

1451,  &c.  It  was  the  fame  commendable  Zeal  for  the  Honour  of 
'P'^°"'J°^-''God,  that  made  the  Ifraelites,  on  one  Side  of  Jordariy 
' ._  _  ^conceive  fuch  angry  Refentments  againft  their  Brethren  on 
J^fi-fifra-the  other,  upon  Sufpicion,  that  they  had  apo/fatiz*d  from 
elites  fM*o/.  his  Worfhip  into  the  Idolatry  of  the  Nations,  that  were 
^"/Jjb^/J^"'^ round  about  them.  The  two  Tribes  and  an  half,  upon 
their  Return  from  the  Wars,  ere£led  an  Altar,  in  Memory 
of  their  Relation  to  the  Tribes  and  Tabernacle,  which  they 
had  left  behind  them  (?').  This  Altar,  it  feems,  was  of  an 
Height  fomewhat  extraordinary ;  and,  as  it  was  the  Cuftom 
for  Heathens  to  worfhip  their  Gods  (which  were  generally 
celejilal  Bodies)  upon  High-Places,  as  prefuming  that  there- 
by they  made  nearer  Approaches  to  them ;  their  Brethren, 
on  the  JVeJi  Side  of  the  River,  conje£tur'd  from  thence, 
that  this  was  an  Altar  rais'd  for  the  Worfhip  of  the  5««,  or 
fome  other  planetary  God.  But,  if  even  they  were  mifla- 
ken  in  that  Conjefture,  fufficient  Reafon  they  had  to  fuf- 
pe£t,  that  it  was  intended  for  no  good  Purpofe,  fmce  God 
had  exprefsly  forbidden  them  to  offer  their  Sacrifices  at  any 
other  Place,  but  the  Tabernacle,  or  upon  any  other  Altar, 
but  that,  which  was  built  by  his  Appointment :  For  thefe 
are  Directions  which  Mojes  gives  them  ;  (k)  Ye  are  not  yet 
come  to  the  Reji,  and  to  the  Inheritance,  which  the  Lord  your 
God  giveth  you  :  But,  when  ye  fhall  be  put  in  PofTeffion 
of  it,  ye  Jhallnot  do  after  all  thefe  Things,  that  we  do  here 
this  Day,  every  Man  whatjoever  is  right  in  his  own  Eyes  ; 
hut  in  the  Place  which  the  Lordjhall  chufe,  in  one  of  thy 
Tribes,  there  Jhalt  thou  offer  thy  Burnt-Offerings',  thither 
Jhalt  thou  come,  and  there  (halt  thou  do  all  that  I  command 
thee. 

Now  when  they  had  fufHcient  Reafon,  as  they  thought, 
to  fufpeil  their  Brethren  of  a  Defeftion  into  Idolatry,  what 
(hould  they  do  ?  Why,  herein  they  punftually  follow  the 
Rules,  which  God  himfelf  had  prefcrib'd  them  in  fuch  a 
Cafe.  (/)  If  thou  (halt  hear  fay,  in  one  of  thy  Cities,  which 
the  Lord  thy  God  hath  given  thee  to  dwell  there,  faying,  Cer^ 
tain  Men,  the  Children  */"  Belial,  are  gone  out  from  among 
you,  and  have  withdrawn  the  Inhabitants  of  their  City,  fay- 
ing,  let  us  go,  and  ferve  other  Gods,  (which  ye  have  not 
known)  then  fho.lt  thou  enquire ^  and  make  Search,  and  ajk 

diligently, 

to  Saurins  Differt.  Jo/ue  renwie  les  Reuh,  [k)  Deut.  xii. 

9,  8,  14.  {I)  Deut.  xiii.  12,  13,  ijfc. 


Chap.  I.    from  the  IfraeJites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.         131 

diligently y  and  behold,  if  it  be  Truth,  and  the  Thing  cer- ^^^^-  M.^ 
tain,  that  fuch  Abomination  is  wrought  among  you,  ^/-'^«  am. 'chrlft; 
Jhalt  furely  fmite  the  Inhabitants  of  that  CHy  with  the  EdgeiA^ii,  ©"<._ 
of  the  Sword;  dejlroying  it  utterly,  and  all  that  is  ^/^^^«'"«^  fo°hVE?d.'* 
end  the  Cattle  thereof,  with  the  Edge  of  the  Sword;  nnd^_^..^_^j 
thou  Jhalt  gather  all  the  Spoil  of  it  into  themidji  of  the  Street 
thereof,  and  Jhalt  burn  zvith  Fire  the  City,  and  all  the  Spoil 
thereof  every  whit,  for  the  Lord  thy  God ;  and  it  jhall  he  an 
Heap  for  ever,  it  Jhall  not  be  built  again.     And  if  the  If- 
raelites  on  the  IVeJl  of  Jordan,  having  this  Caufe  of  Suf- 
picion,  purfu'd  thefe  Orders  to  a  Tittle,  who  (hall  fay,  that 
they  did  amifs,  or  that  their  Zeal  for  God's  Glory  was  rafh 
and  precipitate  ?  They  took  the  propereft  Method  (which 
was  fending  an  Embafly)  for  the  Difcovery  of  the  Truth  j 
and  if,  upon  Enquiry,  their  Fears  were  found  to  be  ground- 
lefs,  yet  it  feems  to  be  an  Error  on  the  better  Side,  (as  we 
commonly  fay)  and  an  Inftance  of  no  contemptible  Pru- 
dence, in  Matters  of  fo  dangerous  a  Confequence,  always 
to  fufpe£l  the  worft. 

It  may  be  doubted  perhaps,  whether  the  Ifraelltes  wereffy  tiny 
a  People  of  the  greateft  Bravery  in  the  World,  but  it  may  «'«'^'  /f^'- 
truly  be  faid,  that  there  was  no  Neceffity  for  their  being  fo  ; '"""  '•' 
becaufe,  upon  all  Occafions,  they  had  the  Lord  of  Hofis 
to  proteft  them,  and  to  fight  their  Battles  for  them.     Sup- 
ported by  his  Aid,   (m)  how  did  one  of  them  chafe  a  Thou- 
fand,  and  two  put  ten  Thoujand  to  Flight,  except  their  Rock 
had  fold  them,  and  the  Lord  had  Jhut  them  up  ?  But  when 
this  was  the  Cafe,  no  Wonder  at  all,  that  (n)  the  Hearts 
of  the  People  melted  away,  and  became  like  Water. 

The  fhort  of  the  Story  was  this  : They  had  all 

along  hitherto  been  vidtorious  ;  had  fubdu'd  a  Country  be- 
yond Jordan  ;  pafs'd  that  River,  and  conquer'd  the  Capital 
of  the  adjacent  Province  by  Miracle :  And  now,  having  fent 
out  a  Party  to  fummons  a  fmall  Place  to  furrender,  upon 
the  firfl:  Sally  that  the  Inhabitants  make,  they  are  all  on  a 
fudden  feiz'd  with  a  Panick,  forget  their  Courage  and  flee, 
without  fo  much  as  ftriking  a  Stroke.  This  they  could  not 
but  perceive  was  the  EfFedt  of  God's  Difpleafure,  and  there- 
fore, confidering  themfelves  in  an  Enemy's  Country,  they 
had  juftreafon  to  dread,  that,  if  God  fliould  defert  them  in 
this  Situation  of  their  AfFairs,  the  People  of  the  Land,  hear- 
ing the  Report  of  their  Defeat,  would  come,  and(as  Jojhua 

I  2  expreffea 

[m)  Chap,  xxxii.  30.        (»)  Jolh.  vii.  ^, 


132  the  Hiftory  <?/  /^^  B  1  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.    cxprefles  iO  (o)  environ  them  rounds  and  cut  aff  their  Name 

Ant.'chrift./''^'"  '^^  ^^^'^• 

1451,  &c.  Good  Reafon  therefore  had  the  Ifraehtes  to  be  difcon- 
^'°'"J^j'*  folate,  when  they  found  that  God,  to  whom  they  ow'd  all 
*, their  Valour  and  Vidbries,  had  forfaken  them.  But,  in 
the  mean  Time,  how  did  they  behave  upon  this  Occafion  ? 
Why,  they  fell  to  the  Earth  upon  their  Kneesy  in  humble 
Supplication  to  God  for  Mercy  ;  they  continu'd  all  the  Day 
long  in  fafting  and  praying,  and  exprefs'd  their  Sorrow,  and 
the  Senfe  of  their  Unworthinefs  with  the  ufual  Tokens  of 
Grief.  And  was  not  this  better,  than  to  become  obdurate 
under  God's  afflidting  Hand,  as  were  the  Egyptians  P  Nay, 
was  not  this  the  very  Behaviour,  by  which  the  Ninevites 
mov'd  the  divine  Mercy  to  reverfe  the  Sentence  of  Excilion-, 
that  had  gone  out  againft  them  ?  So  that,  all  Things  confi* 
der'd,  the  Ifraelites,  in  this  Regard,  are  not  to  be  blam'dj 
fince  they,  who  had  loft  the  Rock  of  their  Mighty  and  had 
the  Terrors  of  the  Lord  fet  in  Array  againji  them,  were  far 
from  fearing  where  no  Fear  was. 

And,  in  like  Manner,  if,  to  the  Reafons,  we  have 
already  alledg'd  for  their  ConducSl:  at  Jericho,  we  add  this 
one  Confideration,  viz.  that  they  were  juft  now  entering 
upon  their  Conqueftsi  that  this  was  the  firft  City  they  had 
taken  on  the  IVeJi-Side  of  Jordan  ;  and  that  the  People, 
they  had  to  contend  with.  Were  to  be  terrify 'd  into  Sub- 
rpiflion,  rather  than  intreated  ;  we  cannot  but  be  of  this  O- 
pinion,  that  an  Example  or  two  of  high  Severity^  at  the  firft 
letting  out,  was  no  lefs  than  neceflary  to  reduce  the  Coun- 
try more  fpeedily,  and  with  a  lefs  EfFufion  of  Blood ;  as  well 
as  to  verify  the  Promifeof  him,  who  ajjpointed  them  ;  (p) 
This  Day  will  I  begin  to  put  the  Dread  of  thee,  and  the  Fear 
of  thee  upon  the  Nations^  that  are  under  the  whole  Heaven^ 
whojhall  hear  report  of  thee,  and  Jhall  tremble,  and  be  in 
Angui(h  becaufe  of  thee. 

Without  entering  therefore  into  any  farther  Vindica- 
tion of  the  y^u;//?)  Nation,  we  may  fafely  fay,  that,  in  the 
Cafes  we  have  had  under  Confideration,  they  were  neither 
%eakusy  nov  timorous y  nor  cr«f/ without  a  Caufe;  that,  in 
the  Jirjt  of  thefe  Cafes,  they  exprefs'd  their  Concern  for 
God's  Honour ;  in  the  fecondy  their  Dread  of  his  departing 
from  them ,  and  in  the  third,  their  Obedience  to  his  Com- 
mand. 

It 

[0)  Jolh.  vii.  9.        (/.)  Deut.  ii.  25. 


Chap.  I.  from  the  Ifradkes  entering  Canaan,  &c.  133 

It  is  a  Law  of  God's  own  enacting,  that  (q)  the  Fa-    A.  m. 
then  Jhall  not  he  put  to  Death  for  the  Children^  "^"'^^^"j^'^^^Am.^cSft. 
the  Children  he  put  to  Death  for  the  Fathers ^  but  every  Man  1451,  sfc. 
/hall  be  put  to  Death  for  his  own  Sin  :  But  then  we  are  fo^J^J^^g^' '' 
confider,  that  this  Law  was  given  to  Man,  and  npt  to  God,  .^^     _^'j 
who  has  certainly  a  more  abfolute  Right  and  Sovereignty  ne  '.afe  of 
over  Men,  than  one  Man  has  over  another.     That,  as  the  Achan'j ;  hih 
Jfraelites^  at  this  Time,  liv'd   under  a  Tlieocracy^  and,  in  ^^^^^  "'^"" 
a  proper  Senfe,  had  God  for  their  civil  Governor,  every 
wilful  Tranfgreffion  (fuch  as  Achanh  was)  muft  have  been 
deem'd  not  only  a  Violation  of  the  Divine  Command,  but 
a  Crime  of  lefe  Majejiy  likewife  ;  and  that,  in  Crimes  of 
this  Kind,  the  Pradlice  of  all  *  Governments,  ancient  as 
well  as  modern^  has  bpen,  to  make  Children  fufFer  for  the 
Iniquity  of  the  Parent  (as  in  Cafes  of  Attaint  of  Blood,  and 
Confifcation  of  Eftate)  and  that,  with  t^e  Reputation  of  the 
Ya^t^  Equity.     Upon  the  Suppofition  then  that  yfc^ow's 
Family  were  not  acceflbry  to  their  Father's  Crime,  yet  God, 
who  gave  them  Life,  had  undoubtedly  a  full  Power  to  take 
it  away,  at  what  Time,  or  iri  what  Manner  he  thought  fit ; 
and,    if   in    Cafes  of  High-Xreafon^   among  Men,  it  is 
thought  reafonable  to  devolve  fome  of  the  Parent's  Penalty 
upon  the  Children,  there  is  this  farther  Argument  why 
y/f/'^w's  Family  ftiould  be  made  to  fufFer  with  him,  becaufe 
God  could  not  exprefs  his  Severity  againft  Sin,  nor  take 
their  Lives  aw^y,  at  a  more  convenient  Opportunity,  than 
in  the  Beginning  of  a  "New  Empire^  and  when  each  Man's 
Right  and  Property  was  going  to  be  fettled  ;  that  fuch  a 
dreadful  Example  of  his  Indignation  againft  Stealth  might 
deter  others,  if  not  for  their  own,  at  leaft  for  their  dear 
Children's  Sake,  to  abftain  from  fuch  dangerous  and  perni- 
cious Pra£^ifes.     (r)  The  Jews  have  a  Maxim,  that  he^ 
who  is  an  Accomplice  in  any  Crime ^  is  as  culpable  as  the  Per- 
fon   who  commits  it  i  aiid  therefore,  if  we  fuppofe,  that 
'     '  I  3  ■    Achan's 

(a)  Deut.  xxiv.  16. 

*  Thus  Cicero,  to  excufe  the  Confifcations,  decreed  againft 
Lepidus,  which  afFefted  his  Children,  the  Nephews  of  Brutus, 
has  thefe  Words,  Neque  'vero  me  fugit,  quam  fit  acerhunt, 

Parentum  feeler  a  Fillorum  F cents  lui :  Sed  hoc  Prasclare  Legibus 
comp^ratum  efl;,  ut  Charltas  liherorum  amiciores  Parentes  Reipuh  • 
tlcee  redderet.  Ad  Brutum  Liber  I.  Epifi.  \z.  And  again. 
In  qua  <videtur  ejfe  crude le,  quod  ad  Liber os,  qui  nihil  jnertierunt^ 
Ptrna  per'venit ;  fed  &  id  antiquum  eft,  &  omnium  Civitati^m. 
Ep.  15.     ^«r^ar/(?«'s  Divine  Legation,  Vol.  III.  Lib. 5.       '  '  ;' 

[r)  Saurinh  Differt.  fur  Ic  Crime,  i^c.  de  Achan, 


J  34  'The  HiHory  0/  /^^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.M.    ^c/7/7«'s  Family  was  privy  to  what  their  Father  had  done, 

Ai«?'ciuitt.  ^""^  '^''^  conceal  it,  there  could  be  no  Injuftice  in  including 

145 1,  &c.  them  in  the  Punifhment.     It  may  be  pretended  perhaps, 

^■^"l"  Jo''*-  >•  that  fome  of  them  were  Infants,  and  fo  muft  be  deem'd  in- 

^^^      ^  nocent ;  but  the  Text  fays  nothing  of  this :   It  only  calls 

them  [s)  Sons  and  Daughters,  and,  confldering  that  Jchan, 

in  all  Probability,  was  an  old  Man,  (t)  as  being  the  Jiftb 

Defcendant  from  Judah,    it  feems  moft  likely,  that  his 

Children  («)  were  grown  up,  and  fo  capable  of  knowing, 

and  of  either  concealing,  or  difcovering  the  Faft. 

But,  after  all,  there  is  no  Occafion  for  our  running 
ourfelves  into  any  Difficulty.  The  Text  does  not  fay, 
neither  is  it  any  way  imply'd,  ihaAAchan'sSons  andDaughters 
were  executed  with  him.  In  the  Sentence  denounc'd  a- 
gainft  him,  we  find  no  mention  made  of  them,  and  why 
then  ftiould  we  fuppofe,  that  they  were  Partakers  in  his 
Punifhment,  any  other  ways,  than  as  they  were  brought 
cut  to  be  SpeSfators  of  it  ?  And  a  piercing  Sight  no  doubt, 
it  was,  for  Perfons  fo  nearly  related  to  behold  the  fad  Fate 
of  their  Chief,  firft  fton'd  to  Death,  and  then,  with  all 
his  Goods  and  Chattels,  as  well  as  thofe  accurs'd  Things, 
for  which  he  was  condemn'd,  committed  to  the  Flames, 
His  Oxen,  and  Jffes,  and  Sheep  are  here  taken  Notice  of, 
to  let  us  fee,  that  Achan  was  a  wealthy  Man,  and  there- 
fore inexcufable  in  committing  this  Fa(Sl :  And  tho'  they 
were  not  capable  of  Sin,  nor  confequently,  of  Punifhment 
properly  fo  call'd  ;  yet,  as  they  were  made  for  Man's  Ufa, 
they  might  fairly  die  for  his  Inflrudion,  vi%.  to  convince 
him  of  the  fad  and  contagious  Nature  of  Sin,  which  even 
involves  innocent  Creatures  in  its  Plagues;  and  emhle" 
rnatkally  to  fhew  him,  how  much  forer  Punifhments  are 
referv'd  for  Man,  who,  having  a  Law  given  for  the  Con- 
du£l  of  his  Life,  and  the  Gifts  of  Reafon  and  IVill  to  re- 
flrrain  him  from  the  TranfgrefHon  of  it,  will  adventure 
upon  Things  forbidden,  and  thereby  contract  greater  Guilt, 
and  draw  upon  himfelf  feverer  Expreffions  of  the  Divine 
Wrath. 
rbe  Strata.  GoD  indeed  fliles  himfelf  The  Ltrdof  Hojfs,  and  had  fo 
a'"  T-^i"-^.  immediate  an  Hand  in  the  Conduft  of  Ifrael,  that  every 
t^,„,  military  Atchievement  or  theirs  might  very  properly  be  al- 

crib'd  to  him  :  But  when  he  order'd  Jojhua  {x)  to  go  up 
againj}  Ai,  and  to  lay  an  Ambufcade  behind  it,    he  might, 

notwith- 

(s)  Jofh.  vii.  24.  (/)   Ibid.  Ver.  i.  (u)  PooT^ 

Annotations.  {x)  Jofh.  viii.  2. 


Chap.  I.     from  the  Ifradites  entering  Cznzzn,  ^c.       135 

notwithftanding  this,  leave  the  whole  Glory  of  the  Inven-    A-  ^-^ 
tion,   and  Execution  of  it  to  him,  as  an  able  and  expert  Ant.^'chnft. 
General  j  for  if  he  had  always  wrought  Miracles  in  Favour  145I'  ^^^ 
of  his  People,  and  left  nothing  for  Jo/hua  to  perform,    we^J"^'^^^^-  '• 
cannot  fee,  how  he  could  have  merited  the  Chara£ler  of, 
an  extraordinary  Man. 

In  other  Events,  where  the  whole  may  be  faid  to  be  un- 
der the  Guidance  of  God,  he  takes  Care  to  direft  every 
Particular  of  the  Tranfa£tion.     In  paffing  the  River  Jor- 
dan^  and  furrounding  the  Walls  of  Jericho^  he  prefcribes 
the  Form  and  Order  of  the  People's  March,  and  how,  upon 
every  Occafion,  they  were  to  behave  ;  but  here,  in  the  Af- 
fair of  y//',  he  contents  himfelf  with  merely  fuggefting  the 
Means^  as  Things  that  Jojhua  was  no  Stranger  to,    and 
leaves  to  him  the  Contrivance  and  Application  of  them. 
This  Stratagem  indeed  is  the  firft,  that  we  find  any  Men- 
tion of  in  Scripture  ;  but  we  muft  not  from  thence  infer, 
that  there  was  never  any  before  put  in  Execution.     The  Art 
of  War  began  very  foon,  and  was  carry'd  on,  no  Doubt, 
with  great  Application.      The  whole  Excellence  of    its 
Management  confifts  in  circumventing,  and  doubling  upon 
the  Enemy  with  Dexterity  ;  and  therefore  no  Queflion,  but 
that  the  Wits  of  Mankind  were  always  employ'd  in  tar 
king  the  Advantage  of  each  other,  and  in  gaining  a  Victory 
with  the  leaft  Expence  of  Blood  on  their  own  Side,  {j)  The 
Romans  fell  frequently  into  the  Snares  which  were  laid  for 
them,    becaufe  their  Generals  were  Men   of  no  military 
Skill ;    and  therefore,  to  excufe   their  Ignorance,  they  al- 
ledged,  that  they  made  War  like  honejl  Men,  without  De- 
ceit or  Artifice ;   And  if  Alexander  difclaim'd   the  Ufe  of 
Stratagems,  it  was,  becaufe  he  knew  the  Cowardice  of  his 
Enemies,  and  how  eafy  a  Matter  it  was  to  gain  a  Con- 
quefl  in  a  fair  and  open  Field.     For,  it  is  not  to  be  doubt- 
ed,   but  that  had  he  been  to  attack  any  other  Nation,  ex- 
cept the  effeminate  Perfians,  he  would   have  taken  his 
Friend  Parmenio's  Advice,  and  (without  bluftiing  at  a  Vic- 
tory obtained  by  good  Management)  fallep  upon  his  Enemy 
under  the  Cover  of  the  Night. 

However  this  be,  that  Stratagems  are  lawful  in  War 
we  have  good  Prefumption  to  think  from  God's  directing 
"Joflma  to  make  Ufe  of  one  ;  and  tho'  he  does  not  (as  other 
Warriors  doj  employ  any  of  thefe  at  a  Pinch,  or  becaufe 
he  cannot  accomplifli  his  Defigns  without  them  \    tho'  he 

I  4  could], 

(y)  Calmeth  Didionary,  under  the  Word  Ah 


156  ^e  Hijlory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  i^^   could,    with  one  fingle  ASt  of  his  Will,  have  deftroy'd  the 
Am?  Chrift  ^'^y  °^   ^''»  ^^^  ^^'  ^^^  Inhabitants  thereof,  and,    without 
1451,  &c.  fufFering  his  People  to  ftrike  one  Blow,  have  put  them  in 
*'f<''"J°''V'-Pofreffion  of  the  promis'd  Land  ;   yet,  chufing  to  aft  by 
.^  _      J  fecondary  Means,   he  proceeded  in  the  ordinary  Way,  and, 
leaving  a  good  deal  to  Jojhua's  Skill  and  Management,    af- 
fifted  him  only  at  fome  critical  Conjunctures,   that,  by  a 
Prolongation  of  the  War,  the  Reputation  of  his  People  might 
be  rais'd,  and  more  frequent  Opportunities  occur,  for  the 
Difplay  of  his  miraculous  Works. 
Why  God        (z)  yOSEPHUS  indeed  feems  not  to  have  confulted  the 
Sites  the  ^o"0"f  o^  Jofjua  much,  when  he  afcribes  the  Delay  of  the 
i-cfftfficn  of  Conqueft  of  Canaan  to  the  Weaknefs  of  his  Army,  and  the 
(»//  Canaan,  impregnable  Strength  of  the  Places  he  was  to  attack  :  But 
(<?)  fome  other  Jews  make  the  Matter  much  worfe,  when 
they  tell  us,  that  he  defir'd  to  prolong  the  War,   not  only 
to  retain  the  Office  and  Dignity  of  being  Captain-Generaly 
but  becaufe  he  was  inform'd  by  the  Oracle,  that  as  foon  as 
the  Conquefl  was  finiih'd,    he  himfelf  was  to  die.     God 
however  feems  to  have  given  us  much  better  Reafons  for  this 
Retardation,    when  he  acquaints  Mofes  with  his  Intention  .• 
(b)  I  will  not  drive  the  Canaanites  out  from  before  thee  in 
ene  Tear^  leji  the  Land  become  defolate^  and  the  Beajis  of 
the  Field  multiply  againji  thee ;  and  when  he  complains  of 
their  fad  Defection,  after  the  Death  of  Jajhua^  [c)  I  will 
not  henceforth  dri-ue  out  any  from  before  them,  of  the  Nati- 
ons which   Jofhua  left  when   he  died,    that  through  them  I 
may  pnve  Ifrael,  whether  they  will  keep  the  Way  of  the  Lord 
to  walk  therein,  as  their  Fathers  did  keep  it,  or  no'.   Where- 
upon the  Hiftorian  tells  us,  that  God  accordingly  did  leave 
thefe  Nations  without  driving  them  out  ;    and  adds  another 
Reafon  for  their  Continuance  in  the  Country,  viz.  that  the 
Jfraclites,  by  having  an  Enemy  to  contend  with,  might  be 
train'd  up  in  the  Art  and  Myftery  of  War :   For  {d)  thefe 
are  the  Nations,  fays  he,  which  the  Lord  left  to  prove  Iftael^ 
that  by  them  they  might  teach  thofe  War,    who  before  knew 
nothing  of  it. 

So  that  here  are  three  Reafons  given  us,  why  God  delay- 
ed the  entire  Subjedtion  of  Canaan  ;  viz.  becaufe  the  Chil- 
dren of  Ifrael  were,  as  yet,  too  few  in  Number  to  reple- 
nifh  the  whole  Country  j   becaufe  God,  by  keeping  the 

Canaanites 

(x)  Antlq.  lib.  v.   c.   l.  (a)   Vid.  Schotan.  Biblioth. 

Vet.  &  Nov.  Teft.  Vol.   II.  p.  402,         (b)  Exod.  xxiii.  29, 
50.         (c)  Judg.  ii,  21,  22.  {d)  Judg.  iii.  i,  2. 


Chap.  I.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.         137 

Canaan'itei  in  Being,    was  willing  both  to  make  Trial  of    •^-  ^ 
his  People's  Obedience,  and  to  train  them,    and  their  Pof-Ant?  Chrift. 
terity,    for  fome  Ages,    up  in  military  Difcipline  and  Ex-  i4s»>  &c 

ercife.  Fromjofh.i* 

But  there  is  another  Reafon  which  y(7/i«^,  in  his  dyings 
Speech,  affigns  for  their  not  enlarging  their  Conquefts  to 
the  utmoft  Bounds,  which  God  had  given  them :  {e)  Take 
good  Heed  therefore^  fays  he,  unto  yourfelves,  that  ye  love 
the  Lord  your  God  ;  elfe^  if  yov  do  in  any  wife  go  back,  and 
cltave  unto  the  Remnant  of  thefe  Nations,  even  thefe  that 
remain  among  you,  and  Jhall  make  Marriages  with  them^ 
and  go  in  unto  them,  and  they  to  you  ;  know  for  a  Certainty, 
that  the  Lord  your  God  will  no  more  drive  out  any  of  thefe 
Nations  from  before  you. 

So  that  the  Promife,  which  God  made  to  the  Ifraelites^ 
was  conditional ;  and,  as  they  manifeftly  falfify'd  their  Part 
of  the  Obligation,  by  engaging  firft  in  Affinity,  and  then 
in  Idolatry  with  the  Nations,  which  they  were  bound  to 
deftroy  ;  fo  God  might  very  well  think  himfelf  releas'd 
from  his,  and  under  no  farther  Concern  for  their  Succefs, 
or  the  Enlargement  of  their  Conqueft  j  {f)  but,  as  they 
had  been  the  Minijlers  of  his  Vengeance,  in  punifhing  thie 
Diforders  of  the  Canaanites,  they,  in  their  Turn,  were 
now  made  the  Inftruments  of  his  chaftizing  the  Difobedience 
of  his  own  People  :  [g)  They  fhall  be  Snares  and  Traps  td 
you,  and  Scourges  in  your  Sides,  and  Thorns  in  your  Eyes, 
until  ye  perijh  from  the  good  Land,  which  the  Lord  your 
God  hath  given  you. 

And  indeed,  if  we  confider  how  violently,  in  After- 
Ages,  the  Ifraelites  were  opprefs'd  by  their  Enemies,  and 
by  many  Battles  and  Captivities,  harrafs'd  and  diminifh'd  in 
their  Numbers,  we  fliall  find  no  Neceffity  of  enlarging  their 
Pofleffions  ;  becaufe  the  Country,  which  they  conquer 'd,  in 
the  firft  fix  Years,  was  fpacious  enough  to  contain  them,  [h) 
The  Promife  however,  which  God  made,  was  Sufficiently 
accomplifh'd  in  the  Reigns  of  David  and  Solomon,  when 
the  Kingdom  of  Ifrael  was  in  its  Zenith  ;  and  tho'  its  Ter- 
ritories did  not  extend  to  the  Euphrates,  yet  its  Dominion 
did,  fince  all  that  Trad  of  Land  between  Jerufalem  and 
that  great  River  was  either  fubdu'd,  or  made  tributary  to 
them. 

Upo^tf 

{e)  Jofti.  xxiii.  ii,  ^c.  (f)  Saurin\  DilTert.  Vol.  III. 
Differt.  10.        (g)  Joih.  xxiii.  13.        (h)  Pool\  Annotations; 


138  The  Hipry  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A-  M.  Upon  the  whole  therefore  it  is  evident,  that  the  Author 
Amf'chrifl.^'f  the  Book  of  Jofhua,  (be  he  who  he  will)  in  the  three 
1451,  Gff.  Inftances,  which  we  have  been  confidering,  has  left  no  Im- 
Fronfi  jofli.  i.  putation  upon  God  ;    forafmuch   as  tho'  he  commanded 

to  the  End.    ^ .  ,  ,  ta       1  •      1  1        i- 

^   ^  ^^Achan  to  be  put  to  Death,  yet  it  does  not  appeal,  that  his 
Children  fuffer'd  with  him  ;   or  if  they  did,  there  is  Pre- 
fumption  to  believe  that  they  were  Accomplices  in  his  Crime; 
Tho'  he  order'd  the  Taking  of  At  by  a  Stratagem,  yet  the 
whole  Form  and  Contrivance  of  it  he  left  to  the  General  j 
and  tho'  the  Ifraelites  did  not  aftually  poflefs  all,  that  he 
had  promis'd  them,   yet  this  was  occafion'd  by  their  own 
Difobedience  and  Cowardice,  and  the  Falfiftcation  6f  thofe 
Conditions,  upon  which  the  full  Conqueft  of  the  Land  of 
Canaan  was  fufpended. 
jJvwtbeArk     There  is  but  one  Objeftion  more,  in  the  Courfe  of 
'tobi-vUeen,^^^  Period,  which  is  ufually  alledg'd  againft  the  facred  Hif- 
atihtsTimtytoxy,  and  that  is,  the  feeming  Contradiction  of  the  Ark*% 
at  Shechem.  being  faid  to  be  at  Shechem,  when  it  was,  in  Reality,  at 
Shilob  :  But,  in  Anfwer  to  this,  fome  have  imagin'd,  that, 
^s  Jodma  was  now  grown  old  and  infirm,  the  Ark,  (/")  upon 
this  Occafion,  was  remov'd  from  Shiloh,   the  fettled  Place 
of  the  divine  Refidence,  to  Shechem,  the  Place  of  Jajhua^^ 
Habitation,  that  he  might  with  greater  Solemnity,  and  in  the 
Prefence  of  God,  (whereof  the  Ark  was  the  proper  Em' 
hlem)  deliver  his  Charge  to  the  People.     But  other  learned 
Men  haye  obferv'd,  that,  (k)  by  the  SanSiuary  of  the  Lord, 
we  are  to  underftand,  not  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  but  only 
fome  certain  Place  of  religious  Worfliip,  fuch,  very  pro- 
bably, as  thQjcwiJh  Oratories  were.     That  the  holy  Ark 
was  nof,  on  this  Occafion,  fet  up  here  at  Shechem,   is  evi- 
dent, they  fay,   from  that  Prohibition  given  by  God,  (/) 
Thou  Jhalt  not  plant  a  Grove  of  any  Trees,  near  unto  the 
jiltar  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  which  thou  Jhalt  make  thee, 
neither  Jhalt  thou  fet  up  a  Pillar ,  which  the  Lord  thy  God 
hateth  :  Whereas,   in  this  SanSfuary,    we  read  both  of  an 
Qak  planted,    and  a  Pillar,  or  Statue,   ere£led   under  it ; 
which  is  certainly  fuch  a  Violation  of  the  divine  Command,^ 
as  Jofljua,  upon  no  Occafion,  can  be  fuppos'd  capable  of 
incurring,     {m)  'Tis  a  very  probable  Opinion  therefore, 
that  the  Place,  where  Jojhua  fet  up  his  monumental  Pillar, 
was  one  of  thofe,  which  the  Tribe  of  Ephraim  (to  whom 
Shechem  belong'd)  had  confecrated,  and  fet  apart  for  a  Pro- 

feuchOf 

(i)  PooFs    Annot.   and  Patrick'^  Com.  (k)  Jofh.  xjdv, 

26.         (/)   Deut.  xvi,  21,22.         [jn]  Meds\Ti\{.   18. 


Ch  A p .  I.     from  the  Ifraefites  mUring  Canaan,  i£c.        139 

feuchay  or  a  Place  to  aiTemble  in  for  publick  Prayer  j  and    A,  M. 
that  they  made  Choice  of  this,  rather  than  any  other  to  per- ^^^^j^'ch^ll^ 
form  their  Devotions  in,    becaufe  it  was  that  particular  1451,  &c. 
Spot^  where  God  appear'd  to  Abraham,  and  promis'd  hisJ'j°^^J^^j  '• 
Pofterity  the  Poffeflion  of  the  Land  of  Canaan. 

*  That  there  were  fuch  Oratories,  or  Places  of  pub- 
lick  Prayer,  among  the  Jews^  and  that  they  were  generally 

befet, 

*  Epiphanius,  who  was  a  yew  bred,  and  born  in  Palejiine, 
fpeaking  of  feme  Hereticks,  (Lib.  i.  Haeref.  61.)  whom  he  calls 
Majfalians,  and  who,  according  to  his  Account,  were  neither 
yetus,  Chriftians,  nor  Samaritans,  but  Pagans,  tells  us,  that  they, 
neverthelels,  pretended  to  worlhip  the  one  true  God,  and,  for 
that  Purpofe,  had  certain  open  P/aces,  nvhich  they  called  ^roku- 
chae.  And  that  the  Je'ws  (as  alfo  the  Samaritans)  had  Places  for 
religious  Worjhip  of  the  fame  Denomination,  he  proves  from  the 
Adls  of  the  Apoftles,  (Chap.  xvi.  13.)  where  Lydia.  is  faid  ta 
have  met  St.  Paul,  and  to  have  heard  hifn  preach  in  that  Place^ 
which,  I5i){g,  TOToe  *£9tr»uxM«  «'fa',  fentd  ta  be  a  Place  of  Pray- 
er.  There  is  alfo  at  Shechem,  {ivhich  is  nonu  called  Neapolis) 
continues  he,  about  a  Mile  nvithout  the  City,  a  Profeucha,  a  Place 
of  Prayer,  like  a  Theatre,  ivhich  twas  built  in  the  open  Air,  and 
ivhhout  a  Roof,  by  the  Samaritans,  ifjho  affeSled  to  imitate  the 
Jews  in  all  Things.  Juvenal,  in  his  3d  Satire,  defcribing  the 
Manner,  in  which  fome  wild  young  Fellows  were  wont,  in  theiy 
drunken  Frolicks,  to  affront  and  abufe  every  poor  Man,  they 
met  in  the  Streets  in  the  Night^Time,  brings  them  in  fpeaking 
thus : 

Ede,  ubi  confiftas,  in  quS  te  quaero  Profeucha  ?  Sat.  III. 
Whereby  he  either  intimates,  that  he  was  fome  poor  Wretch,  who 
dwelt  in  an  Houfe,  that  could  not  keep  Out  Wind  and  Weather, 
but,  like  the  Jenvijh  Profeucha,  was  all  open  above;  or  he  al- 
ludes to  the  State  of  the  Jenvs  at  that  Time,  who  were  banifti'd 
out  of  Rome  by  Dofnitian,  and  had  no  Place  of  Shelter,  but  their 
Oratories,  which  were  without  the  Walls  of  the  City.  For, 
that  the  Jeius  had  their  Profeucha  about  the  City  of  Rome,  is  evi- 
dent from  that  Paffage  in  Philo,  (de  Legatione  ad  Caium)  where- 
in he  commends  the  Clemency  and  Moderation  of  Juliuf  Ca- 
far,  who  knew  that  the  Jevjs  had  fuch  Places  of  publick  Wor- 
Ihip,  where  they  always  affembled  on  the  Sabbath-Day,  and  yet 
gave  them  no  Moleftation,  as  Caius  had  done.  Jofephus  (yi  his 
Life,  Seft.  54.)  makes  mention  of  a  Profeucha  at  Tiberias  in 
Galilee,  and,  in  feveral  Places  in  the  tievj  Tejiament,  the  feme 
Term  is  made  ufe  of  in  the  fame  Signification.  Vid.  Mede\ 
Difcourfe  18.  But  then  the  Queftion  is,  whether  it  be  not  a 
Miftake  in  fome  learned  Men,  to  apply  ^n  Ufage,  that  is  men- 
tion'd  at  fuph  and  fuch  a  Time,  to  a  People  who  liv'4  many 
Ages  before. 

Pbih 


I40  The  Hi/lory  of  the  J^l'^h  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  befef-,  or  fhaded  with  Trees,  is  evident  from  fuch  a  Variety 
Ant'chrift. ^^  Teftimonies,  that  it  can  hardly  be  contefted  j  but, 
1451,. ©"<:.  whether  they  were  of  fo  early  a  Date,  zsjojhud' iT\mCj 
Fromjqfli.i.or  not  rather  introduc'd  after  the  Captivity  oi  Babylony  is 
r  ^-J  -  '  I  a  Queftion  not  eafy  to  determine.  In  the  main  however 
we  may  conclude,  that,  whether  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant 
was  occafionally  brought  to  Shechem,  or  at  Shtchem  there 
happen'd  to  be  fuch  an  Oratory,  as,  in  After- Ages,  be- 
came frequent  in  Judea,  there  can  be  no  Incongruity  in 
the  her e^  Penman's  faying,  that  the  SanSfuary  of  the  Lord 
(fmce  either  the  Ark,  or  the  Oratory  might  merit  that 
Name)  was  at  Shechem.  There  is  another  Solution  how- 
ever of  this  Difficulty,  which  ought  not  to  be  difregarded.  f 
Shechem  and  Sh'iloh  were  about  twelve  Miles  diftant  from 
each  other,  and,  in  the  Mid-Way  between  them,  was 
Timnah-Serah,  the  Place  where  jfojhua  liv'd.  Since  there- 
fore the  Text  informs  us,  that  fn)  he  gathered  all  the  Tribes 
c/"Ifrael  to  Shechem,  and  called  for  their  Elders,  for  their 
Heads,  for  their  Judges,  and  for  their  Officers,  and  they 
prefented  ibemf elves  before  God;  we  mav  reafonably  fup- 
pofe,  that  tho'  all  the  People  met  at  Shechem^  yet  their 

Elder 

Pbilo  Jud^us,  (de  Legat.  ad  Caium)  fpeaking  of  the  barbarous 
Outrage  of  feme  Gentiles  againft  the  fe-ivs,  dwelling  then  at 
Alexandria,  acquaints  us,  that,  of  fame  of  their  Profeuchae,  they 
ait  doiun  the  Trees,  and  others  they  demoliJFd  to  the  <very  Founda- 
tions. The  Poet  Jwvenal  alludes  to  the  very  fame  Cuftpm  of 
having  Trees  planted  where  the  Jenuijh  Oratories  were,  when, 
fpeaking  of  a  Fortune-Teller  of  that  Nation,  he  thus  defcribes 
her:      ■ 

Arcanum  Judaea  tremens  mendicat  in  Aurem, 
Interpres  Legum  Solymarum,  magna  Sacerdos 
Arboris,  &  fummi  Fida  Internuncia  Coeli.  Sat.  VI. 

And,  in  another  Place,  complaining,  that  through  the  Corrup-, 
tion  of  the  Times,  the  once  facred  Grove  of  Capena,  which  had' 
formerly  been  the  Habitation  of  the  Mufes,  and  the  Place, 
where  Numa  was  wont  to  meet  the  Goddefs  ^geria,  was  now 
let  out  to  the  beggarly  Jenxis  for  a  Profeucha ;  his  Expreflions  are  ■ 
thefe: 

Hie,  ubi  Nofturnae  Numa  conftituebat  Amica?, 
Nunc,  facri  Fontis  Nemus,  &  Delubra  locantur 
Judaeis ;  quorum  Cophinus,  Foenumque  Supellex. 
Omnis  enim  Populo  Mercedem  pendere  jufTa  eft 
Arbor,  &  ejeftis  mendicat  Sylva  Camenis.  Sat.  III. 

For  it  is  hard  to  conceive,  what  Affinity  there  fhould  be  between 
Jeivs  and  Trees,  unlefs  it  be  from  the  Cuftom,  that  their  own 
Oratories  were  ufually  fhaded  with  them. 
^  S huciford'' s  CoxineiXion,  Vol.  III.  Lib.  xii.     (»)'Jofh.xxiv.  i. 


Chap.  I.     from  /i»f  Ifraelltes  entering  Cankzn,  ^c.       141 

Elders  and  chief  Officers   only  prefented  themfslves  before    A,  M. 
God.     That  fo  great  a  Multitude  could  not  meet  together,  Ant?'chrlft. 
and   encamp  in  any  Place,  but  where   there  is  a  propor-i4si>  ^f. 
tionable  Compafs  of  Ground,  is  a  Matter  felf-evident ;  and  J^J^J^J"  J^- »• 
that,  in  the  Confines  of  Shechem,  there  was  a  large  and  i_   -^-.jr 
open  Country,  extending  perhaps  as  far  as  Shiloh^  and  very 
commodious  for   their  Reception,  we  have  the  Atteftation 
of  holy  Writ.     But   then,  fince  it    is  impoflible  for  one 
Man  to  fpeak   to  fuch  a  Number  of  People  and  be  heard, 
Jojhuoy  very  probably  fingled  out  the  chief  and  principal  of 
them,  fuch  as  he  forefaw  would  fucceed  him  in  the  Go*- 
vernment  after  his  Demife,  and  thefe  he  took  with  him  to 
Shiloh,  a  Place  in  the  Neighbourhood,  where  was  the  Ark, 
or  SanSiuary  of  the  Lord^  that  he  might  there,  with  the 
greater  Solemnity,  give  them  his  final  Charge,  which  they, 
in  their  Turns,  might  deliver  to  their  refpe^tive  Tribes. 

Thus  we  have  endeavour'd  to  fatisfy  the  kvera\  Ob- ^f"/'^'/' 
jeSfions,  which  are  ufually  made  againft  fome  Paflages  in  r^^^j  ^^" 
the  /acred  Hiftory,  during  the  Government  of  ^o/Ziafl ;  HeathenTr/"- 
And  if  profane  Teftimonies  would  be  of  any  Force,  we'""*"^' 
might  produce  the  Accounts,  which  their  Hiftorians  give 
us  of  Neptune's  drying  up  the  River  InachuSy  and  of  Jga- 
memnen's  denouncing  a  Curfe  againft  any  one,  that  fhould 
repair  Troy,  to  juftify  the  Narrative  we  have  in  Scripture 
of  the  miraculous  Paflage  of  'Jordan,  and  the  Refentment 
and  Indignation,  which  Jojhua  conceiv'd  againft  Jericho, 
The  antient  Hercules  was  certainly  the  fame  with  Jojhua. 
He  is  faid  to  have  wag'd  War,  in  Behalf  of  the  Gods,  againft 
Typhosus,  and  the  reft  of  the  Giants  of  old,  even  as  Jojhua 
fought  the  Battle  of  the  Lord  againft  the  Inhabitants  of  CW- 
naan^  Men  of  a  vaft  Stature,  and,  at  that  Time,  under 
the  Difpleafure  of  Heaven.  In  Conformity  to  the  facred 
Record  of  God's  deftroying  the  Confederate  Army  of  the 
Amorites  with  Hail-ftones,  the  antient  Heathens  fay,  that 
Hercules  was  thus  aflifted  in  his  War  againft  the  Sons  of 
Neptune  ;  and  Plutarch,  in  his  Life  of  Timoleon,  tells  us, 
that  a  terrible  Storm  of  Hail,  in  the  Face  of  the  Carthaginian 
Army,  gave  him  (tho'  he  had  but  very  few  Forces  to  en- 
counter them)  a  compleat  Vidtory  over  them.  Ihe  Sun 
/landing  Jlill  is  no  new  Story  :  Callimachus  (0)  reprefents 

him, 

(o)  His  Words  are  thefe : 

©«o?    87rt7  licfTvov 

t^^fav  fTTtytceci  roc  S{  (flanx  ii.K,>iCvovlcci. 

Callimachus  in  Dianam. 


i4i  the  Hiftory  of  the  BIBLE,      Book  V. 

A.  M.  him,  as  flopping  the  Wheels  of  his  Chariot  to  hear  the  Me- 
An^?  Chrift. ^^y  ®^^  Chorus  of  Nymphs^  wherewith  he  was  fo  delighted, 
1451,  iSc.  thatit  made  him  prolong  the  Day;  and,  tho'  they  are  miftaken 
Ftomjofh.i.in  the  Caufe,  yet  the  antient  Poets  difcover  a  Tradition  of 
^°  _!  ^.this  miraculous  Event,  *  when  they  defcribe  the  Heaven's 
bluftiing,  and  the  Sun's  ftanding  IHII  at  the  Sight  of  the 
unnatural  Murther  which  Atrem  committed.  For  if  S/a- 
iim  miftake  not,  this  bloody  Fa£l  happen'd  in  the  Time  of 
the  Theban  War,  which,  according  to  the  beft  Chronologifisy 
was  much  about  the  Time  of  Jojhua'i  Conqueft  of  Canaan, 
But  even,  fuppofing  Statiusy  or  any  other  Author  from 
whom  he  took  the  Hint,  are  miftaken  in  their  Chronology,* 
the  Time  of  Phaeton^s  Life  (whofe  Story  of  mifguiding  the 
Chariot  of  the  Sun,  is  fuppofed  to  take  its  Rife  from  hence) 
will  fynchronize  with  the  Year  of  the  Sun's  ftanding  ftill  in 
the  Days  of  'Jofhita.  So  that,  as  to  the  moft  won- 
derful Tranfadtions,  which,  in  this  Space  of  Time,  we 
meet  with  in  holy  Writ,  God  has  not  left  himfelf  without  a 
Wttnefs  J  forafmuch  as  the  heathen  Writers  (tho'  with  fome 
Variation  or  Difguife,  according  to  the  Humour  of  their 
Mythologijis)  are  known  to  relate  the  fame  Things. 

~  DISSERTATION     I. 

Of  the  Shower  of  Stones,  and  the  Sun^ s  fianding  fiilU 

The  formtr  /^^  ^^^  the  mlraculous  Things,  that  happen'd  in  Jo(hua^% 
tj  thefe  Mi-  \J  Wars  with  the  People  of  Canaan,  the  Shower  of 
rmlts.  Stones,  which  God  fent  upon  his  Enemies,  while  they 
fled,  and  the  Stop^  which  he  put  to  the  Courfe  of  the  Sun, 
that  he  might  have  a  longer  Space  to  deftroy  them  in  their 
Flight,  are  the  moft  remarkable,  and  do  therefore  deferve  a 
more  particular  Confideration. 

The 

*  Tardius  humenti  Noflem  dejecit  Olympa 
Jupiter,  &  Verfum  miti,  reor,  ^thera  cur2 
Suftinuit,  dum  Fata  vetant ;  nee  longius  unquam 
Ceflavere  novae,  perfefto  fole,  Tenebrx. 

Statins  Theb.  lib.  i.  &  v. 

*  The  Sun  flood  ftill  in  the  Days  of  Jofl?ua,  A.  M.  1554 
yNhtnPha'itoji  was  aboutTwenty-four  Years  old,  an  Age  of  Ambi- 
tion enough  to  defire,  tho'  not  of  Ability  to  execute,  the  difficult 
Province,  which  he  undertook,  Shuckford'^Qovay^^xwif  Vol^ 
III.  Lib.  xii. 


Cfi  A p .  I.      from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  i^c.        143 

The  former  of  thefe  Events  the  facred  Hiftory  repre-    A.  M. 

fents  in  this  Manner (/>)  And  it  came  to  pafs,  that  as  Ant?'ch[ift. 

they  (viz.  the  Army  of  the  Jmorites)  Jied  from  before  Ifrael,  1451,  ^c. ' 
and  were  in  the  going  down  to  Bethhoron,  the  Lord  cajl  down  Fromjofh.i. 
great  Stones  from  Heaven  upon  them  unto  Azekah,  and  they .    _  _\ 
died.     They  were  more^  which  died  of  the  Hail-  Stones^  than 
ihey^  which  the  Children   of  Ifrael  few  with  the  Sword. 
But  the  Difference  among  Commentators  is,  whether  we  are 
to  underftand  this  Miracle  of  a  Shower  of  Stones,  properly 
fo  called,  or  of  a  Shower  of  Hail. 

The   learned  Calmet,    in  a  DiJJertation  ^reiix'd  to  hh Nt  tflxTeJ 
Commentary  upon  fojhua^   has  taken  a  great  deal  of  Pains  ^"^  ^"^"^ 
to  fhew,  that  the  Stones,  which  the  Lord  is  faid   to  have  ^ 
caji  upon  /^^  Amorltes,  were  not  ordinary  Hail-Stones,  (fmce 
it  would  be  incongruous,  as  he  thinks,  to  intereft  God  in  fo 
common  an  Occurrence)  but  realfolid  Stones^  which  he  fup- 
pofes  might  have  been  engender'd  in  the  Air  by  a   Whirl- 
Wind  carrying  up  Sand  or  Gravel  into  a  Cloud,  and  there 
mixing  it  with  fome  fuch  oily  or  nitro-fulphureous  Matter, 
as  might  confolidate,  and  form  it  into  a  combuftible  Body ; 
that  fo,  when,  by  frequent  Agitation,  it  came  to  be  fir'd, 
it  might  burft  through  the  Cloud,  and,   fcattering  itfelf 
upon  the  Explofion^  might  fall  down  upon  the  Earth  in  the 
Nature  of  a  perfe61:  Shower  of  Stones. 

Th  a  t  great  Quantities  of  Stones  have,  in  this  Manner, 
been  difcharged  from  the  Clouds,  is  evident  from  feveral 
Hiftorians.  Diodorus  Siculus  (q)  informs  us,  that,  as  the 
Per/tan  Army  was  on  their  March  to  plunder  the  Temple 
at  Delphos,  Thunder  and  Lightning,  and  a  violent  Storm 
of  Stones  fell  in  their  Camp,  and  deftroy'd  a  great  Num- 
ber of  Men.  (r)  In  the  Reign  of  Tullus  Hofilius,  when 
News  was  brought  to  the  Government,  that  it  had  rain'd 
Stones  upon  Mount  Jiba,  thofe  who  were  fent  to  enquire 
into  the  Matter,  brought  Word,  not  only  that  the  Faft  was 
true,  but  that  thefe  Stones  had  fallen  from  the  Skies  with 
an  Impetuofity  equal  to  the  mod  violent  Storm  of  Hail,  (s) 
Not  long  after  the  Battle  at  Cann^,  the  fame  Author  afllires 
us,  that  a  Storm  of  the  fame  Kind  fell  on  the  fame  Moun- 
tain, which  lafted  for  two  whole  Days ;  and  Events  of  this 
Nature,  attefted  by  the  beft  Authors,  have  been  fo  frequent 
at  Romey  at  Capua ,  at  Lavimum,  and  feveral  other  Places 

hi 

(p)  Jofh.  X.  II.  (oj  Vol.  II.  lib.  xi.  fr)  i/r.lib* 
i.  Dec.  I.  {s)  Ibid.  lib.  25,  30,  34. 


144  '^e  Hifiory   of  the  BIB  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    in  Italy,  that  a  Man  muft  be  deftitute  of  all  Modefty,  who 
Aiw^'ch^hl  pretends  to  deny  them  abfolutely. 

1451,  feff.  Nay,  not  only  great  Quantities  of  yw^/Z^r  Stones,  but 
Fromjodv.  i.fometimes  Stones  of  z  prodigious  Size  have  been  known  to 
^_^J;;^;;^fall  from  the  Clouds,  whereof  this  learned  Author,  (/} 
among  many  others,  gives  us  feveral  Inftances,  both  of 
antient  and  modern  Date.  But  then  it  is  juftly  to  be  quef- 
tioned,  whether  thefe  Authors  have  not  fufFer'd  themfelves 
to  be  impos'd  on  by  the  too  confident  Narrations  of  others. 
We  may  fuppofe  indeed,  that  Whirlwinds.,  or  Hurricanes 
may  raife  the  Sand  or  Gravel,  and  carry  it  on  high,  or  fome 
fudden  Irruptions  of  fubterraneous  Fire  may  difcharge  great 
Quantities  of  Cinders,  or  Afhes  into  the  Air,  where,  meet- 
ing with  fome  Exhalations  of  a  fulphureous,  oily,  or  nitro- 
line  Quality,  they  may,  by  the  PrelTure  of  the  Clouds,  be 
condens'd,  and  harden'd  into  a  flony  Subftance ;  yet,  how 
any  Cloud  fhall  be  able  to  fupport  fuch  a  Quantity  of  fniaU 
/^r  Stones,  much  more  of  V7s&.TnaJfy  ones,  as  would 
beneceflary  to  deftroy  the  Army  of  the  five  confederate 
Kings,  and  to  continue  falling  down  upon  them  from  Beth- 
horon  to  Azekah,  Places  which  lay  in  different  Tribes,  and 
can  hardly  be  fuppos'd  lefs  than  twelve  or  fourteen  Miles 
diftant  (to  fay  nothing  of  the  many  Apertures  in  the  Earth, 
which  muft  have  been  feen  afterwards  in  thefe  Parts,  upon 
Suppofition  that  the  Thing  was  efFe£led  by  Pulcanos)  is  a 
Matter  not  altogether  fo  credible. 
9ut  Hail-  The  Truth  is,  there  is  no  Reafon  for  carrying  this  Mi- 
Rooes  only,  xzc\e  fo  high ;  fincc  a  Shower  of  Hail-Stones  will  not  only 
do  the  Work  every  Whit  as  well,  but  feems  to  be  the  ge- 
nuine Import  of  Jojhua^s  Words  ;  who,  having  acquainted 
us,  that  the  Lord  cad  down  great  Stones  upon  the  ^morites, 
adds,  by  Way  of  Explication,  that  they  were  more,  that 
died  by  the  Hail-Stones,  than  by  the  Sword;  where  it  is 
reafonable  to  fuppofe,  that  had  there  been  great  Stones,  as 
well  as  Hail,  the  Death  of  the  great  Numbers  of  thofe 
that  perifh'd  would  not  have  been  attributed  to  the  Hail 
only. 

It  is  fome  Confirmation  of  this  Expofition,  that  we  find 
the  Septuagint,  in  both  Places  of  the  Text,  tranflating  it 
Ai&8cXaAa^v):j  which  yofepbus  («)  calls  a  violent  Tempeji  of 
Hail-Stones  of  a  prodigious  Size  ;  and  the  Author  of  {x) 
Ecclefiaflicus  thus  recounts  the  whole  Matter ;  with  Hail" 

Jiones 

{t)  See  Saurlni  Differt,  likewife,  who  has  given  us  a  large 
Account  hereof.       ,'?<)  Antiq.  lib.  v.  c.  1 .        {*■)  Chap.  xlvi.  6» 


Chap.  I,   from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan^  .y^.  14^ 

Stones  of  a  mighty  Power,  he  made  the  Battle  to  fail  violent-    A.  M. 

ly  upon   the   Nations,    and,  in  the  Defcent  of  Bethhoron,  Ai«^'chr[ft. 

he  de/iroy'd  them  that  rcjijied.  ,  •■*    •     U51,   &c. 

The  Prophet  Ezekiel,    in  his  Prediaions  againfl  ^^»  fj" ^h^/pi '* 

introduces  God,  as   threatening,  that   (y)   he  zvould  pleads 

againji  him  with  Pejiilence,  and  vAth  Blood,  with  an  over- 
flowing Rain,  arid  great  Hail-Sto?ies,  Fire,  and  *Brim- 
Jione  :  And,  in  another  Place,   fpeaking  of   falfe  Prophets, 

who  feduc'd  his  People  into  an  Opinion  of  their  Security, 
as  if  they   had  been    fortify'd  within  a  Wall,    he  purfues 
the  Metaphor,  and   tells  thofe  who  daubed  it  with  untem- 
per'd  Mortar,  (z)  that  it  Jhould  fall;    for  there  Jh all  be  an 
overflowing  Shower,  fays  he,   and  ye,   0  great  Hail-Stones^ 
[hall  fall,  and  a  fiormy  Wind  Jhall  rent   it.     So   that  from 
thefe,  and   feveral  other  Pallages   of  the   like  Nature,  we 
may  learn,  that,  in   executing   his  Judgments    upon   the 
Face  of  the  Earth,  Hail-Stones  are  very  frequently  Arrows 
in  the  Hands  of  the  Almighty  :  And  of  what  Force  they 
are  to  do  Execution,  we  are  advcrtis'd  in  what  befel  the 
Egyptians,  when  fas  the  facred  Hiftory  has  related  it)    (a) 
the  Lord  fent  Thunder  and  Hail,  and  the  Fire   ran    upon 
the  Ground:  And  the  Lord  rained  Hail  upon  the  Land  of 
Egypt  ;    fo  there  was  Hail,  and  Fire  mingled  with  Hail^ 
very   grievous,  fuch  as  there  was  none   like  it   in  all  the 
Land  of  Egypt,    ftnce    it    beca?ne    a     Nation.       And  the 
Hail  fmote,      throughout    all    the    Land    of    Egypt,    all 
that   was   in   the   Field,  both   Man  and   Beaji  :    It  fmote 
every   Herb  of    the  Field,     and   brake  every   Tree  of  the 
Field.     Nor  are   there  Examples    of  a  later  Date  want- 
ing (efpecially  in  our  P hi lofophica I  ^nn^^tXions)  of  the  vaft 
Havock   and  Deftruftion  that  Hail-Stones  (from  [b)  one  to 
_/f'y^  Pounds  Weight)  have  done  in  feveral  Places;    killing' 
both  Man  and  Beaft,  and  laying  the  whole  Country  wafte, 
for  fome  fixty,    or  fevcnty  Miles  round.      And  therefore, 
fince  it  is  agreed  on  all  Flands,    that  Hail-Stones  have  fre- 
quently   fallen,     large   enough  to  deftroy  never  fo  great  a 
Number  of  People,    when  naked  and    defencelefs    againft 
their  Blov/s,  v;hat  need  is  there  for  our  having  Recourfe  to 
any  other  Solution  ? 

A  Shower 

iy)  Chap,  xxxviii.   22.  (a)  Ezek.  xiii.    ii.  (c)  Exod^ 

ix.   23,  &c.         [b]  Saurini  DilTert.  fur  la  Defaite  des  cinq.  Rois 
Vol.  III.  K 


14^  The  Hijlory  0/  //&tf  B  I  B  L  E,        Book  V. 

A.  M.  A  Shower  of  Hail,  indeed,  mav  be  fuppos'd  to  pro- 
Amf'chritt.  c^^^  '^'"""^  ^  "^^''^  natural  Caufe  j  But,  when  the  Event 
1451,  e^f.  happen 'd  at  the  very  Inftant,  wherein  God  promis'd  to 
^'S^SId'^  his  People  againft  their  Enemies;  when,  though  it 
^_  -  ,'^  might  have  annoy'd  either  Army,  it  fell  only  on  that^ 
*  which  God  had  before  determin'd  to  ruin ;  and  fell  fo  very 

/T  heavily   upon  it,  as  to  deftroy  more  than  the  Sword  of  the 

Conquerors  had  done  ;  fuch  an  Event  as  this,  I  fay,  cannot 
but  be  looked  upon  as  a  miraculous  Interpofition  of  Provi- 
dence, how  fortuitous  foever  the  Concourfe  o(fecond  Caufes 
may  be.     In  working  'of  Miracles,  God  ufually  employs 
natural  Caufes  and  Produdlions.     He  does  not  create  any 
new  Thing  for  the  Purpofe ;  but  makes  ufe  of  what  is  already 
created,  in  a  new  and  extraordinary  manner:    And  there- 
fore, tho'  the  Shower  of  Hail,  and  probably  the  Wind 
too,  which  made  it  fall  with  fuch  Impetuofity,  were  both 
of  them  natural;  yet  the  fending  them  at  the  very  Nick 
of  Time,  and  directing  them  to  fall  upon  the  Enemy  only, 
in  this  there  was  manifeftly  the  Hand  of  God,  and  fomething 
fuper  natural. 
Mrt'iTof     '^"^  °^^^^  M'lrade  is  thus  related  in  Holy  Writ,    (c) 
leba/  KinJ.Joihm  faid  in  the  Sight  of  all  Ifrael,  Sun,  fland  thou   ftill 
upon  Gibeon,  and  thou.   Moon,  in  the  Valley  of  Ajalon  : 
Jnd  the  Sunfiood  flill,  and  the  Moon  flayed,  until  the  Peo- 
ple had  avenged  thernfehies  of  their  Efiemies.      Is   not  thir 
turitten  in  the  Book  af  Jafher  ?     So  the  Sun  flood  flill  in 
the  midfi  of  Heaven,  and  hoflened  not  to  go  down  about   a 
whole  Day  :  And  there  was  no  Day  like  that,  before  it  or  after 
it,  that   the  Lord  hearkened  unto  the  Voice  of  a  Man  ;  for 
the   Lord  fought  for  Ifrael.     Now  for   the    better  under- 
flanding  of  thefe  Words,  we  muft  obferve, 
•noftiua""x-      ^'  That  nothing  is  more  common  in  Scripture,  than 
frfjfing  hirp.  to  cxprcfs  Things,    not  acQording  to    the  firidt  Rules  of 
ftlf.juftif/d.phllofpjjy^  but  according    to  their  Appearances,  and  the 
vulgar  Apprehenfion  concerning  them.   The  Sun  and  Moon 
for  Inftance  are  call'd  {d)  two  great  Lights  ;  but,    however 
that  Title  may  agree  with   the   Sun,  'tis  plain,  that  the 
Moon  is  but  a  fmall  Body,    the  leaft  that  has  yet  been 
difcover'd  in  the  Planetary  Syflem,  and  that  it  has  no  Light 
at  all,  but  what  it  borrows,  and  reflects,  from  the  Rays  of 
the  Sun  :  and   yet,  becaufe  it  is   plac'd  near  us,  it  appears 
to  us  larger  than  other  heavenly  Luminaries,  and  from  that 
Appearance,  the  holy  Scriptures  give  it  fuch  an  Appellation. 

And 

(c)  Jolh.  X.  12,  Ike.        {J)  Gen.  i.  16. 


CJ!ap.  I.     from  the  Kradltes  entering  Canzauy  &€.         I47 

And  in  like  Manner,  becaufe  the  Sun  fecms  to  us  to  move,     -*..  m. 
and  the  Earth  to  beat  Reft,  the  Scriptures  Tpeaka  great^^^^t_^'chrS, 
■deal  of  the  Pillars,    and  Bajisy    and   Foundations  of  the  1451,  &c. 
Earth,  and  of  the  Sun's  (e)  rejoicing,  like  a  Giant^  '^ ''"" fo'°the^E?d '' 
its    Race,  and  of   (f)  his  arifing,    and  going  down,    and, 
haftening  to   the  Place,  where  it  arofe,  &c.     Whereas  it 
is  certain,    that,  (g)  if  the  Sun   were  made  to  revolve 
about  the  Earth,    the    *  general  Law   of  Nature  would 
thereby  be   violated  ;  the  Harmony  and  Proportion  of  the 
heavenly  Bodies  deftroy'd  ;    and   no  fmall  Confulion  and 
Diforder  brought  into  the  Frame  of  the  Univerfe  :  Bur,  on 
the  contrary,    if  the  Earth,  turning   upon  its   own  Jxii 
every  Day,  be  made  to  go  round  the  Sun  in  the  Space  of  a 
Year,  it  will  then  perform  its   Circulation,    according  to 
the  fame  Low,  which  the  other  Planets  obfervej  and  ('with- 
out the  leaft  Exception)  there  will  be  a  moft  beautiful  Order 
^nd  Harmony  of  Motions,    every    where  preferved   thro* 
the  whole  Frame  of  Nature.     As  therefore  the  Scriptures 
were  defigned  to  teach  us  the  Art  of  holy-  Livings  and  not 
to  inftruit  us  in  the  Rudiments  of  natural  Knowledge,     it 
can  be  deemed  no  Diminution  either  to  their  Perfe6lion,  or 
divine  Authority,  that  they  generally  fpeak    according  to 
the  common  Appearance  of  Things,  and  not  according  to 
K  7,  their 

{e)  Pfal.  xi?c.  5.  (/)  Ecclef.  i.  5.         {g)  Keil\  Aftronomical 
Leftures. 

*  Befides  this  general  Argument  of  Mr.  KeWs,  Mr.  Wkijion 
has  one,  which  lie  accounts  no  lefs  than  a  Demonjiratioti :  "If 
"  the  Earth,  fays  he,  have  an  ajmiial  Revolution  about  the  Sun, 
"  it  mull  affect  the  apparent  Motion  of  all  the  other  Planets, 
"  and  Comets  ;  and,  notwithftanding  the  Regularity  of  their  fe= 
"  veral  Motions  in  their  own  Orbits,  muft  render  thel'e  regular 
.  '*  Motions,  as  to  us  living  upon  the  moving  Earth,  fometimes 
■'"  dir€<5i,  and  that  fwiftly  or  flowly  ;  iomtiwci&^Jiationary,  and 
"  fometimes  retrograde,  and  that  fwiftly  or  flowly  alfo ;  and  all 
"  this,  at  fuch  certain  Periods,  in  fuch  certain  Places,  for  fuch 
**  certain  Durations,  and  according  to  fuch  certain  Circumftan- 
*'  ces,  (as  Geometry  and  Arithmetic^  will  certainly  determine)  and 
"  not  otherwife.  Now,  that  this  is  the  real  Cafe  in  Faft,  and 
"  that  every  one  of  thefe  Particulars  are  true  in  the  Jjironon:i^ 
'*  cal  World,  all,  that  are  fkilful  in  that  Science  do  freely  con^ 
"  fefs,  even  thofe,  who  do  not  think  fit  to  declare  openly  fop 
''  this  i3K7?zW  Revolution  of  the  Earth,  whicli  yet  is  the  naturat 
"  and  certain  Confequeiice  of  that  Concefiion  "  IVhiPion^ 
Aftron.  Princ  of  Relig.  Tlie  Reader,  that  is  dcfirous  to  know 
paore  both  of  the  Annual  and  Diurjud  Motion  of  the  Earth,  wny 
Cpnfult  Mr,  Derham's  Prelijn    Pifc.  to  ius  Ai^io  Theol  ■>' 


t4S  The  Hijiory  of  th  BIB  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.    their  Reality,  or  phllofophic  Truth.     The  plain  Matter  of 
Ani^'chrUl.  ^^^  ^^>    '^^'  '"   ^^^  ^^^^7  Agcs,  both    bcforc,    and  long 
1451,  fife,  after  the  Days  oijojhua^  the  moft  learned  Ajironomers  had 
^^'°™Jg'^j'- no  Notion  of  the  Improvements,    which  our  w^^/^r^  Pro- 
^_^^  —^  fefTors  have  fmce  attain'd  to.     They  never  once  dream*d  of 
the  Earth's  Rotxition  upon  its  own  Jlx\s  ;    but,  according 
id  common  Appearance,    were  fully  perfwaded,  that  the 
Siirt  and  Moon  had  their  refpedive  Courfes.     Upon  this 
Suppofition  they  formed  their  Schemes^   and  thought  them- 
felves  able  to  anfwer  every  Phaenomenon  by  them.     And 
therefore,  if  God   had  prompted  'Jojhua  to  defire  the  Pro- 
longation of  the  Day,  in  a  Manner  more  agreeable  to  our 
new  Jjironomy,  or  to  record  the  Miracle  in  Terms  more 
fuitable  to  it ;    this  would  have  been   a  plain  Contrariety 
to  all  the  Rules  of  Science  then   in  Ufe.     The  People, 
who  heard  him  utter  the  Words,  Earth  rejl  upon  thy  Jxisy 
would  have  thought  him  diftrafted,  and  thofe  who  read  his 
Account  of  what  had  happen'd,    if  related  in  fuitable  Ex- 
preffions,  would  have  decry'd  it  as  falfe  in  Faft,  or  pafs'd  it 
by  with  Contempt  and  Difregard,  as  a  wild  Fancy  or  Blun- 
der of  his  own. 
utblPiacei      2*  ^"  Relation  to  the  Places,    over  which  the  two  hea- 
'ivbtre,   an^venly  Bodies  were  to  ftand,  the  Sun  over  Gibeon^   and  the 
T»m  ,  -whfnyiQQ^   oy^jr  ffjg  J^alky  of  Ajalon,   we   mufl  obferve,   that 
■Jas-wroZ\t  (^^^^  upon  the  Suppofition  of  the  Sun's  Motion^  the  jfew- 
ijh  General  cannot  bethought  to  fpeak  in  a  proper  zndphi- 
lofophic  Senfe.     For  fince    the  Sun  is  almoft  a  Million  of 
Times  bigger  than  the  Earth,  and  fome  Millions  of  Miles 
diftant  from  it,  tojuftify  the  ftrift  Senfe  of  the  Words,    a 
Line,    drawn  from  the  Center  of  the  Sun  to  that  of  the 
Earth,  muft  exactly  pafs  by  Gibeon^   which   we  know  it 
Cannot  do,   becaufe  no  Part  of  the  Holy- Land  lies  within 
the  Tropicks  :  And  therefore  we  muft  conclude,  that  'Jojhua 
here  fpeaks  according  to  the  outward  Appearance  of  Things, 
which  makes  the  Senfe  of  his  Words  plain  and  intelligible. 

Wherever  we  are^  (if  fo  be  we  are  not  hinder'd  by 
Objects  immediately  furrounding  us)  we  can  caft  our  Eye 
upon  Part  of  the  Surfaa  of  the  Earth,  and,  at  the  fame 
Time,  take  into  our  Profpe£l  fome  fmall  Extent  of  the  Fir' 
mament  of  Heaven,  which  feems,  as  it  were,  to  cover  the 
other  ;  and  each  celejiial  Body,  which  we  perceive  in  this 
Extent  above,  appears  to  us  to  be  diredtly  over  fuch  and  fuch 
Part  of  the  Earth,  as  we  alternately  turn  our  Eyes  to  :  And 
'tis  thus,  that  the  5zm,  when  Jofhua  fpake,  feei.n'd  to  him, 
and   to  thofe  that  were  wiih  him,  to  be  over  Gibeon,  and 

the 


Chap.  I.     from  the  l(x2it\\tt%  entering  Qini^n,    i^c.       149 

lh(  Moon  to  be  over  the  Valley  of  Ajalon.     This  Valle)^,  in     A   M. 
all  Likelihood,  took  its  Name  from  fome  adjacent  Town  ;  l^l^Q^xxOt.. 
but  then,  as  there  are  three  Jjalons  mention 'd  in  Scripture,  1451,  &c 
one  (/;)  in  the  Tribe  of  Ephraim^  another  in  (/)  Z^^«/o«,  J^'°^^JgJ'j*' 
and  another  in  {k)  Dan,  it  is  reafonable  to  think,   that  the  , 
Place  hejrefpoken  of,  was  in  Dar,  the  moft  remote  Province 
from  Gibeon  ;  for  we  muftfuppofe,  that  thefe  two  Places 
were  at  fome  confiderable  Diftance  j  otherwife  yofijua  could 
not  fee  the  Sun  and  Moon  both  appear  at  the  fame  Time,  as 
it  is  probable  they  were  both  in  his  Eye,  when  he  utter'd 
thefe  Words. 

3.  In  Relation  to  the  Time  when  this  Miracle  began, 
and  how  long  it  lafted,  the  Scripture's  Exprefllon  is,  that 
the  Sun  Jlood /lill  in  the  midjl  of  Heaven,  and  hajlednot  to 
go  down  about  a  whole  Day :  Which  Words  can  import  no 
lefs,  than  that  the  Sun  flood  ftiil  in  the  Meridian,  or  much 
about  Noon,  and  that  in  this  Pofition  it  continued  for  the 
Space  of  a  civil  or  artificial  Day,  /.  e.  for  twelve  Hours. 
But  (/)  Maimonides  is  of  Opinion,  (and  in  this  he  is  fol- 
lowed X^)  by  fome  Chriftian  Writers)  that  there  was  no 
fuch  CefTation  of  the  Sun  and  Moon's  Motion,  but  that  the 

whole  Purport  of  the  Miracle  was  this  ; "  That  God, 

"  at  y<J/^«fl's  Requeft,  granted  him  and  his  Soldiers  fuch  a 
*'  Degree  of  Spirits,  Adlivity,  and  Difpatch,  as  enabled 
**  them  to  gain  a  compleat  Vi6tory,  and  do  as  much  Exccu- 
^*  tion  in  one  Day,  asmight  otherwife  have  taken  up  two  :" 
But  this  is  a  Conftru(£licn  fo  repugnant  to  the  genuine  Senfe 
of  the  Words,  as  to  need  no  formal  Confutation. 

There  is  fomething  more,  however,  to  be  faid  to 
the  Notion  of  other  learned  Men,  who,  with  Regard  to 
the  Time,  when  Jojhua  might  fend  up  his  Requeft,  and  the 
Miracle  begin,  think  it  more  probable,  that  he  fhould  pray 
for  a  longer  Day,  when  he  perceiv'd  the  Sun  jult  going  to 
leave  him,  than  when  it  was  in  its  Height.  But  'Jofi)ua, 
no  Doubt,  h^d  Reafons  for  what  he  did  :  He  was  an  old 
experienc'd  General,  eager  for  a  compleat  Vi<51orv,  and 
able  to  compute  what  Time  it  would  take  to  atchieve  it  : 
fo  that  his  Fear  of  lofing  any  Part  of  the  prefent  Advantage, 
might  make  him  pray  that  the  Day  might  be  thusprolong'd, 
until  he  had  obtain'd  the  whole.  If  the  Sun,  in  its 
Declenfion,  had  ftopp'd  its  Courfe,  it  might  haveanfwer'd 

K  3  his 

(/-')    I  Chron.   vi.  6g.  [i]  Judg.  xii.    12.  [k)  Jofh. 

xix.  42.         (/)  More  Ncvoch,  Part  II,  Chap.  39.         {Tn]Grc- 
tiu!  z.nA  Mafius  \n  Locum, 


J50  '"^        ^he  BJlory  of  the   B  1  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

^  A.  M.     liis  Purpofe  perhaps  ;  but  then  it  had  given   ajufter  Handle 
Ant.^'chrjft.^^  the  Suggeftions  of  thofe,  who  would  deny  the  whole  Me- 
1.^51,  (sc    rit  of  the  Miracle.     Por,  if  the  Retardation  of  the  Sun  had 
-''''"J°^*'-nothappen'd  until  ir  was  going  to  fet,  (n)  Spinofa  might, 
^_^  1"  '  I  with  a  much  better  Grace,  have  attributed  the  extraordi- 
nary Length  of  this  Day  to  the  Rcfra£iicu  of  its  Rays  from 
the  Clouds^  which  at  that  Time   were  loaded   with  Hail ; 
or  (0)  Peirer'tus^  to  fome  Aurora  Borealis,  or  Parhelium, 
which,  after  the  Setting  of  the  Sun,  might  appear  about 
the  Territories  of  Gibcofiy  and  fo  be  miftaken  for  the  Sun's 
ftanding  ftill :  But  novi^,  by  fixing  it  in  its  meridian  Point, 
all  thefe  Cavils  are  effectually  filenc'd  ;  and  (p)  Gud,  no 
doubt,    who   heard  him  fo  readily,  infpir'd  the    Hebrew 
General  vAth  that  Wifo  or  Prayer,  which  otherwife  perhaps 
would  never  have  come  into  his  Head. 
The  Bcohtf  I    Relation  to  the  Book  of  Jafher,   (or  of  jufl  and 

uprigot  JVienj  which  jojhua  quotes,  as  a  Voucher  or  the 
Truth  of  this  Miracle,  the  Opinions  of  learned  Men  are 
much  dTvided.  (g)  Some  think,  that  it  was  the  Book  of 
Genefis^  which  is  here  fo  called,  becaufe  it  treats  of  theLives 
of  Abraham^  Ifaac^  and  "Jacob,  three  of  the  moft  righteous 
Men,  that  the  World  then  knew.  The  Targum  of  Jona- 
than calls  it  the  Book  of  the  Low^  as  containing,  not  only 
thechief  Pr^Tf^fj,  which  God  gave  his  People,  but  feveral 
P;-5w/y"«likewife  ortheWonder9,v.'hich  he  intended  to  work 
for  them,  (r)  fofephus^  and  fome  Interpreters  after  him, 
will  have  it  to  be  ctxtaxn  Annals  of  the  Lives,  and  particular 
Adventures  of  fome  Jcwijh  Worthies,  and  of  other  Things 
remarkable,  that  happen'd  to  that  Nation;  tho' others  again 
fuppofe,  that  this  was  only  a  Colleniot  of  fome  Verfes^ 
which  the  IfracUtcs  thought  themfelves  conceni'd  to  learn 
by  Heart,  the  better  to  remember  the  Miracles  which  God 
had  been  pleas'd  to  vouchfafe  them.  But  whatever  the  Sub- 
j  e6l  of  this  Book  was,  or  t  whether  it  was  compos'd   i^fl^ 

ProJ^ 

(n)  Traft.  Theolog.  Pcliiic.  c.  2.  (0)  Prsadam.  Lib.  iv. 

c.  6.  (/)  Cahict\  DifTert.  fur  le  Commandment,  i^c.  (y)  J. 
Jaich,   in  Jolh.  x.    13.         (;)  Antiq.  lib.  x.  c.  57. 

f  M  Le  Cl:rc  has  taken  the  Pains  to  verflfy  the  two  Places, 
where  Mention  is  made  of  the  Suti's  Handing  Jlill,  by  the  Tranf- 
pcfition  of  fome  Words,  in  order  to  make  it  appear  at  leaft  pro- 
bable, that  the  Author  of  the  Book  of  Jc/i'^ua,  in  quoting  tncm 
Out  of  that  of  Ji^per,  had  only  reduc'd  them  to  hijiovical  Profe 
by  the  contrj^jy  Tfaiifpofirion.  But,  befides  the  Difficulty  of 
telling  us,  what  Kind  of  Virfes  thefe  are,  (fxnce  the  Art  oi /can- 
ning 


Chap.  I.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  &c,        151 

Profe  or  Verfe,  'tis  a  groundlefs  Conje<3ure  to  fay,  {s)  that    ^*  ^- 
it  was  wrote  in  a  figurative  and  hyperbolical  Style,  or  that^^^ChrS. 
the  Rotation,  which  "Jojhua  takes  from  it,  isfoto  be  un-MS^j  ^'^ 
derftood.     The  Defign  of  the  Quotation  is  only  to  confirm  J'j^^J^j  '• 
what  "Jajhua  had  faid  concerning  the  Retardation  of  the  Sun; .    -  j-,  ,'^ 
and  therefore,  if  the  Book  of  'Joftjua  affirms,  that  the  Sun 
did  ftand  ftill,  that  of  Jafher  (in  what  Stile  foever  it  was 
written)  muft  neceflarily  be  fuppos'd  to  do  the  fame  ;  other- 
wife  it  would  have  been  to  no  Purpofe  to  have  cited  it. 

It  cannot  be  deny'd  indeed,  but  that,  upon  fome  Oc-  And  tU 
cafions,  the  facred   Penmen  do  ufe  Figures,  and  poetical'^holeNarrat^ 
Expreffions  ;  but  then  the  Senfe  and  Chain  of  the  Difcourfe  jjj.^/^*jjj^_ 
do  eafily  difcover  it,   when  they  do  fo.     Whenever  theywU 
intend  to  exprefs  themfelves  in  a  figurative  Manner,  there 
is  ufually  fomething  going  before,  which  prepares  the  Rea- 
der for  it ;  and  befides  thzt  figurative  Expreffions  cannot  be 
long  continu'd,  there  is  always  fomething  apparently  in 
them,  that  can  by  no  means  be  reduc'd  to  a  literal  Senfe, 
But  now,  in  the  Scripture  Account  of  this  Tranfadlion, 

K  4  where 

tting  Hehrenjj  Poefy  has  been  loft  as  long  as  St.  Jeroms  Days) 
if  he  fuppofes  them  to  be  only  Rhymes  and  Cadences,  it  is  no 
uncommon  Thing,  we  know,  to  meet  with  feveral  Paflages  both 
in  the  Scriptural,  and  other  Profe  Writers,  which,  with  a  fmall 
Variation  of  the  Text,  are  capable  of  this  harmonious  Turn,  and 
yet  were  originally  never  fo  intended.  It  is  to  be  obferv'd 
however,  that  tho'  the  Words,  fo  the  Sun  fiood  fiill  in  the  midji 
of  Hewven,  and  hajiened  not  to  go  donvn  about  a  nvhole  Day,  are 
probably  cited  from  fome  antient  Record,  yet  the  preceding  ones, 
and  the  Sun  food  Hill,  and  the  Moon  fayed,  until  the  People  had 
avenged  themfel'ves  upon  their  Enemies,  (  Jofh.  X.  13.)  are  the 
Author's  own,  wherein  he  talks,  not  in  the  Loftinefs  of  a  Poet, 
but  in  the  Plainnefs  and  Simplicity  of  an  Hiforian  :  And  there-''** 
fore  it  is,  at  leaft,  a  bold  AfTumption,  to  fay,  that  a  Writer,  who 
«  barely  appeals  to  another  for  the  Truth  of  a  fingle  Inftance,  has 
**  taken  the  nvhole  from  him.  The  moft  that  can  be  fairly  con- 
cluded from  fuch  an  Appeal,  is,  that  the  Fafl  is  equally  affirm'd 
by  both,  cither  in  the  fame  or  equivalent  Terms ;  whereas,  had 
the  Terms  of  the  Sunsfanding  fill  in  the  jnidf  of  Hea'ven  been 
intended  to  mean  no  more,  than  that  there  remain'd  fo  much 
Light,  after  its  Setting,  occafion'd  by  fome  unufual  RefraSlion, 
as  made  the  whole  Army  think  it  was  ftill  above  the  Horizon, 
no  honeft  Man  (for  Fear  of  impofmg  on  his  Reader)  would  have 
cited  them,  without  modifying  their  Senfe,  or  giving  them  an 
Explanation.  Saurins  Diftert.  fur  la  Defaite  des  cinq  Royg; 
and  Univerf.  Hift.  lib.  i.  c.  7.  *► 

(.f)  Grotius  an-d  Le  Gere  in  Locum,  » 


152  ^e  Hiftory  of  the   B  I  B  L  F,     Book  V. 

jj  -^  ^f.  ^^'■^  ^°  w^  perceive  any  Thing  like  this?  (0  Jofhua,  fee- 
Ant.  Chrift.  ^ng  the  Enemy  put  to  the  Rout,  begs  of  God  to  give  him  a 
1451.  ©"^  compleat  Vidory,  and,  at  the  fame  Time,  out  of  the 
JJ°[j/E^j'"Zeal  and  Fervour  of  his  Mind,  commands  the  Sun  and 
i  Moon  not  to  advance  any  farther  until  he  had  efFeded  his 
Deiire.  The  facred  Hiftorian  tells  us,  that,  at  his  Com- 
mand, thefe  heavenly  Luminaries  adlualjy  did  fland  ftiil ; 
and,  to  evince  the  Credibility  of  a  Thing  fo  marvellous, 
having  produced  the  Tcftimony  of  another  Author,  that 
makes  mention  of  the  fame  Event,  he  thereupon  concludes, 
that  [u)  theire  was  uo  Day  like  that,  before  it  or  after  it, 
that  God  hearkened  to  the  Voice  of  a  Man.  Here,  we  fee, 
are  all  the  Tokens  imaginable  of  a  fimple,  literal,  and  hi- 
i^orical  Narration  :  And  the  Reader  muft  therefore  be 
ftrangely  prejudic'd  againft  the  Belief  of  all  Miracles  whate- 
ver, who  can  poflibly  diftort  fuch  plain  and  uniform  Ex- 
preffions  into  any  figurative  or  metaphorical  Senfe,  in  order 
to  evade  the  Force  of  this.  » 

•A  eg  a-         ''  But,  if  there  really  was  fuch  a  Miracle  wrought,  'tis 
'     •''  '"'^"  fomewhat  firange,  that  the  Author  of  the  Epiftle  to  the 
**  Hebrews^  when  he  certainly  makes  mention  of  Things  of 
**  lefs  Moment,  fhould  entirely  forget  this,  or  that  we  fhould 
**  have  no  Memorial  of  it  recorded  by  zny  profane  Writer. 
*'  God  is  not  fo  prodigal  of  his  Miracles,  onp  would  think,  as 
*'  to  reverfe  the  whole  Order  of  Nature*,  and  ftop  the  Sun 
.     "  in  its  regular  Courfe,  merely  that  a  Victory  might  be  ob- 
**  tain'd   in  one  Day,  which,  every  whit  as  well,  might 
''  have  been  gain'd  in  two  ;  tho'  it  cannot  be  deny'd,  but 
*'  that,  if  it  was  fo,  his  hearkening  to  the  Voice  of  Jofhua, 
'*  gave  him  a  Pre-eminence  far  above  Mofes^  (forafmuch  as 
*'  all  his  Miracles  were  nothing  in   Comparifon  of  this) 
*>*'  even  tho'  the  Scriptures  fay  exprefsly,  that  (x)   there 
*'  rofe  not  a  'Prophet^  in  all  Ifrael,  like  unto  Mofes,  in  all 
**  Signs  and  Wonders^  which  the  Lord  fent  him  to  do  in  tl 
**  Latid  of  Egypt,  and  in  the  IVildernefs.^' 
d-it'wtt' i,hj      The  Author  of  the  Epiflle  to  the  Hebrews,  in  (y)  the 
fitting  the  Chapternow  under  Debate,  meant  no  more,  than  to  give 
*'^'""*^^*>' his  Reader  fome  notable  Inflanccs  of  the  wonderful  Power 
ud  li.        of  Faith.     To  have  been  too  curious  in  the  Choice  of  thefe 
Inftances,  efpecially  when  he  wrote  to  Perfons  of  the  fame 
Nation,  and  who  were  as  well  acquainted  with  thefe  Things 
as  himfelf,  would  have  favour'd  too  much  of  Art  and  human 

Wifdom, 
* 

(/)  Calmefs  Differt.  fur  le  Commandment,  ^c.  («)  Jofli. 

•a.  14.        {x)  Dcut.  xxxiv.  10,  ii.         (j)  Chap.  xi. 


Chap.  I.      from  the KrsitWtc^  entering  Cunzzn^^c.       153 

Wifdom;  which  infpir'd  Authors  always  profefledly  avoid;     A.  M. 
and  to  have  been  too  prolix  in  the  Commemoration  of  them,  ^^„p  chdft. 
would  have  fpoil'd  the  Form  of  his  Epijile^  by  fwelling  that  145 «,  &c.' 
Part  of  it  beyond  its  due  Proportion.  t^'°th/£  ** 

The  Apoftle  himfelf  feems  to  be  fenfible  of  this ;  and .  _  ^ 
therefore  we  find  him  cutting  himfelf  fhort,  omitting  fome, 
and  reckoning  up  feveral  other  Inftances  in  the  Grofs ;  and 
(z)  what  jhall  I  more  fay  ?  For  the  Time  would  fail  me ^  to 
tell  of  Gideon,  and  of  Barak,  and  of  Sampfon,  and  of 
Jephtha;  of  David  alfo^  and  Samuel,  and  all  the  Prophets. 
You  fee,  that  in  the  Catalogue  of  his  Worthies^  he  ob- 
ferves  no  great  Method  in  enumerating  them,  nor  does  he 
fo  much  as  mention  Jofhua^  tho'  his  Chara6ler  be  vaftly  fu- 
perior  to  that  of  Gideon^  and  others,  that  he  takes  Notice 
of;  and  therefore,  if  his  omitting  this  Particular  of  the 
Sun's  Jianding  fiill  may  be  deem'd  a  fufEcient  Argument  a- 
gainft  its  Reality  ;  by  Parity  of  Reafon,  all  the  other  mi- 
raculous Tranfaftions,  which  he  has  thought  proper  not  to 
mention,  fuch  as  the  Plagues  of  Egypt,  the  Wonders  in 
the  Wildernefs,  the  Paffage  of  Jordan,  and  feveral  others 
of  the  like  Nature,  muft  be  reputed  deftitute  of  Truth, 
how  frequently  foever  they  may  be  recorded  ir>  other  Parts 
of  Holy  Writ. 

And  in  like  Manner,  the'  we  find  no  Mention  made  of„„  ,_. 
this  wonderful  Event  in  Heathen  Writers,  yet  this   is  t\o  ihAL/iuthoru 
valid  Objection  againft  it,  becaufe  it  happen'd  many  Ages 
before  there  were  any  Hijiorians  or  Chronologers,  that  we 
know  of,  extant  to  record  it.     Or  if  we  think,  that  a  Fa6t:, 
fo  very  remarkable,  could  have  hardly  efcap'd   a  general 
Obfervatitn,  why  may  we  not  fuppofe,  that  the  publick 
Archieves,  or   Monuments,  wherein   it   was  recorded,  in 
the  long  and  obfcure  Time  that  interven'd  before  any  ol^ 
our  prefent  Hiftorians  arofe,  have  been  loft  ;  and  that  no- 
thing has  been  tranfmitted  to  us,  (except  what  we  have  in 
Sacred  Writ)  but  an  uncertain  Traditiony  clouded  with  Fa- 
ble, and  poetical  Fictions? 

It  can  hardly  be  thought  indeed,  but  that  the  Humour, 
which  the  Poets  had,  *  of  imputing  to  Magick  the  Power 
of  flopping  the  Stars  in  their  Courfes,  and  what  they  re- 
late of  their  Heroes  and  Demi-Gods,  being  able  to  lengthen 

Days 
(k)  Ver.   3  2. 

*  CeiTav^re  Vices  Rerum,  diktaque  longa 
Haefit  Nodle  Dies :  Legi  non  paruit  ^ther, 
Torpuit  &  Pr^ceps,  audito  Carmine,  Mundus. 

Lucan\  Pharf.  lib.   vi. 


154  '^^<:  Hifiory  of  the  ^IBL.  E,     Book  V. 

^'  ^c    ^^y^  ^"^  Nights,  as  it  beft  fervM  their  military  or  amorous 
Ant?'chni\.  P'^^po^^s,  proceeded  from  fomething'.  And  to  what  can  we 
1451,  &c.  afcribc  it  more  properly,  than  to  a  glimmering  Knowledge, 
fj°th!/^d  '•  which  they  might  from  Tradition  have  of  this  miraculous 
.^_  -  -  jEvent  ?  But  however  this  be,  'tis  certain,  that  the  Argu- 
ment, drawn  from  the  Silence  of  heathen  Authors,  can  be 
of  no  Validity  againft  the  Truth  of  this  Miracle,  fince  it 
did  not  happen  in  any  Age,  when  the  earlieft  of  them  liv'd, 
and  might  therefore  be  what   they  knew  nothing  of ;  fmce 
all  their  Works  have  not  defcended  to  us,  and   in  what  is 
loft,  they  perhaps  might  have  related  it,  as  in  what  is  extant, 
we  are  fure  they  fay  nothing  to  contradi6l  it. 

{a)  It  muft  be  reckon' d  a  Point  of  Jujiice  then,  and  a 
Kind  of  Right  belonging  to  all  Nations,  to  be  determin'd, 
in  what  concerns  the  Hiftory  of  any  Country,  by  the  Hi- 
fiory of  thofe  People,  who  are  prefum'd  to  be  better  ac- 
quainted with  their  own  Affairs,  than  any  Strangers  can  ; 
And  therefore  we  cannot,  without  apparent  prejudice,  de- 
ny this  Privilege  to  the  Hebrew  Writers,  even  tho'  we 
found  fome  heathen  Teftimonies  not  entirely  according 
with  them.  But  when  nothing  of  this  is  pretended  ;  on  the 
contrary,  when  (as  far  as  thefc  dark  Times  would  permit) 
there  is  a  Concurrence  and  Harmonv  between  them,  there 
can  be  no  Shadow  of  Reafon  for  calling  in  Queftion  their 
Veracity,  unlefs  the  Things  which  they  relate  be  either 
impojjible  or  ccntradiSiory^  which,  in  the  Cafe  before  us, 
can  never  be  aifirm'd  ;  becaufe  it  is  fure  and  felf- evident, 
th^t  the  Author  of  Nature,  who  gave  Being  and  Motion  to 
the  Sun  and  Stars,  may  ftop  that  Motion,  and  make  them 
ftand  fti'l,  when,  and  as  long  as  he  pleafes  j  efpecially 
when  their  Reft  will  contribute  to  his  Glory  (as  it  certainly 
%^\6.  in  this  Inilance)  as  much  as  their  continu'd  Motion 
does. 

God  indeed  never  works  any  Miracle  but  upon  a  Juft . 
l?M/owi/«r  gj^j  proper  Occafion  ;  but  then,  we  ought  to  remember, 
'  tbii  Mi-  ^hat  this  Battle,  againft  the  confederate  Kings,  v/as  fought 
not  offsnfvcly^  but  defenfively  on  the  Side  of  Ifrael,  in  or- 
der to  five  a  People,  whom  they  had  folemnly  taken  under 
their  Protection.  The  Giheonites^  as  is  generally  fuppos'd, 
were  a  Commomvealth^  for  which  Reafon  they  might  not 
enter  into  a  League  with  the  five  Kings;  and,  as  a  free 
People,  thev  had  a  Right,  no  doubt,  to  take  all  proper 
Meafures  for  .heir  Safety.     Jo/hiia  therefore  could  not  but 

look 

W,  Cctlmefti  Diiliert.  fur  le  Commandmeat,  l^c. 


KxCit', 


Chap.  1.      from  the  Uradites  entering  Canaan,  &c.     155 

look  upon  the  Confederacy  form'd  agamft  them,  as  cruel    A.  M. 
and  unjuft,  and  himfelf  oblig'd  in  Honour  not  to  refufe  the  ^j^^^^^^^^j^^ 
Oppfefs'd    the  Succours,    they  requefted  of    him,    upon  145 1,  &e. 
any  Pretence  whatever  ;  fince  God's  Honour  was  likewife  ^'^°^J°p  •,'* 
concern'd  in  the  Prefervation  of  a  People,  who  had  enter'd  ^°^  _^^  j 
into  an  Alliance  with  his  own  Inheritance^  and  had  their 
Alliance  ratify 'd   by  the  Mduth  of  his  High- Prieji,  and 
with  the  Sanation  of  his  moft  blefled  Name.     Upon  thefe 
Confiderations,    Jofhua   lofes  no  Time,  but  marches  all 
the  Night  to  their  Afliftance  ;  and,  on  the  next  Day,  God 
is  pleas'd  to  reward  his  Faithfulnefs  and  Zeal  with  a  moft 
miraculous  Victory,  whereby  he  not  only  refcu'd  his  Allies, 
but  made  all  the  Land  of  Canaan  fenfible  likewife,  that  a 
greater  and  more  powerful  God  was  on  ljraeV%  Side,  than 
any  whom  they  worfhipp'd,   [V)  by  ftoppmg  the  Sun  and 
Moon  (which  were  two  of   the  principal  Deities,  whom 
thofe  Idolatrous  People  ador'd)  in  the  Midft  of  their  Courfe. 
God  might,  no  doubt,  in  the  Compafs  of  two  Days, 
have  enabled  the  Ifraelitei  to  have  gain'd  a  compleat  Con- 
queft  over  their  Enemies,  without  the  Expence  of  a  Miro' 
cle  (as  thefe  Men  call  it).     But  then,  had  this  been  obtain'd 
by  the  Dint  of  the  Sword  only,  it  would  have  been  impu- 
ted to  their  fuperior  Valour  and  Strength,  and  deem'd  no 
more,  than  the  common  Fate  of  War ;  or  had  there  no- 
thing more  remarkable  happen'd  in  it,  than  a  Shower  of 
large  Hail-Stones,  this  might  have  been  thought  owing  to 
Chance  or  natural  Caufes,  or  at  moft,  been  oiily  known 
in  that  Neighbourhood  :  Whereas,  the  flopping  of  the  two 
gr:;at  LuminarieSy  in  the  Height  of  their  Career^  (which 
could  not   but  be  univerfally  feen  and  felt)  was  enough  to 
convince  thefe  poor  deluded  People,  that  the  Gods,  whom 
they  trufted  in,  were  fubjedt  to  the  God  of  Ifrael^  and,  at 
the  fame  Time,  deter  the  Ifraelites  from  falling  into  the  like 
Idolatry,  from  {c)  kijjing  their  Hand  (as  Job  exprefTes  that 
Form  of  Wor{hip)tt;^^«  they  beheld  the  Sun  as  it /hined,  or 
theMoon  walking  in  itsBrightnefs:  To  convince  them  I  fay, 
that  (d)  the  Gods  of  the  Heathens  were  but  Idols,  and  that, 
:'/  is  the  Lord  who  made^  and  who  ruleth  in  the  Heaijens. 

It  cannot  be  queftion'd,  but  that  the  Fame  of  this  Mi-  JlJjJJj.J^^ 
racle  rais'd  Jo/hua^s  Reputation  to  an  high  Degree,  nor  {e)  thh  Miracle, 
can  we  fee  any  Inconvenience  in  admitting,  that  this  w as  ^  "'"/"/""«'■<♦ 

'  °  Mofes. 

more 

[h)  Patrtckh  Comm.  in  Locum.  {c)  Job  xxxi.  26. 

{d)  Pfal.  xcvi,  5.  {e)  Caltnet\  Diflert.  fur  Ic  Command- 

ment, i^c. 


15^  the  Hijiory  0/  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

a  A'  ©•<:   ^^^^  remarkable  Miracle,  than  any,  which  Mofes  ever  did  ; 

Ant^  Chri'ft.  becaufe  it  does  not  therefore  follow,  that  JcJJma,  in  other 

I4SI,  6f^.  Refpefts,  was  a  Perfon  of  greater  Eminence,    thzn  Mofes. 

foX  eS*.''^"''  ^^^^^^  Saviour  tells  his  Difciples,  (f)  Verily,  verily,  / 
'  ffay  unto  you,  he  that  helieveth  on  me,  the  JVorks,  that  I  do^ 
jhall  he  do  alfo,  and  greater  Works  than  thefe  Jhall  he  do  ; 
becaufe  1  go  unto  my  Father :  And  yet  he  gives  us  to  under- 
hand, in  another  Place,  that  (g)  the  Difciple  is  not  above 
his  Majler^  nor  the  Servant  above  his  Lord. 

£L/5i//f  was  the  Servant  and  Attendant  on  the  Prophet 
EUjahy  and  yet  it  is  certain,  that,  according  to  ourEftimate, 
he  did  more  and  greater  Mira.cles,  than  his  Mafter  did  ;  for 
even  [h)  after  his  Death  his  Body  prophejied ;  (as  the  Son  of 
Sirach  exprefles  it)  he  did  Wonders  in  his  Life,  and  at  his 
Death  Were  his  Works  marvellous.  And  therefore  we  need 
not  account  it  a  ftrange  Thing,  that  we  find  Jojhua  here 
doing  a  Miracle,  which,  in  our  Opinion,  furpafles  all  that 
e/er  Mofes  did  :  Becaufe  God's  making  ufe  of  the  Miniftry 
of  one  Man>  rather  than  another,  in  his  furpaffing  Works  of 
Wonder,  is  no  certain  Proof  of  the  Man's  fuperior  Merit ; 
fince,  in  this,  as  well  as  any  other  Difpenfation,  he  is  at 
perfe£l  Liberty  (?)  to  chufe  (if  he  pleafes)  the  weak  Things  of 
the  Warld,  to  confou*id  the  Things  that  are  mighty  ;  yea,  and 
hafe  Things,  arid  Things  that  are  not,  to  bring  to  nought 
Things  that  are,  that  no  Flejh  jhould  glory  in  his  Pre  fence, 
.  But  after  all,  we  talk  of  greater  and  lefs  Miracles, 
when,  in  Reality,  there  are  no  fuch  Degrees  of  Comparifon 
between  them.  For  what  is  it  that  makes  us  account  one 
Work  of  this  Kind  greater  than  another  ?  If  it  be,  becaufe 
we  conceive  more  Difficulty  in  the  Doing  it ;  this,  with 
Regard  to  God  (the  fole  Author  of  all  Miracles)  is  a  great 
Miftake,  for  as  much  as  all  Things  are  equally  eafy  to  his 
Almighty  Power.  The  Motion,  and  other  Properties  of 
every  created  Being,  were  at  firft  imprefs'd  by  him  ;  (k) 
Me  fpake,  and  it  was  done  j  he  commanded,  and  it  flood 
faji ;  and,  with  the  fame  Facility,  he  can  retard,  or  fufpend 
their  Operations,  for  they  have  no  Power  of  refifting  the 
very  firft  beck  of  his  Will.  Since  every  Thing  therefore, 
tbat  is  contrary  to  the  ordinary  Courfe  of  Nature,  requires 
jthe  Interpofition  of  an  Almighty  Power,  and  whatever  is 
Slot  impoffible  iri  itfelf,  is  equally  poflible  to  God ;  with 
him  there  can  be  no  Difference  between  paifing  the  'Jordan^ 

and 

{-f)  Johnxiv.   12.       [^  Matth  X.  24.       (/^)  Eccluf.  xlviii. 
13,  14.        (0  1  Cor.  i   27,  i^c,        [k)  Pfal  xxxiii.  9. 


CuAP.ll.  from  the Ur&tWtes  entering  CzT\a.an,  ^c.         157 

and  paffing  the  Red-Seay  between  drawing  Water  out  of    A.  M. 
th.tJiony  Rock,  and  arrefting  the  Sun  in  the  Firmament  of  An"'chrift. 
Heaven  i  iox  (I)  whatever  he  pleafed,  that  did  he  ^  in  Hea-  i^^i,  &c. 
ven,  and  in  the  Earth,  in  the  Sea,  and  in  all  deep  Plates.  fj^eC'" 

(/)  Pfal.  cxxxv.  6. 


CHAP.    H. 

From   the  Death   of  Joshua   to  the  Death  of 
S  A  M  p  s  o  N. 


A 


'fhe    History. 

FTER   the  Death  of  Jojhua-,*  no  particular    A.  m. 
Perfon,  that  we  read  of,  fucceeded  him  in  the^^^^i.^v^^. 
Government ;  and  therefore  the  moft   probable  ,443^  fefc' 
Opinion  is,  that  every  Tribe  was  govern'd   by  Fro"^  Juds«« 
their  refpe<5live  Heads,    or   Elders,  (which  Form  of  Go-'j^'f-'^^^j^  ^ 
vernment  fubfifted  about  thirty  Years)  and  that,  in  their »_,— ^ — ^J 
Wars  with  the  Canaanites,  they  made  them  their  Com-  ^Z'"-  the 
manders.     For,  feveral  of  the  Canaanitijh  Kings  remaining  ^"'^'*°£^J^'J 
ftill  unconquer'd,  the  Ifraelites  unanimoufly  refolv'd  to  kiTribitcon- 
about  their  Reduction  ;  and  accordingly  repair'd  to  the  O-  qmr  feveral 
rack  at  Shiloh,  to  afk  Direaions  of  God,  which  Tribe  ^;;^;  "-^  ^^- 
fhould  begin  the  War.     God's  Orders  were,  that  the  Tribe 
of  Judah  fhould  begin  j  and  therefore  they,  taking  to  their 
Affiftance  the  Tribe  of  Simeon^  firft  fet  upon  the  cruel  f 

King 

*  The  Samariian  Chronicle  tells  us  indeed,  that,  in  the  laft 
Affembly  which  Jojhua  held,  he  nominated  twelve  Chiefs,  of 
every  Tribe  one,  and  put  it  to  the  Lot,  who  ftiould  fucceed  him 
in  the  Government ;  that  the  Lot  fell  upon  his  Nephew 
jibel,  whom  he  accordingly  crown'd,  and  invefted  with  other 
Enfigns  of  Honour,  i^c.  but  this  is  thought  to  be  no  more  than 
a  fabulous  Account  invented  to  fill  up  this  void  Space  of  Time. 
Sauriris  DiiTert  fur  Heglon,  Roi  des  Moabites  tue,  iffc. 

•f-  There  is  another  Place  in  Scripture,  wz.  i  Sam.  xi.  8. 
where  Bezek  is  mentioned ;  and  fince  Eufebius  and  Jerom  tell  us, 
that  there  were,  in  their  Days,  two  Towns,  about  feventeen 
Miles  from  Shechem,  of  the  fame  Name,  and  not  far  diftant 
from  each  other,  we  fee  nothing  of  Moment  to  hinder  them  from 
being  both  but  one  Citv  in  former  Times.  Wdh\  Geography  of 
the  Old  Teftamcnt,  Vol.  IJL. 


158  Ti>e  Hifiory  of  the  BIB  L  E,     Book  V. 

f-  ^^^  King  of  Bezei ;  fack'd  theTown,  kill'd  tenThoufand  of  its 
Ant/chrift.  Inhabitants,  and,  as  he  was  endeavouring  to  make  his  E- 
3443,  &c.  fcape,  feiz'd  him,  and  cut  f  off  hiis  Thumbs  and  Great- 
i  tTiheS^^^^'  in  the  like  Manner,  as  he  had  done  to  no  lefs  than 
of  Ruth,  feventy  little  Kings  or  Princes,  whom  he  compell'd  to  gather 
'their  Meat,  like  Dogs,  under  his  Table.:  So  that  the  Si- 
militude of  his  Punilhment  made  the  Tyrant  refle£l  upon 
his  own  Cruelty,  and  acknowledge  the  Juftice  of  God  in 
what  he  had  brought  upon  him. 

After  the  Conqueft  of  Bezek,  the  two  united  Tribesf 
invefted  Jerufalenty  and,  having  taken  it,  put  the  Inhabi- 
tants to  the  Sword,  and  fet  the  Place  on  Fire.  They 
thence  march'd  to  Hebron ;  and,  having  made  themfelves 
Matters  of  it,  went  to  attack  Debir,  which  was  Part  of 
Caleb's  Allotment,  though  the  Canaanites  at  that  Time  had 
Poffeflion  of  it.     Caleb,  f  who,  in  all   Probability,  was 

General 

f  The  Reafon  of  their  mutilating  him  in  this  Manner,  was, 
to  make  him  uncapable  of  War  any  more,  being  unable  to  han^ 
die  Arms,  by  Reafon  of  the  Lofs  of  his  Thumbs,  or  to  runfucift-, 
ly,  (which  was  a  notable  Quality  in  a  Warrior  in  thofe  Days) 
by  the  Lofs  of  his  Great-Toes,     Patricias  Comm.  in  Locum. 

-|-  We  do  not  read,  that  Jerufalem  was  ever  taken  by  Jojhua, 
tho'  it  feems  highly  probable,  that,  when  he  took  the  King  of 
Jerufalem,  he  did  to  it,  as  he  did  to  the  reft  of  the  Cities  be- 
longing to  thofe  Kings,  Jojh.  x.  3,  23.  But  when  he  was  gone 
to  conquer  other  Parts  of  the  Country,  it  is  likely  that  the  old 
Inhabitants  returned  again,  and  took  FofTefTion  of  it,  for  the 
Land  was  not  then  divided  among  the  Ifraelites.  But  as  Jojhua, 
a  little  before  his  Death,  divided  the  Land,  and  this  City  fell, 
in  Part,  to  the  Share  of  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  they  difpofTefs'd 
the  Jebujites,  that  dwelt  there,  of  all  but  the  ftrong  Fortrefs  on 
the  Top  of  Mount  Sion,  which  held  out  till  the  Days  of  Dwvid, 
Patrick's  Commentary. 

•J-  Who  was  their  General  on  this  Occafion,  is  not  exprefsly 
mention'd  either  in  Scripture,  Jofephus,  or  any  other  antient  Hit 
ftorian ;  and  yet,  it  is  hardly  to  be  queftion'd,  but  that  Caleb 
was  the  Perfon.  He  was  of  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  older  than  any 
other  by  twenty  Years ;  and  yet,  like  Mofcs,  he  continu'd  in 
his  full  Strength  and  Vigour.  He  and  Jojhua  were  the  only  two 
Spie*,  who,  having  fearch'd  the  Land,  gave  a  true  Report 
of  it ;  and  therefore,  as  Jcpua  was  the  firil  General,  he  had  the 
greateft  Right  to  fucceed  him,  and  this  might  be  the  Reafon 
why  Jojhua,  at  his  Death,  nam'd  no  other.  He,  and  Jojhua 
were  the  two  only  Perfons,  to  whom  the  Ifraelites  gave  Inhe- 
ritances for  their  fignal  Services ;  and,  as  his  Inheritance  lay  un- 
conquer'd  in  this  Tribe,  he  had  the  grcatell  Reafon  to  b    active 


Chap.  II.    from  the  Kradkts  entering  Canaan,  tfr.        159 

General  in  thefe  Wars,  being  refolv'd  to  ftorm  the  Place,    A.  m. 
made  Proclamation  in  the  Camp,  that  whoever  ftiould  at-  Ant^'chrift* 
tack,  and  carry  it,  Ihould  have  his  Daughter  Achfah  as  a  1443,  ®''^' 
Reward  of  his  Valour;  which  his  gallant  Nephew  ^^^^«'^'>  f '°J"tiJ^'^|^J 
iSon  to  his  younger  Brother  ifwrtz,  atchiev'd,  and  fo,  notof  Rutli. 
•only  obtain'd  the  beauteous  Damfel  for  his  Wife,  but  with  u-*->r-^ 
her  a  large  Eftate  likewife  in  a  well-water'd  Country,  which, 
at  her  Requeft,  her  Father  very  generoufly  beftow'd  on 
him. 

Thus  the  Tribe  of  Simeon  affifted  that  of  Judah  to  fub- 
due  the  mountainous  Parts  about  Jerufalem,  and  the  fouthern 
Parts  adjoining  to  the  Wildernefs  of  Paran  ;  and,  when 
this  was  done,  the  Tribe  of  Judah^  in  like  Manner,  affifted 
the  Simeonites  to  take  Gaza,  Ajhkelon,  and  Zephahy  which 
was  then  call'd  Hormah ;  fo  that  thefe  Places,  in  After- 
Ages,  came  into  their  Pofleffion.  Encourag'd  by  thefe 
Succeffes,  the  Family  of  Jofeph  undertook  the  Conqueft  of 
Bethel -y  and,  to  this  Purpofe,  fent  out  Spies,  to  take  a  Sur- 
vey of  the  Town,  and  to  gain  what  Intelligence  they  could. 
They  perceiving  a  Man  coming  out  of  it,  immediately 
feiz'd  him,  but  promis'd  to  fpare  his  Life,  upon  Condition 
that  he  would  give  them  the  beft  Information  he  could,  in 
what  way  the  Town  was  approachable.  The  Man  did  fo  ; 
and  by  his  information  they  fucceeded  fo  well,  that,  fend- 
ing for  their  Forces,  they  enter'd  the  Place,  and  put  all  the 
Inhabitants  to  the  Sword,  except  the  Man  who  had  given 
them  Intelligence,  and  his  Family. 

The  other  Tribes  had  equally  good  Succefs  in  gaining 
the  Pofleffion  of  the  Lands  that  were  allotted  them ;  only 
the  Tribe  of  Dan  was  compell'd  to  quit  the  Plains  for  fear 
of  the  Amorites,  and  to  retire  into  the  mountainous  Parts  of 
the  Country,  where  they  were  pent  up  for  fome  Time,  until 
the  Family  of  Joseph  came  to  their  Affiftance  j  and,  having 
reftrain'd  the  Infolence  of  their  Enemies,  reduc'd  them  to  a  ' 
narrower  Traft  of  Land,  than  what  they  had  at  firft. 

One  great  Default  however  in  thofe,  that  were  fuccefs-^'^O'^^''^ 
ful  againft  the  Cfl«/7flmV^j,  was,  that  they  did  not  make  a^,'^|'f,^;f^r^, 
right  Ufe  of  their  Victories,  but,  either  through  a  mifplac'df;Wt,/a///«. 
Lenity,  or  Covetoufnefs,  inftead  of  deftroying  them,  (as'*  J^''"'^'"'^' 

theyp,;/i'  '^' 

in  reducing  it.  His  Name  alone  is  mentioned  in  all  thefe  Wars ; 
and  as  his  Son-in-law,  Othniel,  was  the  firft  Deliverer  of  the 
Ifraelites  from  their  Oppreffions,  he  feems  to  have  fucceeded 
Caleb  in  this  Dignity,  as  his  neareft  and  moft  valiant  Relation. 
Bedford^  Scripture  Chronology,  lib.  v.  c.  3, 


i6o  ^le  Hijlory  of  the  Bl^h  E,      Book  V. 

2  6i  ©"V  *^^^  ^^'^^  commanded)  fufFer'd  them  to  live  promifcuoufly 
AnJ'chrift.an^ong  ^^enn  ^"^  contented  themfelves  with  making  them 
i4(S3,>^©'f.  tributary  ;  which  fo  far  incens'd  God,  that  he  fent  an  f 
rto"?heS  '^"^^^  ^^^^  G'k^h  to  expoftulate  the  Matter  with  them  ; 
«f  Ruth,  to  remind  them  of  the  Favours,  which  he  had  vouchfaf 'd 
'them,  indehvering  them  out  of  Egypt ^  and  bringing  them 
into  that  happy  Land,  of  his  Pun^ual  Performance  of  all 
the  Promifes  he  had  made  them,  and  of  their  vile  Ingrati- 
tude in  rejeding  his  Precepts,  for  which  he  had  very  juftly 
withdrawn  his  Protedlion  from  them. 

This  Reproof  made  the  People,  for  the  prefent,  a  lit- 
tle fenfible  of  their  Tranfgreffion,  fo  that  they  fell  into  a 
general  Lamentation ;  and  deploring  the  Wretchednefs  of 
their  Condition,  cfFer'd  Sacrifices  to  God,  in  order  to  ap- 
peafe  his  Wrath.  But  no  fooner  was  this  Fit  of  Humili- 
ation over,  but,  continuing  ftill  their  Correfpondence  with 
the  Canaanltes^  indulging  themfelves  in  their  Icofe  Conver- 
fation,  and  making  Intermarriages  with  them,  they  fell  in- 
to Idolatry,  and  worfhipp'd  Baal  and  Jjhterath,  and  other 
Idols  of  the  Heathens,  which  fo  provokVl  the  Lord,  that  he 
left  them  to  themfelves ;  and  they  (without  his  Protedion) 
made  fo  weak  a  Defence,  that  they  were  often  taken,  and 
enflav'd  by  their  Enemies. 

The 

f  The  Jenvs  are  generally  of  Opinion,  that,  by  this  Angel, 
wc  are  to  underftand  a  Prophet,  who  was  fent  by  God  as  a  Mef- 
fenger,  which  the  Word  very  often  imports ;  and  this  Meflenger 
they  commonly  take  to  have  been  Phincas,  who  was  employ'd 
upon  this  Errand.  We  can  fee  no  Reafon  however  for  their 
departing  from  the  ufual  Signification  of  the  Word,  efpecially 
when  there  is  no  Abfurdity  in  it,  and  the  Senfe  of  the  Context 
feems  to  require  our  retaining  it.  Nay,  there  is  Reafon  to  fay, 
that  the  Perfon,  who  here  reproves  the  Ifraelites,  was  fomething 
more  than  a  created  Angel ;  for  who  but  God  can  fpeak  in  this 
Stile,  Imo.de  you  to  go  out  of  Egypt  P  No  Prophet,  nor  any 
created  Angel  durft  have  been  fo  bold  :  And  therefore,  the  Opi- 
nion of  moft  Chrijiian  Interpreters  is,  that  it  was  the  Son  ofGody 
who  is  frequently  in  Scripture  call'd  the  Angel  of  the  Co'venant. 
And  fit  it  was  for  him  to  appear  now,  as  coming  from  Gilgaly 
to  put  them  in  mind  of  his  illuftrious  Appearance  near  that 
Place  once  before,  of  the  AfTurance  he  then  gave  them  of  his 
Prefence  with  them  in  the  Conqueft  of  the  Land,  and  of  the 
folemn  Conjcuatit,  he  made  with  them,  by  renewing  of  Circum- 
cifton.  The  Angel's  coining  up  from  Gilgal  is  therefore  menti- 
on'd,  as  a  very  pertinent  Circumftance,  to  upbraid  the  Ifraelites 
with  their  bafe  Ingratitude  to  God,  and  with  their  Sloth  in  not 
endeavouring  to  expel  the  Canaanites.     Pa^ricfii  Commentary. 


Chap. II.  from  the\ix2i^\tt%  entering  Canaan,  t^c.         i6i 

The  firft  Oppreflbr,  that  the  Ifraelltes  had,  was  nam'd    A.  M. 
Chufan-  Prifhathaim.     He  was  King  of  Mefopotamia^  ^""^'Ant.' chrift. 
when  he  invaded  the  Territories  of  Ifrael,  he  made  an  ea- 1443>  ©"<. 
fy  Conqueft,  and  impos'd  ^Tribute  on  them,  which  bfted  ^'""'J"^?^! 

/       •    .     tr  L  IT--  /•    1        r^-  <-.     ,1.  to  the  En* 

tor  eight  Years ;  but,  at  the  Jtxpiration  or  that  I  ime,  viod  of  Ruth, 
rais'd  up  Othniel,  Caleb' %  Son- in  Law  (  who  was  the  firft «— -v*"^ 
of  thofe  whom  the  Scripture  calls  Judges)  and  infpir'd  him 
with  Courage  and  Refolution  to  take  up  Arms  againft  the 
King  of  Mefopotamiay  whom  he  foon  defeated,  and  fettled 
the  Ifraelltes  in  a  State  of  Peace  and  Tranquillity,  which 
lafted  for  forty  Years.  But  during  this  Space  of  Time,  the 
People  fell  into  a  general  Apoftacy,  and  Corruption  of 
Manners,  whereof  the  f  two  follov»ring  Stories  are  fad  and 
remarkable  Inftances. 

The  Tribe  of  Dan  (as  we  faid  before)  being  pent  up<y-^^  fjdlni^ 
in  the  mountainous  Parts,  found  their  Territories  much  too  piety  and 
narrow  for  them  ;  and  therefore  they  fent  out  of  their  Bo-  f^ickedmfscf 
dy  five  Spies  to  furvey  the  Country,  and  biing  them  in  ^^-  fhJ^n'intw 
telligence,  in  what  Part  of  the  Regions  round  about  they /n/?afl««. 
might   moft  likely  extend  their  Bounds.     The   Spies,  in 
their  Journey,  came  to  the  Houfe  of  Micah  of  Mount 
Ephraim,  whofe  Mother,  thinking  it  too   much  Trouble 
to  go  to  Sh'iloh  to  worfliip,  and  ofFer  Sacrifices  there,  had 
made  an  Idol^  and  plac'd  it  in  a  private  Chapel  of  her  Son's 
building:  For  her  Son  had  an  f  Ephod,  and  Teraphim^  and, 

for 

•f-  Thefe  two  Stories  are  related  in  the  xviith,  xviiith,  and  xixth 
Chapters  of  Judges,  and  being  fo  plac'd,  they  may  feem  to  be- 
long to  the  latter  Part  of  this  Period  ;  v/hereas,  in  the  Judgment 
of  moft  learned  Men,  they  were  tranfafied  much  about  this 
Time.  Tis  plain  from  the  Text,  (Chap.  xvii.  6.)  that  thefe 
Things  happened  nuhen  there  iioas  no  King  (i.  e.  no  Ruler,  for, 
properly  fpeaking,  there  had  hitherto  been  no  King)  in  Ifrael, 
out  e'very  Man  did  nvhat  ivas  right  in  his  onxjn  Eyes ;  and  the 
Reafon  why  Samuel,  or  whoever  was  the  Author  of  this  Book, 
places  them  here,  is,  becaufe  he  was  not  willing  to  break  the 
Thread  of  his  Hiftory  by  intermixing  thefe  Matters  with  it,  but 
referv'd  them  to  be  related  apart  by  themfelves.  Patricks  Com- 
mentary. 

•f  That  the  Divine  Service  might  be  perform'd  with  a  grea- 
ter Refemblance  of  what  was  done  at  the  Tabernacle  in  Shi/oh, 
he  made  priejfly  Ornaments  ;  for  fo  fome  learned  Men  take  the 
J?/>i>of/ to  comprehend,  not  only  the  Breaft-plate  adjoining  to  it, 
but  all  the  reft  of  the  Veftments  us'd  by  the  Kigh-Priell.  His 
Intention  was  to  fet  up  an  Oracle  in  his  own  Houfe,  in  Imita- 

tioa 

Vol.  III.  L 


nites 


162  "The  Hijiory  of  /^^  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.    for  fome  Time,  had  confecrated  one  of  his   own  Sons  to 
^^jjj'(;;i^[^  be  his  Prieft  ;  uni\\  z  Levite^  who    had  dwelt  fome  Time 
1443,  &c.  at  Bethlehem-Judah,  travelling  from  thence  to  feek  a  bet- 
f^T.tte  *^'*  Settlement,  happen'd  to  call  at  Micah's  Houfe,  and  by 
him  was  hir'd  to  execute  that  Office ;  whereupon,  the  Man 
was  fond  enough  to  believe,  that  God  would  profper  him 
not  a  little,  now  that  he  had  got  a  Lev'ite  to  be  his  Prieft. 
The  Idolatry      It  happen'd,  that  fome  of  thefe  Spies  being  acquainted 
of  the  Da-    with  this  Lev'ite^  and,  after  fome  Difcourfe,  underftanding 
in  what  Capacity  he  ferv'd  Micah,  defir'd  of  him  to  alk 
Counlel  of  God,  what  Succefs  they  might  poflibly  promife 
themfelves  in  the  Enterprize  they  were  going  upon,  and, 
with  the  Encouragement  which   he   gave  them,  they  pro- 
ceeded on  their  Search,  until  they  came  to  Laijh  ;  where, 
obferving  a  pleafant  and  fruitful  Country,  and  the  People 
living  in  a  fecure  and  negligent  Manner,  without  any  Rule 
or  Difcipline  among  them,  they  return'd  to  their  Brethren, 
and  gave  them  an  Account,  how  fruitful  the  Country  was, 
and  how  eafily,  in  their  Opinion,  the  Place  might  be  taken 
by  Surprize, 

Upon 

tion  of  the  Sandluary  of  Mofes  -,  and  therefore,  to  make  the 
Conformity  the  greater,  'tis  fuppos'd  that  he  eredled  a  Kind  of 
Ark,  wliereon  he  plac'd  two  Teraphims,  to  anfwer  the  two  Che- 
rtcbims  in  the  Tabernacle,  as  he  caus'd  the  Prieft  who  officiated 
for  him  to  wear  an  Ephod,  in  the  Manner  that  the  High-Priell 
did,  when  he  confulted  God.  Mr.  5^/<yf«  (in  his  Syntagma  i . 
de  Diis  Syria,  Cap.  2.)  well  obferves,  that  the  Worlhip  of  the 
true  God,  and  of  Idols,  was  here  blended  together.  The  Ephod 
•and  the  Le'vite,  which  Micah  afterwards  provided,  were  in- 
tended, no  doubt,  for  the  Service  of  the  true  God,  but  the 
graven  Image  and  Teraphim,  by  which  the  Children  of  Datt  de- 
fir'd the  Levite  to  enquire  of  God,  belong'd  unto  Damons. 
They  neither  trufted  to  the  Ephod  alone,  which  related  to  God, 
nor  to  the  Teraphim  alone,  which  was  their  own  Invention, 
but  thought  it  neceflary  to  join  both  together  in  divine  Worfhip: 
And  thus  began  Idolatry  in  Ifrael  by  the  Superftition  of  an  old 
V/'oinan,  who  put  this  in  her  Son's  Head.  This  Woman  many 
of  the  "Jeixs  fuppofe  to  be  the  fame  with  Dalilah,  who,  having 
got  fo  much  Money  of  every  one  of  the  Lords  of  the  Phili- 
JtUies,  thought  it  expedient  to  employ  fome  of  it  in  expreffing 
her  Devotion.  But  this  is  an  idle  Conceit,  that  has  no  other 
Foundation,  than  Dalilah's  'oeing  mention'd  in  the  foregoing 
Chapter  ;  whereas  Micah  v/as  feme  hundred  Years  prior  to  her-. 
Pr,cr!ck''s  Commentary,  and  Jurii:u\  Hilt,  dss  Dogmes  k  Cult. 
Pi-r.  ill. 


Chap.  II.    from  the  UraeVites  entering  Canazn,  ^c.        163 

Upon  this,  the  Danites  drew  out  a  Party  of  fix  hun-    A.  m. 
dred  Men,  and  fent  them  to  take  PofTefTion  of  the  City  of^nt.' chrift. 
Laijh  :  But,  in  their  Way  through  Mount  Ephraim,  they  1443,  &c. 
call'd  at  Micah's  Houfe,  and,  in  his  Abfence,  feiz'd  the  ^"^"'J^^g^^^* 
Levlte^  the  Ephod,  the  Teraphim,  and  other  Images  thatofRmh. 
Adi ca h  hzd  irnde  i    and,  as  the  Levite  was  rcmonftrating  < 
againft  what  they  had  done,  they  foon  paclfy'd  him,  by  re- 
prefenting  the  Advantage  of  being  a  Prieft  to  a  whole  Tribe 
rather  than  any  one  Family  ;  and,  with  the  Hopes  of  that, 
he  went  very  willingly  along  with  them. 

MICAH  returning  Home,  and  underftanding  that  his 
Prieft  and  his  Gods  were  gone,  mufters  up  his  Friends,  and 
purfues  the  Danites  j  but,  when  he  came  up  with  fome  of 
the  hindmoft  of  them,  and  was  making  his  Complaint  a- 
gainft  the  Injury  they  had  done,  they  wifh'd  him  to'  be  gone; 
for  that,  if  he  perfifted  to  irritate  the  reft  of  the  Party,  it 
would  certainly  coft  him  and  his  Friends  their  Lives :  And 
fo  continuing  their  March,  on  the  third  Day  they  came  tp 
Laijhy  where  finding  it  unguarded  they  burnt  the  City,  de- 
ftroy'd  the  Inhabitants,  and  took  Pofleflion  of  the  Coun- 
try ;  but,  in  a  ftiort  Time  after,  they  rebuilt  the  City, 
which,  after  the  Name  of  their  Father,  was  call'd  Dan^  and 
here  fetting  up  the  Images,  which  they  had  ftolen  from  Mi- 
cah,  they  made  this  fame  Levite  (whofe  Name  was  Jona^ 
than)  their  Prieft :  And  in  this  State  of  idolatrous  Worfliip 
they  continu'd  for  about  three  hundred  Years,  even  unto 
the  Time  f  that  the  Ark  of  God  was  taken  Captive  by  the 
Philijiines,  which  was  in  the  Days  of  Samuel. 

L  2  Not 

-j-  The  Words  of  the  Text  are  :  — — —  And  the  Children  of 
Dan  fet  up  the  gram  en  Image,  and  Jonathan  and  his  Sons  nvere 
Priejis  to  the  Tribe  of  Dan,  until  the  Day  of  the  Captimty  of  the 
Land,  Judg.  xviii,  30.  But  then  the  Queftion  is,  what  we  are 
to  underftand  by  the  Capti'vity  of  the  Land  ?  Now  there  are  two 
Times  mention'd  in  Scripture,  when  the  Children  of  Ifrael  were 
carry'd  away  Captive  by  Tiglath-Vikfer,  when  he  took  Hazor, 
«H(/Gilead,  ^W  Galilee,  all  the  Land  of '^a.^]\ta\.i,  and  carried 
them  into  AfTyria,  2  Kings  xv.  29,  And  2dly,  by  SalmanaJJer, 
who  carried  Ifrael  ai>.ay,  and  placed  them  in  Halah,  and  in  Ha- 
bor,  by  the  Rimer  Gozan,  and  in  the  Cities  of  the  Medes,  2  Kings 
xviii.  11.  And  to  one  of  thefe,  the  Words  of  the  Text  are 
fuppos'd  by  fome  learned  Men  to  refer ;  but  then  it  muft  necef- 
farily  follow,  that  this  Book  was  written  in  later  Times,  even 
after  the  former  of  thefe  Captivities  at  leaft.  It  can  hardly  be 
fuppos'd  however,  that  thefe  Images  Ihould  be  fuffer'd  to  conti- 

nue 


1 64  The  Hiliory  <?/  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  j^QT  long  after  this,  the  War  of  the  Benjamites  broke 
Antl'ciuia.  out,  which  is  another  tragical  Piece  of  Hiftory ,  and  as  preg- 
i44;j,  6ff.  nant  a  Proof  of  the  People's  Immorality,  as  the  other  is  of 

fTthe  End  '^^'"^  Apojlacy,     The  Subftance  of  the  Story  is  this. 

of  Ruth.      *  A  Lev'ite  of  Mount  Ephraim^  having  taken  a  Wife  out 
*— — V— *J  of  Bethlehem-Judah,  who  prov'd  a  lewd  Woman,  fhe  made 
'jf'^'^^^''"' an  Elopement  from  her  Hufband  to  her  Father's  Houfe, 
mites.  ^"^^'  where  (he  continu'd  for  fome  Months.     The  Lev'ite  how- 
ever, being  willing  to  be  reconcil'd  to  her,  went  to  bring 
her  home  ;  but,  in  his  Return,  happening  to  be  benighted, 
he  was  obliged  to  turn  *  into  Gibeah,  where  an  old  Man  of 
Mount  Ephraim,    who  was  only  an  Inmate  there,    after 
fome  Converfation,  receiv'd  him  into  his  Lodgings.     But, 
while  they  were  at  Supper,  the  Men  of  the  City  befet  the 

Houfe, 

nue  in  the  Days  of  Da'vid,  who  was  a  Maa  after  God's  own 
Heart,  and  ftudy'd  to  advance  true  Religion  to  the  utmoft  of  his 
Power  all  the  Country  over,  from  Dan  to  Beerjheha  ;  and  there- 
fore others,  with  good  Reafon,  conclude,  that  by  the  Captimty 
of  the  Land  is  meant  the  taking  of  the  Ark  by  the  Philijiines, 
and  carrying  it  Captive  into  the  Temple  of  Dagon ;  for  fo  the 
Pfalmift  exprefsly  calls  that  unlucky  Event :  He  forfook  the  Ta- 
bernacle in  Shiloh,  e'ven  the  lent  that  he  had  pitched  among 
them  i  he  deli'vered  their  Poiver  into  Capti'vity,  and  their  Beauty 
into  the  Enemies  Hands,  Pfal.  Ixxviii.  60,  61.  Patrick''^  and 
Le  Clerc\  Commentaries. 

*  Joftphus  relates  this  Story  with  a  good  deal  of  Variation 

from  the  facred  Hiftory : That  the  Levite's  Wife  was  not 

a  leivd  Woman,  but  one,  who  did  not  well  agree  with  her  Hu- 
fband, for  which  Reafon  Ihe  left  him,  and  went  to  her  Father ; 
that  the  young  Men  of  Gibeah,  feeing  her  to  be  a  very  beauti- 
ful Woman,  took  Notice  of  the  Houfe,  where  fhe  went  in,  and 
came  and  demanded  her,  and  not  the  Le<vite  himfelf,  as  the 
Scripture  has  it  -,  that  the  Le-vite  did  not  turn  her  out,  but  that 
the  young  Men  took  her  by  Force,  and  carry'd  her  to  their  own 
Quarters,  where  they  fpent  tlie  whole  Night  in  all  Manner  of 
hefiial  Liberties,  and  then  fent  her  back  again  next  Morning ; 
that,  upon  her  Return,  fhe  fell  into  fuch  a  Confufion  of  Thought, 
for  what  had  befallen  her  that  Night,  that  (what  between  Shame 
and  Indignation)  fhe  funk  down  upon  the  Ground,  and  expir'd; 
that  the  I/raelites,  met  in  Convention,  fent  to  the  Benjamites  to 
deliver  up  the  MalefaSlors,  who  had  committed  this  brutal  Vio- 
lence upon  the  Le'vite'%  Wife,  which  they  refus'd  to  do,  as  think- 
ing it  difhonourable  for  Fear  of  a  War  to  fubmit  to  Rules  of 
other  People's  prefcribing,  i^c     Jofcpbus,  Lib.  v.  c.  2. 

*  Gibeah  lay  North  of  Jerufalem,  about  twenty  or  thirty  Fur- 
longs from  it,  and  was  built  upon  an  Hill,  as  its  Name  import*, 
Wells\  Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  IIL 


Ch  A P .  II.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  G?c.        1 65 

Houfe,  and  demanded  to  have  the  Stranger  brought  out  to    A,  m. 
them,  that,  according  to  the  Sin  of  Sodom,  they  might  ^ntl'^dil. 
know  him.     *Twas  in  vain   to  ufe  Intreaties  to  fo  rude  a  1443,  fefc 
Rabble.     The  good  old  Man  ofFer'd  them  his  ownDaugh-P'^^°™^J^''^J 
ter,  vi'ho  was  a  Virgin;  and,  at  length,  by  Confent  the  Le  ^f  R^h. 
v'lte^s  Wife  was  turn'd  out  among  them.     They  abus'd  her  \^ 
all  that  Night ;  and,  the  next  Morning,  (he  was  found  dead 
at  the  Threfliold,  which  enrag'd  her  Hufband  to  fuch  a  De- 
gree, that,  taking  her  home  with  him,  he  cut  her  dead 
Body  into  twelve  Parts,  and  fent  one  to  every  Tribe,  with 
an  Account  of  the  inhofpltable  Treatment,  he  met  with  at 
Gibeah  ;  that  fo,  in  a  general  Affembly  of  Ifrael,  it  might 
be  refolv'd,  what  Method  of  Revenge  it  was  proper  to  take 
upon  this  difmal  Occafion. 

The  Affembly  agreed,  that  never  fo  inhumane  an  A<5t 
had  been  known  in  Ifrael,  fmce  the  Time  they  left  Egypt ; 
and  thereupon  came  to  a  Refolution,  to  bring  the  Offen- 
ders to  condign  Punifhment,  and,  in  order  to  that,  fent 
Meffengers  to  them,  demanding  the  Men,  that  had  commit- 
ted this  Outrage  ;  but  they  refus'd  to  deliver  them,  and,  ia 
order  to  defend  the  Criminals,  mufter'd  up  all  their  Forces, 
The  Army  of  the  Benjamites  confifted  but  of  fix  and  twen- 
ty Thoufand,  whereas  that  of  all  Ifrael  amounted  to  four 
hundred  Thoufand  Men  j  and  yet,  in  two  feveral  Engage- 
ments, the  Benjamites  had  the  better  of  them ;    for  in  the 
former,  they  kill'd  them  twenty  two  Thoufand,  and  in  the 
latter,  eighteen  Thoufand  Men.  But  the  Mifcondudl  of  the 
Jfraelttes  upon  this  Occafion  was,  that,  being  too  confident 
of  the  Goodnefs  of  their  Caufe,  and  the  Superiority  of  their 
Numbers,  when  they  wen'  to  confult  God,  they  only  en- 
quir'd  of  him  which  of  the  Tribes  (hould  lead  the  Fan,  with- 
out placing  their  Confidence  in  him,  or  depending  upon  his 
Affiftance  for  Succefs,  which  thefe  repeated  Defeats  brought 
to  their  Remembrance  ;  and  therefore,  before  the  third  En- 
gagement, they  humbled   themfelves  in  a  proper  Manner 
before  God,  and,  from  his  Encouragement,  attacked  the 
Benjamites  once  more.     But,  to  make  their  Vidlory  the 
more  fecure,    they  laid  an  Ambufcade  behind  the  City, 
which,  while  they  pretended    to  fly,    enter'd    it,  and   fet 
it  on  Fire  ;  whereupon  the  main  Body  of  the  IfraeVtVjJ}  Ar- 
my fac'd  about,  and  charg'd  fo  furioufly  upon  the  Benja- 
tnites^  that  they  flew  five  and  twenty  Thoufand  of  them, 
fet  Fire  to  their  City,  and  deflrroy'd  all  that   belong'd  to 
them.     It  fo  happen'd  however,  that  fix  hundred  of  theiii 
(which  were  all  that  remain'd  of  the  Tribe)  made  their 

L  3  Jlfcape 


iCS  ^e  Hifiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.    Efcape  into  the  Wildernefs,  and  ftielter'd  themfelves  in  the 

Ant!  Chrift.-^^'"'^^^^^  of  Rimmon. 

1443,  &c.       When  the  Heat  of  the  A£lion  was  over,  and  the  Ifra- 

From  Judges  ^//^^^  began  to  refledl  coolly  on  what  they  had  done,  thev 

1.  to  the  End  ■      >j  i-     .         '^     1     1  1  ^  1  r        \. 

of  Ruth.  '^^^^  g'"'^v  d  not  a  httle ;  and  that  the  rather,  becaule,  at 
V— V"— jthe  Beginning  of  this  War,  they  had  all  taken  a  rafh  Oath, 
^be  Mannernot  to  marry  their  Daughters  to  any  of  the  Benjamites  :  So 
%et"nauzh^^^^^  how  to  recruit  the  Tribe  fhey  could  not  tell,  until  they 
tir'dTrihe.  bethought  themfelves of  thefe  two  Expedients.  When  the 
War  firft  broke  out,  they  had  bound  themfelves  by  Oath, 
to  put  all  to  the  Sword,  who  would  not  join  them  in  the  com- 
mon Caufe  againft  the  Benjamites ;  and,  finding  by  their 
MuJier-RoU,  that  the  People  of  Jahejh-Gilead  had  ne- 
gledled  to  come,  they  difpatch'd  twelve Thoufand  Men,  with 
Orders  to  put  Man,  Woman,  and  Child  to  the  Sword,  ex- 
cept fuch  Virgins  as  were  marriageable,  whom  they  inten- 
ded to  give  tothe Benjamites  for  Wives.  For, by  this  Time, 
the  Benjamites  were  reconcil'd  to  the  reft  of  the  People,  had 
left  their  Stroftg-hold  and  were  come  into  the  Camp  ;  fo 
that,  when  the  Men  return'd  from  the  Slaughter  of  the  Gi- 
leaditesy  they  brought  four  hundred  Virgins  along  with 
them,  which  were  immediately  given  to  the  Benjamites  i 
but  as  the  Benjamites  were  fix  hundred  in  Number,  there 
was  not  for  every  Man  one,  and  therefore  they  betook  them- 
felves to  another  Expedient. 

Once  every  Year,  f  there  was  a  Fejiival  kept  at  Shi- 
lohy  whither  the  young  Women  of  the  Country  us'd  con- 

ftantly 

•f-  All  the  three  great  Feftivals  were  to  be  obferv'd  in  the 
Place  where  God  fettled  his  Habitation,  which  was  now  at  Shi- 
loh ;  and  therefore  feme  are  of  Opinion,  that  the  Feaft,  here 
mention'd,  was  one  of  thefe ;  particularly,  they  think  it  was 
the  Feaji  of  Tabernacles,  becaufe  this  was  a  Seafon  of  great  Joy, 
for  having  newly  gather'd  their  Vintage,  and  the  only  Seafon, 
wherein  the  Jeivi/h  Virgins  were  allow'd  to  dance.  At  this 
Time  they  dwelt  in  Booths  too,  behind  which  the  Benjamites  (as 
they  fancy)  might  very  conveniently  conceal  themfelves,  and  (o 
watch  an  Opportunity  of  carrying  away  the  Virgins  :  But  what 
feems  to  make  againft  this  Opinion  is,  that,  at  any  of  thefe 
publick  Feftivals,  the  Concourfe  of  People  would  have  been  too 
great  for  a  Defign  of  this  Nature  to  be  put  in  Execution,  fmce 
the  Violence,  which  muft  of  Courfe  have  been  offer 'd  to  the 
young  Women,  would  hardly  have  met  with  a  general  Conni- 
vance. 'Tis  much  more  probable  therefore,  that  this  was  fomc 
Feftival  peculiar  to  the  People  of  Shilohy  which  the  Benjamites 
perhaps  might  know  nothing  of,    and  were  therefore  put  in 

Mind 


Ch A  p .  IT.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.         1 67 

ifently  to  come  and  dance.     The  Ifraelites  therefore  fug-^  A.  M.^ 
gefted  to  the  Benjamites^  that,  as  many  as  wanted  Wives,  ^ntl'chrUt. 
might  at  this  Time  repair  to  the  Place,  and,  concealingi443j  ®''- 
themfelves  in  the  Vineyards,  feizeupon  the  young  Women,  ^'■"^"jJ^'JUJ 
as  they  came  out  a  dancing,  and  carry  them  ofF  to  their  own  of  Ruth. 
Habitations.     The  Benjamites  accordingly  purfu'd  their  In-  v— v""*-^ 
ftrudlions ;    and,  watching  their  Opportunity,  took  every 
one  his  Damfel  away  with  him  :    So  that,  having  by  this 
Means  got  themfelves  Wives,  they  fettled  again  in  their 
own  Country,  and  began  by  Degrees  to  recruit  their  Tribe. 

After  the  Death  of  Othniel,  the  Ifraelites  again  revol-^^"^^"''* 
ted  from  the  Service  of  God,  and  God,  to  chaftife  themj^^j^*  J°"' 
for  it,  fufFer'd  Eglon,  King  of  Moab,  to  fubdue  them  ;  foMoab,  and 
that,  for  eighteen  Years  together,  they  were  forc'd  to  ht^'f'^""  *" 
tributary  to  him.     But,  upon   their  Humiliation  and  Re-       '^' 
pentance,  he  rais'd  them  up  a  Man,  even  out  of  the  dimi- 
nifli'd  Tribe  oi  Benjamin^  who  wrought  their  Deliverance, 
but  in  a  Method  no  ways  to  be  juftify'd,  under  a  lefs  Sup- 
pofition,  than  that  he  had  a  divine  Commiflion  for  fo  doing. 

Every  Year  it  was  cuftomary  for  the  Ifraelites  to  fend 
a  Prefent,  or  Tribute  to  the  King  of  Moab,  and,  for  that 
Year,  Ehud,  the  Son  of  Gera,  was  appointed  to  go  with 
it.  He  was  a  left-handed  Man  ;  and,  having  a  Defign  ei- 
ther to  free  his  Country  from  this  Oppreffion,  or  perifh  in 
the  Attempt,  he  had  for  this  Purpofe  provided  himfelf  with 
a  Poniard,  which  he  conceal'd  on  his  right  Side.  After  he 
had  deliver'd  the  Prefent,  pretending  he  had  fomething  of 
great  Importance  to  communicate  to  the  King,  he  obtain'd 
a  private  Audience  of  Him ;  when,  taking  his  Opportu- 
nity, he  ftabb'd  him  with  the  Poniard  to  the  Heart,  and 
fo  (hutting  the  Door  after  him,  had  Time  to  make  his  Ef- 
cape.  For,  as  the  King  was  a  very  corpulent  Man,  his 
Attendants  fuppos'd  that  he  was  either  repofmg  or  eafing 
himfelf,  and  therefore  forbore  to  enter  into  his  Apartment, 
until  Ehud  was  quite  gone.  As  foon  as  he  came  to  Mount 
Epbraim,  he  gather'd  together  the  Ifradites  that  Jay  near- 
eft  him  ;  acquainted  them  with  what  he  had  done.}  and 
then  fecuring  the  Fords  of  Jordan,  that  none  of  them  might 
L  4  efcape. 

Mind  of  it  by  the  Elders  of  the  Congregation.  Jofephus  tells  us, 
that  it  was  celebrated  thrice  every  Year :  And  on  this  Feftival 
it  might  be  a  Cuftom  for  rhe  young  Women  to  go  out  into  the 
Fields,  and  there  dance  by  themfelves,  which  might  give  their 
Raviihers  the  very  Opportunity  they  wanted,  Le  CUrch  Con^t 
mentary. 


i68  rhe  Hi/lory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,       Book  V. 

A.  M.  efcape,  he  fell  upon  the  Moabitesy  and  deftroy'd  them  all  ^ 
Ant.  Chrift.  ^°  ^^^^t  after  this  Conqueft,  the  eajiern  Part  of  the  Land 
1443,  &c.  of  Crfw,3<2«  enjoy 'd  a  fettled  Peace  f  for  the  Space  oi  four- 

From  Judges y;.^^^  Tf^rj. 

of  Ruth.  ^UT  tho'  the  eajlern  Coaft  was  at  Reft,  yet  the  weji 

I  Parts  of  the  Kingdom  were  fadly  molefted  by  the  Incurfi- 
ons  of  the  Philijiines^  who  dwelt  upon  the  fame  Shore  of 
the  Mediterranean-Sea.  Upon  this  Occafion,  f  Shamgar^ 
the  Son  of  y4nah,  aflcrted  the  Caufe  of  Ifrael ;  and,  ha- 
ving receiv'd  extraordinary  Vigour  from  above,  with  no 
better  Weapon  than  an  Ox-goad^  flew,  at  divers  Times, 
fix  hundred  of  thefe  Invaders,  and  preferv'd  the  Peace  of 
the  Country  for  eight  Years. 

Im 

•f-  There  are  two  Ways,  wherein  the  Land  (as  it  is  in  the  Text) 
may  be  faid  to  have  had  Refi  four/core  Tears.     If  by  the   Landy 
we  underftand    the   whole  Kingdom    of  Ifrael,    the    Meaning 
muft  be,  that  it  relied  about  fourfcore  Years,  or  the  greatefl  Part 
of  fourfcore  Years  :    Becaufe  it  is  a  very  common  Thing  in 
Scripture,  to  ufe  Numbers  in  this  Latitude,  and,  inftead  of  a 
minute  Computation,  to  make  mention  of  the  roa»^Sum.     Thus 
the  Ifraelites  are  faid  to  bear  their  Iniquities  forty  Years  in  the  Wil- 
dernefs.  Numb.  xiv.  33.  when  there  wanted  almoft  two  Years  of 
that  Number  ;    and  to  dnjocll  in  Egypt  four  hundred  and  thirty y 
when,    ftriaiy  fpeaking,  there  wanted  feveral  of  it :    And,  in 
like  Manner,  the  Land  is  here  faid  to  ha<ve  had  rejf  fourfcore  Tearsy 
when  it  is  declared,    at  the  fame  Time,  that  the  People  ferv'd 
the  King  of  Moab  eighteen  of  them ;    nor  is  it  any  uncommon 
Thing,  in  other  Authors,  as  well  as  the  facred,  to  ufe  this  Form 
of  Expreflion.     But  zdly,  if  by  the  Land,  We  underftand  only 
fuch  or  fuch  a  Part  of  it,  the  Solution  is  cafy.     For,  it  is  but 
fuppofing,  that  there  were  fcarce  any  of  the  Judges,  who  ruPd 
over  the  njchole  Country  of  Ifrael,  but  feme  in  one  Part,  and 
fome  in  another  ;  fo  that,  at  the  fame  Time,   there  were  feveral 
Judges  in  the  Land,    and  Peace  in  one  Part,  when  there  was 
War  in  another  ;  and  then  we  may  (\nth  the  learned  Sir  John 
Mt.rfham)   underftand  here  by  the  Land,  ^vohich  had  Refl  four- 
fcore Years,  not  the  ^vhoh  Land  of  Ifrael,    but  the  Eajiern  Part 
of  it  only,  which  had  ihaken  off  the  Yoke  of  Moah,  while,  in 
the  mean  Time,  the  Philiftines  invaded  the  Weftem  Parts,  even 
as  Jabin  afflided  the  Northern,  as  we  may  fee  in  the  following 
Chapter.    Poors  Annotations,  and  Patricks  Commentar}'. 

f  Of  what  Tribe  this  valiant  Perfon  was,  we  are  no  where 
informed ;  but  it  is  not  unlikely,  that  he  was  of  one  of  thofe 
Tribes,  which  border'd  upon  the  Pbilijiines,  Judah,  Dan,  or 
Ethraim,  becaufe  what  he  did,  was  againft  them.  It  is  difputed 
by  fome,  whether  he  is  to  be  reckoned  among  the  Number  of 
^•e  y^dges  'y  but  for  this,  I  think,  there  is  no  Foundation.     The 

ftiort 


Chap.  TI.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c,      169 

In  the  North  Parts  of  the  Country  however,  the  Idola-     A.  M. 
try,  which  Micah  began,  propagated  apace  ;    fo  that  God,  am.' chrij 
being  highly  incens'd  at  the  People's  Impieties,  permitted  1443,  &c, 
Jabin,  who,   at  that  Time,  afTum'd  the  Title  of  King  of  j^'°^"^J^^JJJ 
Canaan^  and  f  had  fix'd  his  Imperial  Seat  at  Hazor^  to  op-  of  Ruth. 
prefs  them  with  great  Severity  for  forty  Years.     This  Prince  v—- y^-^ 

U^J  Deborah  and 
Barak  con  • 
quer  Sifera, 

fliort  Account,  which  the  Scripture  gives  of  him,  is  this :— — —  the  General 
Jnd  after  him,  i.e.  aiiev  Ehud,  waj  Shamgar,  the  Son  of  Anvih,"/  J^^^n"' 
ivhich  flcvj  of  the  Philiftines  fix  hundred  Men  nvith  an  Ox  goady  ^ '''"'' 
and  alfo  del'mere^  Ifrael,  Judg.  iii.  3 1 .     After  Ehud  was  Sham- 
gar,  i.  e.  he  fucceeded  him  in  the  Office  of  a  Judge,  for  this  is 
the  natural  Senfe  of  the  Words ;    and  he  alfo  deli'vered  Ifrael, 
which  is  the  very  Phrafe,  whereby  the  Judges  are  defcrib'd.     It 
is  not  faid  indeed  from  what  Oppreffions  he  delivered  liim ;    but 
he  is  a  Deliverer,  who  preferves  a  Nation  from  being  opprefs'd 
as  well  as  he,  who  refcues  them  from  an  Oppreffion  when  they, 
groan  under  it.     This,  in  all  Probability,  was  Shamgars  Cafe, 
who,  when  the  Philijiines  invaded  his  Country,  gave  them  a  Re- 
pulfe,  with  the  Lofs  of  fix  hundred  of  their  Men,   which  was 
enough  to  difcourage  them  from  all  future  Attempts.     And  in- 
deed, the  great  Slaughter  which  he  made  among  them,    with  a 
Weapon,    in  all  Appearance,  fo  incompetent  for  the  Work, 
argues  him  to  have  been  a  Judge,  and  poflefs'd  of  a  Divine 
Power,    as  much  as  Sampfon  was,  who  flew  a  thoufand  of  hif^ 
Enemies  nvith  the  Janu-borie  of  an  Afs,     PatricFsaxid  l^e  Clerc^ 
Commentaries. 

f  It  is  very  certain,  that  Jojhua  burnt  the  City  Hazor,  an4 
flew  the  King  thereof,  whofe  Name  in  like  Manner  was  Jahiiti, 
which  might  pofTibly  be  the  common  Name  to  all  the  Kings  oc 
the  Country,  as  thofe  oi  Egypt  were  call'd  Pharaoh  :  But  it  feems 
not  improbable,  that  this  Hazor  might  be  retaken,  and  rebuild 
by  its  antient  Inhabitants,  and  that  this  King  might  be  a  Dc' 
fcendant  of  the  other.     Some  indeed  interpret  the  Words  thu»- 

— — That  this  Jabin  was  King  of  that  Part  of  Canaan, 

which  lay  in  the  Country,  where  Hazor  formerly  flood,  and 
whofe  Seat  then  was  at  Harojheth  of  the  Gentiles  ;  for  they  un- 
derftand  this  Place  to  be  mention'd  in  the  Text,  as  the  Dwelling- 
Place,  not  of  Sifera,  but  of  Jabin  himfelf,  whofe  General 
Sifera  was.  But  there  is  no  Reafon  for  this  Inverfion  of  the  Or- 
der of  the  Words,  fincethe  Canaanites  might,  between  thtf  Time 
of  Jojhua  and  Deborah,  find  frequent  Opportunities  (confider- 
ing  the  Corruption  and  Idlenefs  of  the  Ifraelites)  to  rereflablifh 
their  antient  Kingdom  in  thefe  Parts,  to  rebuild  their  former 
Capital,  and  to  fet  up  one  of  the  old  royal  Line  to  be  their 
King  J  who  (according  to  the  common  Ufages  of  tho^  Ages) 
retain'd  one  and  the  fame  Name  with  his  PredecefTor*.  '  WslU% 
Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  II.  c.  6. 


I70  iT^e  Hijiory  of  the  BIB  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  had  made  Si/era,  (*  an  experienc'd  Soldier  no  doubt)  Ge- 
Aiit' Chrift'"'^''^^  of  his  Forces,  wherein,  befides  great  Store  of  other 
1443,  &c.  military  Munition,  there  were  nine  hundred  arm'd  Chariots, 
From  Judges  ^j^jj-h  terrify 'd  the  Ifraelites  to  fuch  a  Degree,  that  *  fe- 
I'/Rvlih^'^^veral  Tribes,  f^j  defpairing  of  Relief,  fat  IHII  under  their 
fOppreflion,  and  fome  of  them  were  going  (b)  to  tranfport 
themfelves  into  other  Countries.  For  their  Enemies  were 
fo  very  cruel  to  them,  that  they  durft  not  travel  the  com- 
mon Roads,  nor  dwell  in  Villages,  for  fear  of  being  mur- 
ther'd  or  plunder'd  ;  and,  having  no  Arms  left  to  defend 
themfelves,  they  were  forc'd  to  retire  to  fortify'd  Places, 
and  there  live  together,  in  the  utmoft  Confternation. 

In  the  midft  of  this  Diilrefs,  f  Deborah,  the  Prophetefs, 
a  Woman  of  great  Eminence,  and  who,  for  fome  Time, 
hai  adminifter'djuftice  to  the  neighbouring  Tribes,  fent  to 
Barak,  the  Son  of  Abinoam,  a  Meflage  from  God,  that 
he  fiiould  get  together  ten  Thoufand  Men  of  the  Tribes  of 

Zebulun 

*  This  Si/era  (as  Jofephus  informs'  us)  was  a  very  great  Fa- 
vourite of  the  King's,  for  the  Services  he  had  done,  in  reduc- 
ing the  Ifraelites,  whom  he  worfted  upon  feveral  Encounters, 
Time  after  Time,  and  would  never  give  over  the  Purfuit,  till 
he  brought  them  at  laft  to  be  abfolute  Slaves,  and  Tributaries 
to  his  Mafter.  Antiq.  lib.  v.  c.    6. 

*  Thii  is  the  Senfe  of  thofe  obfcure  Paflages  in  the  Song  of 
Deborah.  For  the  Dinjifiom  o/' Reuben  there  nuere  great  Thoughts 
Jf  Heart.  Why  ahodcji  thou  among  the  SheepfoUs,  to  hear  the 
Bleatir.gs  of  the  Flocks  ?  Gilead  abode  beyond  Jordan,  and  ixjhy 
did  Dan  remain  in  Ships?  Alhur  continued  on  the  Sea-Jhore,  and 
abode  in  his  Creeks^  &c.  Judg.  v.    I  5,  iffc. 

■  (aj  ]\id^v.   15,  16.         (bj  Ihid.  viii.  17. 

•f  The  Words  Prophet,  and  Prophetefs,  are  of  very  ambigu- 
ous Signification  in  both  Tefaments  :  Sometimes  they  denote 
Ferfons  extraordinarily  infpir'd  by  God,  and  endu'd  with  the 
Power  of  working  Miracles,  and  foretelling  Things  to  come  ; 
and  fometimes  they  are  us'd  for  Perfons  endu'd  with  fpecial, 
though  not  miraculous  Gifts,  or  Graces,  for  the  better  under- 
ftanding  and  explaining  the  Word  of  God ;  and  of  this  Sort 
were  the  Sons  of  the  Prophets,  or  fuch  as  were  brought  up 
in  the  Schools  of  the  Prophets.  As  therefore  we  read  nothing 
of  any  miraculous  Action,  that  Deborah  did,  (he  perhaps  was 
only  a  Woman  of  eminent  Holinefs,  and  Prudence,  and  Know- 
ledge of  the  holy  Scripture,  by  which  fhe  was  fingularly  qua- 
lify'd  to  judge  the  People,  i.  e.  to  determine  Caufes  and  Contro- 
verfies  among  them,  according  to  the  Word  of  God.  For, 
though  Jabin  opprefs'd  them  forely,  yet  it  was  rather  by  rigor- 
ous 


Chap. II.    from  /^^ Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      171 

Zehulun  and  Naphtall^  and  march  them  to  f  Mount  Tabor,    ^-  ^• 
whither  Stfera,  with  all  his  numerous  Army,  coming  tOAnt!'chr[ft. 
give  him  Battle,  fhould  infallibly  be  routed.     Barak  readi- 1443?  ^«'- 
ly  agreed  to  the  Motion,  upon  Condition,  that  tht  P  raphe -^^'°^2^^^l 
tefs  would  go  with  him  :  And  fo,  having  mufter'd  up  allof  Ruth. 
his  Complement  of  Forces,  they  both  went  together,  and 
pofted  themfelves   upon  M.o\intTabor.^    Sefora  hzd   foon 
Intelligence  of  this,  and,  getting  a  powerful  Army  toge- 
ther, 

ous  Taxations,  than  infringing  their  Laws,  which  he  ftill  fuf- 
fered  to  be  adminifter'd  by  their  own  Officers :  And  of  this  he 
might  take  the  lefs  Notice,  becaufe  the  fupreme  Judicature  was 
exercis'd  by  a  Woman,  from  whole  Power  and  Authority  he 
thought  there  was  no  Reafon  to  apprehend  any  Danger ;  though 
this  certainly  gave  her  an  Opportunity  of  endearing  herfelf  to 
the  People,  and  made  her,  by  this  Means,  the  fitter  Inftrument 
to  refcue  them  from  Oppreffion.     PooVs  Annotations. 

■\  Tabor  is  a  very  remarkable  Mountain  in  Galilee,  not  far 
from  Kadejh,  in  the  Tribe  of  Zebulun,  and  in  the  Confines  of 
IJfachar  and  Naphtali.  It  has  its  Name  from  its  Eminence,  be- 
caufe it  rifes  up  in  the  midft  of  a  wide  champaign  Country, 
call'd  the  Valley  of  Jezreel,  or  the  great  Plain,  Jofephus  tells 
us,  that  the  Height  of  this  Mountain  is  thirty  Stadia,  and  that 
on  the  Top  of  it,  there  is  a  beautiful  Plain  of  twenty  Stadia  in 
Circumference.  By  all  which  it  appears  how  commodious  a 
Place  this  Mountain  was,  to  be  the  Rendezvous  of  Barak's 
Forces,  fince  it  flood  upon  the  Confines  of  fo  many  different 
Tribes,  was  not  acceffible  by  the  Enemies  Horfes  and  Chariots, 
and  had,  on  the  Top  of  it,  a  {pacious  Plan,  where  he  might  con- 
veniently marflial  and  difcipline  his  Army.  What  modern  Tra- 
vellers tell  us  of  this  Mountain  is  much  to  the  fame  Purpofe : 
— — — "  After  a  very  laborious  Afcent,  (fays  Mr.  Maundrell) 
*'  we  reached  the  higheft  Part  of  the  Mountain,  which  has  a 
*'  plain  Area  at  Top,  fertile  and  delicious,  and  of  an  oval  Figure, 
*'  about  one  Furlong  in  Breadth,  and  two  in  Length.  This 
"  Area  is  inclos'd  with  Trees  on  all  Parts,  except  towards  the 
*'  South,  and  from  hence  you  have  a  Profpeft,  which  (if  nothing 
"  elfe)  well  rewards  the  t  abour  of  afcending  it ;  for  it  is  im- 
**  poliible  for  the  Eyes  of  Man  to  behold  any  greater  Gratification 
**  of  this  Nature.  The  Top  of  this  Mountain  was  antiently 
"  environ'd  with  Walls,  and  Trenches,  and  other  Fortifications, 
*'  of  which  fome  Remains  are  ftill  vifible  ;  and,  for  many  Ages, 
"  it  has  been  believ'd,  that  here  it  was,  that  our  blefled  Saviour 
*'  was  transfigured,  in  the  Prefence  of  his  three  Apoftles,  Peter, 
"  James,  and  John,  though  fome  later  Writers  have  made  a 
"  Doubt  of  it."  Calmeth  Commentary,  PWs  Annotations,  and 
Maundreir%  Journey  from  Aleppo  to  Jerufaleta, 


172  'The  Hifiory  of  the  BlBh  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  ther,  he  made  hafty  Marches  from  \HaroJheth  ;  pafs'd  the 
>bJt!'chrirt.*  River  Kijhm-y  and  encamp'd  at  the  Foot  of  the  Moun- 
1443,  esfr.  tain,  in  hopes  of  cutting  off  Barak's  Retreat.  Upon  this, 
f^°^J^^^^Deborab  advis'd  Barak  not  to  (lay  till  S^fera  came  up  to 
of  Ruth,  ^inij  but,  early  next  Morning,  to  march  dire<5lly  down, 
'and  fall  upon  him,  with  all  the  Aflurance  imaginable  of  Suc- 
cefs.  The  Hebrew  General  foUow'd  her  Diredlions ;  and, 
coming  down  upon  the  Enemy  before  they  were  aware,  he 
eharg'd  with  fuch  Fury,  *  whilft  God,  at  the  fame  Time, 

(by 

f  A  Place,  fituated  upon  the  Lake  Semechon,  in  the  Uppers 
Galilee,  and  is,  in  Scripture,  called  Harojheth  of  the  Gentiles, 
becaufe  the  People  of  feveral  Nations  fled  thither  to  be  under 
jfabins  Protedion,  when  they  heard  that  he  had  poflefs'd  him- 
felf  of  that  Country,  and  kept  the  I/raelites  out  of  it.  Welli% 
Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament.  Vol.  II. 

*  This  River  rifes  out  of  Mount  Tabor,  and,  paffing  along 
the  Valley  of  Jezreel,  (now  the  Plain  of  Efdraelon)  empties  it- 
felf  into  the  Mediterranean-Sea.  Some  Geographers  will  needs 
have  it,  that  this  River  runs  two  Ways,  partly  'wejiivard,  into 
the  Mediterranean,  and  partly  eajl^voard,  into  the  Sea  of  Galilee  j 
but  this  is  a  Thing  incredible,  and  what  is  known  of  no  other 
River  in  the  World  j  and  therefore,  if  there  be  any  thing  in  it, 

the  Matter  muft  be  this That,   from  Mount  Tabor,  (as 

it  happens  from  many  other  Hills)  there  flow  Waters  out  of  two 
of  its  Sides,  fome  ftiaping  their  Co\i.rk<vjeJl^ard,  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean, and  others  eajiixjard,  into  the  Sea  of  Galilee  :  So  that 
there  are  two  Spring-Heads,  and  two  diftindt  Rivers,  though 
both  arifing  from  the  fame  Mountain,  and  perhaps  both  called 
by  the  fame  Name.  But  whatever  becomes  of  the  River  that 
runs  eajiijuard,  'tis  plain,  from  another  PafTage,  that  the  Kijhont 
which  is  mention'd  in  Scripture,  ran  weftward  into  the  Mediter- 
ranean-Sea ;  for,  when  Elijah  had  convinced  the  People,  af- 
fembl'd  together  at  Mount  Carmel,  that  Baal  was  not  the  true 
God,  heenjoin'd  them  to  feize  all  his  Priefts,  and  to  bring  them 
down  to  the  Brook  Kijhon,  there  to  be  flain,  1  Kings  xviii.  So 
that  the  Brook  Kijhon,  wliich  rifes  out  of  Mount  Tabor,  muft 
run  by  Mount  Carmel,  which  ftands  on  the  Sea-pore :  and,  as 
Carmel  ftands  Weft  of  Mount  Tabor,  the  Courfe  of  the  River, 
which  extends  from  the  one  to  the  other,  muft  be  fo  likewife, 
Wells-t  Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  II.  c.d. 

*  Jofepbus  relates  the  Manner  of  God's  Interpofition  in  this 
Aftion,  in  the  following  Words'  "  The  Armies  were  no 
"  fooner  engag'd,  but  there  arofe  a  violent  Wind,  with  a  moft 
*'  impetuous  Tempeft  of  Hail  and  Rain  along  with  it.  The 
**  Storm,  dri''/ing  juft  in  the  Face  of  the  Canaanites,  made  not 
**  only  their  Bows  and  tlieir  Slings  ufelefs,  but  their  Weapons 
*'  likewife  defign'd  for  clofe  Fight;   for  they  could  not  fo  much 


Chap. II.  from  the Krzdkes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        173 

(by  a  driving  Storm  of  Rain  and  Hail  in  their  Faces)  ftruck    A.  l^ 
them  with  fuch  Terror,  that  they  were  not  able  to  ftand  Int.' ChriO. 
before  the  Ifraelitesy  but  were  foon  broken,  and   put  to  1443,  &c. 
Flight.     The  Purfuit  however  continu'd  all  Day  ;  and,  asf'°^j^^^<J 
the  Night  approach'd,  the  Stars  fhone  with  an  uncommon  oV  Ruth. 
Brightnefs,  to  give  Light  to  the  Purfuers ;  and  the  River  <■■  -^-mj 
Kijhen^  *  being  fwell'd  with  the  hafty  Rain,  drown'd  the 
Purfu'd,  and  carry*d  the  dead  Bodies  away  towards  the  Me- 
Mterranean  Sea. 

SISERJ,  in  the  mean  Time,  feeing  his  whole  Army  J^A puts  bim 
broken  and  difpers'd,  quitted  his  Chariot,  and  was  making"  ^*<"^« 
his  Efcape  on  Foot ;  when  Jael,  the  Wife  f  of  Heber  the 
Kenitgy  feeing  him  coming,  went  to  meet  him,  and  invited 

him 

••  as  open  their  Eyes  agalnft  the  "Weather ;  and  their  Fingers 
*'  were  fo  benumb'd  with  Cold  too,  that  they  could  not  handle 

*'  their  Arms. 1 — In  the  Conclufion,  it  came  to  pafs,  that 

*'  the  Canaanites  Army  was  broken,  difpers'd,  and  cut  to  Pieces : 
**  So  that,  betwixt  thofe  that  fell  by  the  Sword,  thofe  that  were 
"  trampled  to  Death  under  the  Horfes  Feet,  thofe  that  were 
**  torn  to  Pieces  by  the  Chariots,  and  thofe  that  fled  away,  and  fell 
*•  into  the  Hands  of  the  ICraelites  in  their  Flight,  this  prodigi- 
**  ous  Army,  which  (according  to  our  Author)  confifted  of  thirty 
*'  Thoufand  Foot,  ten  Thoufand  Horfe,  and  three  Thoufandarm- 
**  ed  Chariots,  was,  in  efFeft,  totally  deftroy'd."  Antiq.  lib.  v.  c.  6. 

*  Mr.  Maundrell  tells  us,  that,  in  the  Condition  wherein  he 
law  this  River,  its  Waters  were  low  and  inconfiderable  ;  but, 
in  paffing  along  the  Side  of  the  Plain,  he  difcern'd  the  Tradls 
of  many  leffer  Torrents  falling  down  into  it  from  the  Mountains, 
which  muft  needs  make  it  fwcU  exceedingly  upon  fudden  Rains. 
Journey  from  Aleppo  to  Jerufalem. 

f  He  was  of  the  Pofterity  of  Hobah,  the  Son  of  Jethro, 
Father-in-Law  of  Mofes ;  and  is  here  call'd  a  Kenite,  becaufe, 
originally,  he  defcended  from  thofe  People  who  dwelt  nuejiivard 
of  the  Dead-Sea,  and  extended  themfelves  pretty  far  into  Arabia 
P^traa.  The  Word  Ken  (from  whence  they  took  their  Name) 
fignifies  a  iV>/?,  an  Hole,  or  a  Ca^e  :  and  to  this  the  Prophet 
Balaam  might  allude,  when  he  addrefles  himfelf  to  them  ia 
thefe  Words  :  Strong  is  thy  d-voelling  Place,  unci  thou  put- 

teji  thy  Neft  on  a  Rock  :  Neverthelefs  the  Kenite  /hall  be  ivajledf 
until  Alhur  Jhall  carry  thee  away  capti've.  Numb.  xxiv.  2 1 . 
Thefe  Kenites  indeed  were  fome  of  the  People,  whofe  Lands 
God  had  promis'd  to  the  Defcendants  oi  Abraham ;  neverthelefs, 
in  Confideration  of  Jethro,  all  that  fubmitted  to  the  I/raelites, 
were  permitted  to  live  in  their  own  Country.  In  Numb.  x.  29. 
we  find,  that  Hobab  was  invited  by  Mofes  to  accompany  him  into 
ihe  Land'Of  Caaaan,  and,  in  all  ProbabiUty,  he  accepted  the 

Invita- 


174  ^he  Hipry  cf  //^tf  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.    him  into  her  Tent ;  which  he  readily  accepted,  as  appre- 
An/'chrirt.^^""^'"?  no  Danger  from  her,  whofe  Hufband  was  his  Ma- 
1443,  6ff.  fter's  Ally.     The  Fatigue  of  the  Day  had  made  him  very 
From  Judges  tj^irfl-y^  and  therefore  he  intreated  Jael  to  give  him  a  little 
of  Ruth.      Water  j  but  when,  inftead  of  Water,  fhe  had  given  him  as 
I  much  Milk  as  he  defir'd,  and  he  had  ftridly  charg'd  her  to 
deny  him,  in  Cafe  that  any  Body  fhould  enquire  for  him, 
he  laid  himfelf  down  to  reft.     No  fooner  was  he  well  afleep, 
but  J^el^  taking  an  Hammer  and  a  long  Tent-Nail,  fet  it 
to  his  Temples,  and  ftruck  with  fuch  a  Force,  that  it  quite 
pierc'd  through  his  Head,  and  pinned  him  to  the  Ground  ; 
and  when  Barak,  in  Purfuit  of  him,  came  that  Way,  fhe 
call'd  him  in,  and  (hew'd  him  the  Place,  and  Pofture,  in 
which  his  Enemy  lay. 
mfkTiatri-       This  Vidory,  which  was  follow'd  *  with  newSuccefTes 
vmphantSong  cvcry  Day,  put  an  End  to  the  Oppreffion  of  the  North  for 
i^fontbe       forty  Years.     It  prov'd  the  utter  Ruin  of  this  Kingdom  of 
woe  cca.  ^^Q^iYiaanitesYsx  Ha%or '.  And,  upon  many  accounts,  was 
attended  with  fo  many  fignal  Events,  that  the  Prophetefs 
Dehor  ah  thought  it  not  amifs  to  compofe  a  triumphant  Song 
in  Commemoration  of  it ;  wherein  fhe  magnifies  the  Deli- 
verance it  wrought,  by  recounting  the  many  Calamities, 
which  the  Ifraelites  before  labour'd  under ;  acknowledges 

its 

Invitation.  At  their  firft  coming,  they  fettled  themfelves  in  the 
Territories  of  Jericho ;  but,  having  contrafted  a  particular 
Friendfhip  with  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  they  remov'd  with  them 
into  the  Country,  that  fell  to  their  Lot,  Judg.  i.  16.  Every 
Family  of  them,  however,  did  not  fo,  for  this  Heber  we  find, 
for  fome  Reafons  that  are  not  mention'd,  had  fettled  his  Habitation 
in  the  Tribe  of  Naphtali,  Judg.  i.  1 1 .  The  Kenites  indeed, 
tho'  they  were  Profelytes,  and  worfhipp'd  the  true  God  according 
to  the  Mofaick  Law,  yet  being  Strangers  by  Birth,  and  fo  not  pre- 
tending to  any  Right  or  Title  to  the  Land  of  Canaan,  held  it  beft 
Policy,  in  thofe  troublefome  Times,  to  obferve  a  Neutrality,  and 
maintain  Peace,  as  well  as  they  could,  both  with  the  Ifraelites 
and  Canaanites  ;  and  upon  this  Foot  it  was,  that  there  was  a 
Peace  with  King  Jaiin  and  the  Houfe  of  Heier,  and  that  Si/era, 
in  his  Diftrefs,  fled  to  Heber  s  Tent  for  Proteftion,  and  put  Con- 
fidence in  the  feign'd  Civilities  of  his  Wife.  Hoivelfs  Hiftory  of 
the  Bible. 

*  Jofephus  farther  acquaints  us,  that  immediately  after  this 
Vidtory,  Barak  march'd  with  his  Army  towards  Hazor,  where  he 
encounter'd  Jabin  by  the  Way,  and  flew  him  j  and,  having 
kill'd  the  King,  laid  the  City  level  with  the  Ground,  and  after- 
wards govern'd  Ifrael  for  a  matter  of  40  Years.  Antiq.  lib. 
V.  c.  6. 


Chap.  II.     from  the  UraeVites  entering  CznsLan,  ^'c.       175 

its  proceeding  from  the  fame  divine  Being,  who  defcended  A.  m. 
in  great  Majefty  to  give  the  Lavir  on  Mount  Sinai  i  calls  ^^^''^,®ji- 
upon  all  thofe,  who  partook  in  the  Benefits  of  it,  to  join  1443,  ^c.' 
in  the  Praifes  of  its  great  Author  j  commends  thofe  Tribes,  From  Judges 
that  came  readily  to  the  War,  and  upbraids  all  thofe,  who  o/°Rith.^'"^ 
declin'd  their  Country's  Service.  «    -^—  _/ 

During  this  forty  Years  Peace,  the  People  again  rebell'd  The  ttory  cj 
againft  God,  and  God  took  the  Punifhment  of  them  into  ^"''^  ^"^ 
his  own  Hands,  by  fending  upon  them  a  grievous  Famine, 
wherein  feveral  were  forc'd  to  remove  into  ftrange  Coun- 
tries ;  and,  among  the  reft,  f  one  Elimelech,  a  Man  of 
Bethlehem,  with  his  Wife  Naoini^znd.  his  two  Sons,  Mah- 
lon  and  Chilian,  went  into  the  hznd  of  Aloab  to  live.  Eli- 
melech  died  there,  and  his  RelSi  marry'd  her  Sons  to  two 
Women  of  the  Country,  whofe  Names  were  Orpoh  and 
Ruth.  About  two  Years  after  this,  -Nao?m's  two  Sons  died, 
and  (he,  refolving  to  return  to  her  own  Country,  defir'd 
her  Daughters-in  law  to  remain  in  Moab.  Orpah,  with 
Tears,  took  leave  of  her  Mother  ;  but  Ruth  could,  by  no 
means,  be  perfwaded  to  part  with  her,  and  therefore  (lie 
accompany'd  her  to  Bethlehem,  where,  by  f  her  Mother's 
Art  and  Contrivance,  fhe  fo  manag'd  the  Matter,  that  fhe 

marry'd 

f  The  Book  of  Ruth,  which  takes  its  Title  from  the  Perfon 
whofe  Story  is  there  principally  recorded,  is  properly  an  Appen- 
dix to  the  Book  of  Judges,  and  an  Introduftion  to  that  of 
Samuel,  and  is  therefore  not  only  plac'd  between  them,  but  fup- 
pos'd  to  be  wrote  by  one  and  the  fame  Hand.  Its  Subjedl  is 
very  different  from  the  reft,  and  is  therefore  made  a  diftindl 
Treatife.  It  is  indeed  of  fo  private  a  Nature,  that,  at  the  Time 
of  its  being  wrote,  the  Generality  of  the  People  might  have 
thought  it  not  worth  recording  ;  but  v,^e  Chrijlians  may  plainly 
fee  the  Wifdom  of  God  in  having  it  done.  It  had  been  foretold 
to  the  Jenjos,  that  the  Messiah  fhould  be  of  the  Tribe  oi  Judah, 
and  it  was  afterwards  revealed  farther,  that  he  Ihould  be  of  the 
Family  of  Da-vid :  And  therefore  it  was  neceffary,  for  the  full 
underftanding  thefe  Prophecies,  that  the  Hiftory  of  the  Family 
of  Danjid,  in  that  Tribe,  fhould  be  written  before  thefe  Prophe- 
cies were  reveal'd,  that  fo  there  might  not  be  the  leaft  Sufpicion 
of  any  Fraud  or  Delign.  And  thus  tliis  Book,  thefe  Prophecies, 
and  the  Accomplifhment  of  them,  ferve  to  illuftrate,  and  ex- 
plain each  other.     ^fr^r^Ts  Scripture  Chronology,  Lib  v.  c.  5. 

-f-  The  whole  Management  of  this  Affair  is  recorded  in  the 
Book  of  Ruth,  to  which  we  refer  our  Reader,  having  lefs  Reafon 
to  be  prolix  in  a  Matter  that  concerns  a  pri'vate  Family  only, 
and  what  had  not  been  related  in  fuch  a  particular  Manner,  but 
for  the  Reafons  that  we  have  already  affign'd. 


176  -  the  Hijlory  of  the  BIB  L  E,    Book  V. 

a  ^i'  ^e   '"^''^y'^  Boazy  by  whom  (he  had  Obedy  who  was  the  Fa-  • 
Ant.''chrift.t^s''  of  Ji/Je,  and  the  Grand-Father  of  David,  and  from 
i443>  ^<-  whom  (according  to  the  Fleih)  the  Saviour  of  the  World 
TtrtlJ'&id  ^^^  lineally  defcended. 

of  Ruth.  After  the  Death  of  Deborah  and  Barak,  the  Jfraelites 

«— y-ifci^  fell  again  into  their  old  Impiety,  and  were  again  given  up 
V"  ^''^'^"  into  the  Hand  of  their  Enemies.  The  Midianites  were  a 
S/lf«eUtes.  People  fituated  on  the  Eaft  Side  of  the  River  Jordan,  whom 
the  Children  of  IfraeU  in  their  Paflage  to  the  Land  of  Gz- 
naan,  (c)  had  almoft  totally  deftroy'd  ;  but  it  is  not  impro- 
bable, that  fome  of  that  Nation,  faving  themfelves  by  Flight 
into  other  Countries,  and,  after  the  Jfraelites  were  fettled  in 
Cajiaan,  returning  thither  again,  might,  in  the  Space  of  two 
hundred  Years,  repofTefs  the  Land,  where  they  dwelt  before, 
and  ftill  retain  the  Name  of  Midianites.  Thefe  People, 
together  with  their  Neighbours,  the  Jmalekites,  f  and  fome 
other  eajiern  Nations,  for  feven  Years,  kept  the  Ifraelites 
in  fuch  Subjection,  that  they  were  forc'd  to  betake  them- 
felves to  the  Mountains,  and  to  dwell  in  Dens,  and  Caves, 
and  fortify'd  Places,  from  whence,  as  the  Spring  came  on, 
they  ftole  out,  to  cultivate  and  fow  their  Land  ;  but  all  to 
no  Purpofe  :  For,  towards  the  Time  of  Harveji,  thefe  E- 
nemies  made  Inroads  into  the  Country,  and,  having  de- 
ftroy'd the  Increafe  of  the  Earth,  and  kill'd  all  the  Cattle 
which  fell  into  their  Hands,  they  then  return'd  home,  and 
left  the  poor  Ifraelites  nothing  to  fupport  themfelves  withal. 
Upon  this  fore  Calamity,  the  People  began  to  be  fenfible  of 

their 

{c)  Numb.  xxxi.  7,  &c. 

•j-  The'  the  Midianites  were  the  principal  People  concern''d  in 
thefe  Invafions  and  Inroads,  yet,  befides  the  AmaUkites,  they 
had  other  confederate  Nations,  who  are  call'd  the  Children  of 
the  Eaf,  Judg.  vi.  3,  33.  by  whom  we  may  underftand  the 
Ammomte.s,  and  Moabites,  as  lying  Eaji  of  the  Land  of  Ifraely 
if  not  the  IJhmaelites,  and  others  that  inhabited  the  Parts  of 
Arabia.  The  Children  or '^co'^le  of  the  Eaf,  in  Gen.  xxix  1. 
denote  the  Inhabitants  of  Mefopotamia  ;  but  thefe  feem  to  be  too 
far  diftant  to  have  any  Part  in  thefe  Incurfions  ;  and  therefore, 
fmce  we  read,  (Gen.  xxv.  6.)  that  Abraham  fent  away  the  Sons 
of  his  Concubines,  particularly  the  Sons  of  Keturah,  (one  where- 
of was  M/ai'^w,  the  Father  of  the  Midianites)  eafivard,  into  the 
EaJi  Country,  it  may  not  improbably  be  inferr'd,  that,  by  the 
Children  of  the  Eafi,  in  this  Hiftory  of  Gideon,  are  denoted  the 
Defcendants  of  the  other  Sons  of  Keturah,  and  of  the  other 
Brothers  of  Midian,  who  had  fettled  themfelves  in  the  eafem 
Parts,  adjoining  to  Midiau.  Wells'^  Geography  of  the  Old 
TeHament. 


Chap.  II.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  &c.      177 

their  Apojiacy^  and  to  humble  themfelves  under  the  afilidting    A.  M. 
Hand  of  God;    whereupon  God  f  fent  them  a  Prcphet^^^^^\^!^-'^^ 
'    who  reproach'd  them  fharply  with  their  bafe  Ingratitude  1443,  ^c^ 
but,  at  the  fame  Time,  f  <ent  his  Angel  to  Gideon^  ^'^^f'tTtheS 
Son  of  Joajh^  who  dwelt  at  f  Ophrah^  and  was  then  threfti-  oV  Ruth. 
ing  out  his  Corn,  in  a  private  and  unfufpeited  Place,  the  v— ^v"-J 
better  to  conceal  it  from  the  Depredation  of  the  Enemy.        God  makes 

To  him  the  Angel  fignify'd  the  Purport  of  his  Meflage,  j Jn^J-/;,^,)J 
which  was  to  acquainthim,  that  the  Lord  had  made  Choice  Z)e//wr«r. 
of  him  for  the  Deliverance  of  his  People.     Gideon  at  firft 
cxcus'd  himfelf  upon  Account  of  the  Obfcurity  of  his  Fami- 

ly 

f  Who  this  Prophet  was,  we  have  no  Manner  of  Intimation 
given  us.     The  ye^ws  generally  fancy,  that  he  was  Phineas  ;  but 
Phineas  muft  by  this  Time  have  been  above  two  hundred  Years 
old,  which  far  exceeded  the  7?<2^f«' Period  of  human  Life  then. 
St.  Audin  is  of  Opinion,  that  he  was  the  fame  with  the  Angel, 
which  foon  after  appear'd  to  Gideon  ;    but  it  is  far  more  likely, 
that  God  ftill  continu'd  other  Prophets  among  the  Ifraelites,  be- 
fides  the  High-Prieft,    to  put  them  in  mind  of  their  Duty,    and 
to  call  them  to  Repentance,    when  they   forfook   him :    For, 
from  the  Cafe  of  Deborah,  who  is  faid  to  have  had  the  Spirit 
of  prophecy,    it  appears,    that,  at  leaft  in  extraordinary  Cafes, 
God  fail'd  not  to  raife  up  fuch  Perfons  among  them.     It  is  re- 
marked however  of  this  Prophet,  (be  he  who  he  will)  that  he 
gave  the  Ifraelites  no  Hopes  of  the  Divine  Afliftance,  but  only 
upbraided  them  with  their  Sins.  However,  when  he  tells  them, 
-  that  their  Calamities  were  occafion'd  by  their  Idolatry,  he  plainly 
intimates,   that,    if  they  would  return  to  the  true  Worihip  of 
God,  he  would  again  look  gracioufly  upon  them,   and  deliver 
them ;    and    accordingly  we  find,    tliat  the  Hiftory    of  their 
Deliverance  immediately  follows.      Patrick's    and    Le  Clerc^s 
Commentaries. 

-f-  That  he  was  not  a  mere  created  Angel,  is  plain  from  the 
incommunicable  Name  Jehovah,  which  he  aflumes,  and  whereby 
he  fuffers  himfelf  fo  frequendy  to  be  call'd.  Judges  vi.  14,  16, 
23,  24,  25,  27.  And  therefore  the  Jenxjs,  according  to  their 
Targum,  which  ftiles  him  the  Word  of  the  Lord,  look  upon  this 
Angel,  not  merely  as  an  heavenly  MelTenger  fent  from  God, 
but  as  the  Son  of  God  himfelf  appearing  in  the  Form  of  an 
Angel.     Patrick's   Commentary. 

%  Gideon  was  of  the  Family  of  Ahiezer,  of  the  Tribe  of 
Manajfeh ;  and  fo  the  Ophrah,  where  he  dwelt,  muft  be  un- 
derftood  to  be  fituated  in  the  half  Tribe  of  Manaffeh,  on  the 
Wefi  Side  of  Jordan,  and  for  thisReafon  it  is  ftil'd  Ophrah  of  the 
Abiezrites,  (Judges  viii.  32)  to  diftinguilh  it  from  another  Ophrahy 
that  lay  in  the  Tribe  of  Benjamin.  Wells\  Geography  of  the 
Old  Teftament,  Vol.  III.  c.   6. 

Vol.  III.  M 


178  lihe  Bpry  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.    ly  and  Fortune;  and,  when  the  Angel  urg'd  the  Thing,  he 

A^^' V?-;v  defir'd  of  him  fome  Token  of  the  Divine  Miffion,  and,    at 

f443,  ^'  the  fame  Time,  requefted  him  to  accept  of  a  fmall  Enter- 

From  Judges  tainment  from  his  Hands.     The  Angel  feem  d  not  to  refufe 

i'?RL'Jh^'the  Invitation,    whereupon   Gideon  haften'd     and  havmg 

uX-->boil'd  a  Kid,  and  made  fome  unleaven'd  Cakes,  he  fpread 

a  Table,  and  fet  them  before  him  ;  but  the  Angel  order  d 

him  to  take  them  thence,  and  place  them  upon  a  Rock  hard 

by,  and  fo  pour  the  Broth  upon  them,  which,  though  it 

might  feem  a  little  ftrange,  Gideon  M;  and,  asfoonasthe 

Angel  had  touch'd  them  with  the  StafF  that  was  m  hisHand, 

immediateK  there  iiTu'd  Fire  out  of  the  Rock,  which  con- 

fum'd  them,  whilft  himfelf,  at  the  fame  Time,  vanilh  d 

out  of  Sight.  .  -KM  cr 

Convinc'd  by  this  Miracle,  tliat  it  was  a  Meffenger 
from  Heaven  who  appear'd  to  him,  Gideon  began  to  fear  (as 
the  Notion  then  was)  that  he  Ihould  not  long  furvive  it ; 
but  being  affur'd  by  the  Angel  (tho  then  invihble)  that  no 
Harm  (hould  befal  him,  he  built  a  Monument,  which  be 
called  Jehovah-jhalom,  i.  e.  the  Lord  of  Peace,  m  Com- 
memoration of  this  gracious  Interview  ;  and,  being  that 
Night  admonifh'd  in  a  Dream  to  deftroy  the  Altar  of  Baal^ 
and  cut  down  the  Grove  that  furrounded  it;  to  budd  an 
Altar  to  God  upon  the  Top  of  this  wonderful  Rock,  and 
to  offer  a  Burnt-Sacrifice  to  him  with  one  of  his  1-  ather  s 
Bullocks,  he  readily  obey'd  :  And,  taking  ten  of  his  Fa- 
ther's Servants  with  him,  demolifli'd  the  one,  and  eredcd 
the  other,  by  next  Morning  ;  chufing  the  Night  to  do  it  m, 
that  he  might  meet  with  no  Obllruaion.  On  the  Mor- 
row, when  the  People  underftood  that  Gideon  was  the  Fer- 
fon,  who  had  put  this  Affront  upon  Baal,  they  came  and 
demanded  him  of  his  Father,  that  they  might  put  him  to 
Death  ;  but,  inflead  of  complying  with  their  Demand,  his 
Father's  Anfwer  was,  "That,  f  if  ^^^^^  w^s  a  God,  it  was 
*'  his  Bufinefs,  and  not  theirs,  to  avenge  his  own  QuaX" 
«  rel ;"  and  from  this  Anfwer  (wherewith  he  appeas  d  the 

Tumult) 

+  Tis  generally  fuppos'd,  that  Gideon's  Father  had  been  ^ 
Worftiipper,  if  not  a  Prieft  of^W;  and  therefore  it  is  not  un- 
likely,  that  he  had  at  this  Time  been  convinc'd  by  his  bon,  that 
God  had  given  him  a  Commiffion  to  recover  his  People,  and 
to  begin  with  this  Reformation  J  and  this  made  him  appear  lo 
boldly  in  his  Son's  Caufe,  becaufe  he  knew  it  was  the  Caufe  oi 
God.    FooPi  Annotations,  and  Patrick'^  Commentary. 


Chap.  II.    ffom^ibe l{r3.dizQS  entering  Canaan,  i^c.      179 

Tumult)  Gideon  ever  after  obtain'd  the  Name  of  Jerubbaa.l,    A.  m. 
i.e.  the  Oppofer  of  B^^l  _  .  Anl'cSiih 

About  this  Tim«,  the  Midlanites  and  their  Company,  1443   Gfr. 
paffing  over  the  River  'Jordan^  came,  and  encamp'd  in  f  the^"^"'"  J"p'" 
^■A\ty  di  Je%reel  \    upon  which,  Gideon,  being  mov'd  byaoV  R^th. 
Divine  Impulfe,  fummon'd  all  thofe  of  his  ov^^n  Family  to<- — v~"-J 
take  up  Arms  firft,  and  then  fent  MefTengers  to  feveral  ad- 
jacent Tribes,  exhorting  them  to  fliake  off  the  Yoke  of  the 
Midianites.^  and  to  join  with  him  ;  which  accordingly  they 
did,  and  came  in  fuch  Numbers,  that,  in    a  fliort  Time, 
his  Army  amounted  to  two  and  thirty  Thoufand  Men, 
though  fmall  in  Comparifon  of  die  Enemy's  Forces,   which 
confifted  of  no  Jefs  than  a  hundred  and  thirty-five  Thoufand. 

As  foon  as  each  Tribe's  Complement  of  Men  was  ar- 
rived,   Gideon   (being  willing  to  Hitisfy  them,  that  he  did  ^^..^""^^ 
not  a£l  this  on  his  own  Head,  but  was  the  Perfon  appoin-Midianltes, 
ted  by  Heaven  to  be  their  Leader  and  Deliverer)  defir'd  of'"  '^■^"^ 
God  to  give  them  fome  Token  of  his  Commi/Iion  ;    and  "'^'"'"^''' 
the  Token,   which  he  made  Choice  of,  was, That  up- 
on his  laying  a  Fleece  of  Wool  on  the  Ground,  f  the  Dew 
M  2  might 

f  The  City  of  Jezreel  (which  gave  Name  to  the  Valley)  be- 
long'd  to  the  half  Tribe  of  Manaffeh,  on  the  14'eJ}  of  Jordan, 
and  lay  in  the  Confines  of  that  half  Tribe  and  the  Tribe  of 
Iffachar,  as  appears  from  y;?,^.  xix.  i8.  In  the  Hillory  of  the 
Kings  of  Ifrael,  this  City  is  frequently  made  mention  of,  where, 
by  Reafon  of  the  Pleafantnefs  of  its  Situation,  fome  of  them  had 
a  Royal  Palace,  tho'  their  Capital  was  Samaria.  The  Vale  of 
Jezreel  (which,  as  we  faid  before,  is  now  calPd  the  Plain  of 
Efdraelon)  is,  according  to  Mr.  Maundrdl,  of  a  vaft  Extent, 
very  fertile,  but  uncultivated,  and  only  ferv.'ng  the  Arabs  for 
Pafturage  :  But  fome  have  fuppos'd,  that  the  Valley  of  Jczrecl 
here  mentioned  denotes  fome  other  leller  Valley,  lying  between 
Mount  Herman  and  Mount  Gilhoa.  Wells\  Geography  of  the 
OldTeftament,  Vol.  II.  c.  6. 

\  He  fuppos'd  that  the  Dew,  which  was  diftill'd  from  Hea- 
ven, was  a  Divine  Gift,  (as  the  Scripture  after  teftifies)  and 
therefore  he  defir'd  that  it  might  be  direfted  by  God,  that,  tho' 
it  commonly  falls  every  where,  by  his  extraordinary  Providence, 
it  might  now  water  only  his  Fleece.  Some  are  apt  to  think, 
that  he  chofe  a  Fleece  for  this  Purpofe,  not  only  becaufe  it  was 
ready  at  hand,  but  the  better  to  exprefs  how  the  Land  vvas/pc?a 
by  the  Midianites,  even  as  the  Sheep  had  been  by  him  ;  that 
when  he  bcgg'd  the  Dew  (as  a  Sign  of  the  Divine  Favour)  might 
fall  upon  the  Fleece,  it  was  to  reprefent  the  Kininefs  of  God  to 
him  ;  and  when  he  begg'd  it  might  fall  upon  the  whob  Ground, 
to  repfcfe^il  his  Favour  to  all  the  People.     B_uii  theje  is  a  fsiTther 

Reaiba, 


I  So  rhi  Bipry  of  ihe  B  1  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

21,61  ^c  "^'b'"'^  ^^  "P°"  ^^^  Fleece  only,  and  the  Earth  round  about 
Ant!'chrift.  i^  l^dry,  which  accordingly  happen'd  j  and  then,  inverting 
M43>  ^'^-  the  former  Manner,  hcdefir'd,  that  the  Fleece  might  be  dry, 
rtTthe'^Ind  ^*'^^'^^  ^^^  Ground  all  a-round  it  was  wet,  which  according- 
of  Ruth,  ly  came  to  pafs  hkewife.  Confirm'd  by  thefe  Signs,  that  it 
'  was  the  Will  of  God  that  he  fhould  enter  upon  Action, 
Gideon  march'd  dire£lly  to  the  Camp  of  the  Mid'tanites^ 
who  then  lay  in  the  Plain  of  Jezreel ;  but,  before  he  came 
thither,  God,  rightly  forefeeing,  that,  if  this  Army  con- 
quer'd  the  Midianitesy  they  would  vainly  impute  it  to  their 
own  Courage  or  Numbers,  and  not  to  his  Afliflance,  or- 
dered Gideon  to  make  Proclamation  in  the  Camp,  that  who- 
ever was  diffident  of  the  Succefs  of  the  Undertaking,  fhould 
have  Liberty  to  return  home  :  Whereupon  two  and  twenty 
Thoufand  quitted  the  Field,  fo  that  ten  Thoufand  only  re- 
main'd  with  him.  It  might  be  thought  poffible  however, 
for  thefe  ten  Thoufand  to  defeat  the  Army  of  the  Midia- 
vites  ;  and  therefore  God,  refolving  that  the  Glory  of  the 
whole  Victory  fhould  be  accounted  his  own,  order'd  Gi- 
deon to  t  lead  the  Soldiers  down  to  the  Water  to  drink, 
where  he  v/ould  give  him  a  Signal,  what  Men  were  fit  for 

his  Purpofe,  and  what  not;   and  the  Signal  was  this, 

That  they,  who  f  took  up  Water  in  their  Hands,  and  lap- 
ped 

Reafon,  why  he  might  defire  to  have  the  Miracle  inverted: 
For,  as  it  is  in  the  very  Nature  of  the  Wool  to  draw  Moifture 
to  it,  feme  might  be  apt  to  think,  that  there  was  no  great  Mat- 
ter in  this ;  and  therefore  he  requefted  of  God  a  fecond  Mira- 
cle, which  was  contrary  to  the  former.     Patrick's  Commentary. 

f  Mr.  Le  Clerc  is  of  Opinion,  that  the  [acred  Hiftorian  has 
omitted  one  Circumftance,  which,  neverthelefs,  in  the  very  Na- 
ture of  the  Thing,  is  imply'd,  'viz.  that  Gideon,  when  he  led 
his  Men  down  to  the  Water,  did  forbid  them  to  make  ufe  of  any 
Cup,  or  Pot,  or  fuch  like  Thing :  For  he  thinks  it  incongruous, 
(as  well  he  may)  tliat,  among  fuch  a  Number,  as  ten  Thoufand 
Men,  no  one  fliould  be  furnifh'd  with  fome  drinking  Veffel  or 
other.  But  then,  had  any  of  thefe  been  permitted  to  be  us'd 
upon  this  Occafion,  the  Experiment  could  not  have  been  made. 
Comment,  in  'Jud.  vii,  6. 

f  Interpreters  are  at  a  fad  Puzzle  to  conceive,  for  what  pof- 
fible Reafon  God  made  a  Diftindion  between  the  Soldiers  who 
lapp'd  Water  in  their  Hands,  and  thofe  that  laid  themfelves  down 
to  diink.  Some  of  the  Jt^MiJh  Doctors  are  of  Opinion,  that 
nil,  except  three  Hundred,  who  lapp'd,  had  been  accuftom'd  to 
the  Woilhin  of  Baal,  which  they  uiuvarily  difcover'd  by  their 
k!iecii!'g  to  drink  :  But  this  is  a  groundlef?,  and  far-fetch'd  Con- 
ceit. 


Chap.  II.    from  the  KratWtt^  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        loi 

p.ed  it,  fhould  gQ  with  him  ;  but  they,  who  laid  themfefves    A?  ^• 
down  to  drink,  ftiould  be  difmifs'd  ;  which  Experiment  re-  Ant/chrift* 
duc'd  them  to  no  more  than  three  hundred.  i4';3>  &c. 

These  three  hundred  Men  he  order'd  to  hold  themfelvesp°^"^^>'lses 
in  Readinefs,  and  to  have  everyone  a  Trumpet,  a  Lamp,  and  oV  Ruth.  " 
an  empty  Pitcher  to  conceal  the  Light,  which  the  Lamp  would 
otherwife  give ;  and  while  they  were  providing  themfelves 
with  thefe,  he  took  his  Servant  with  him,  and  went  down  to 
the  Enemies  Camp,  where  he  heard  a  Midianite  relating 
his  Drearn  to  his  Companion,  which  the  other  interpreted 
in  Gideon's  Favour;  fo  that  returning  to  the  Camp,  he  drew 
his  Men  out,  and  dividing  them  into  three  Companies  of 
an  hundred  Men  each,  he  came  upon  the  Enemy  f  in  the 

M  3  dead 

oeit.  The  Notion  of  thofe,  who  impute  thefe  three  Hundred 
Men's  Lapping,  yom^  to  their  Sloth  and  Lazinefs,  and  others  to 
their  Timor oufnefs,  and  the  great  Fear  they  were  in  of  being 
furpriz'd  by  the  Enemy,  is  of  no  more  Validity  :  For  though 
God,  if  he  thought  fit,  might  have  employ 'd  the  moft  dajiardly 
among  them  upon  this  Expedition,  that  the  Glory  of  the  Vic- 
tory inight  entirely  redound  to  himfelf ;  yet  fmce,  as  we  are 
tpld,  all  the  fearful  Perfons  were  difmifs'd  before,  and  fince  it 
but  badly  befits  the  Charadler  of  the  Courageous  to  be  lazy ;  this 
Aftion  of  Lapping  is  rather  to  be  accounted  a  Token  of  their 
'Temperance,  and  of  the  Noblenefs  of  their  Spirit,  which  made 
them  fo  delirous  to  engage  the  Enemy  that  they  would  not  ftay 
to  drink,  but  (tho'  they  were  very  thirfty)  contented  themfelves 
to  moi/len  their  Mouths,  as  we  fay,  with  a  little  Water ;  whereas 
the  reft  indulg'd  themfelves  fo  far,  as  to  drink  their  Belly-full, 
But  after  all,  the  true  Reafon  and  Defign  of  this  Method  feems 

to  be  only  this, That  God  was  nainded  to  reduce  Gide- 

c«'s  Army  to  a  very  fmall  Number,  which  might  very  likely  be 
done  by  this  Means.  For,  as  the  Seafon  of  the  Year  was  hot, 
and  the  Generality  of  the  Soldiers  weary,  thirfty,  and  faint,  it 
was  moft  probable,  that  they  would  lye  down,  (as  mdeed  they 
did)  and  refrefti  themfelves  plentifully,  and  fcarce  to  be  expected, 
that  any  great  Number  would  deny  themfelves  in  this  Matter. 
Pati-ickh  Commentary,  and  Saurins  Gedeon  Defait  les  Madi- 
di antes. 

-}-  The  Expreffion  in  the  Tex^  is,  in  the  hegiiining  of  the  mid- 
die  Watch:  For,  though  tjie  .Rozwaw,  in  After-Ages,  divided  the 
Night  into  ionr  Watches,  Matth.  xiv.  25.  yet,  in  the  Eaff cm 
Parts,  and  in  more  antient  Times,  it  confiiled  but  of  three, 
whereof  the  firft  began  at _^.r,  and  continu'd  four  Hours,  The 
/econd  thtrefore  is  call'd  the  middle  Watch,  and  began  at  ele-ven  j 
fo  that  we  may  fuppofe,  that  it  was  fome  Time  after  this,  that 
Gideon  a'arm'd  the  MidianitiJJ?  Camp ;  and  the  Reafons,  why  he 

chof^ 


»^^'^  1'he  Hijiory  ^/  /^^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

45^T,^;.  "^^^^  '^"^e  of  the  Night.  The  Watch-Word  was,  the 
Anr.'chrin.^'^'^^'^  of  the  Lvd  and  of  Gideon -y  and,  as  every  Soldier 
rtomw/rr'^-^'^-  ^'1''''*^*""^  ^°  ^^'  as  tfieir  General d'ldy  they  all  broke 
i-'tTtheKS^^"'''  ^Jtchcrs,  brandifh'd  their  Lamps,  and  founded  their 
of  Rutji.      Trumpets  tcgcrher. 

*— — v"r— '      The   Midianites,  hearing  fo  many  Trumpets,  and  fee- 
ing fo  many  Lights  at  once,  fuppos'd  themfelves  to  be  at- 
tack'd  by  a  formidable  Army  ;    and  fo  rifing  in  a  Fright, 
and   miftaking  their  Friends  for  their  Enemies,  f  they  fell 
upon  one  another,   until  they  had  put  every  Thing  into  the 
utmoft  Confufion.     By  this  Means,  Gideon,   having  obtai- 
ned an  eafy  Vidory,  fent  to  the  reft  of  the  Army,  who, 
upon  his  Prociamaiiony  had  withdrawn  themfelves,  fome  to 
purfue  the  routed  Enemy,  and  others  to  fecure  the  Pafles  of 
the  River  Jordan.^  in  order  to  prevent  their  Retreat. 
j9rd  puti        The  Paffcs  however  could  not  be  all  fecur'd  :    So  that, 
thtir  Kingi,  fome  of  the  Enemies  Troops  having  made  a  Shift  to  crofs 
^thenomil'-  ^^^  River,    Gideon,  with  his  three  hundred  Mfcn,    prefs'd 
*a,y  Exicu  i-  hard  after  them,  while  the  other  Part  of  the  Army  deftroy'd 
"«.  thofe,  who  Itaid  behind  ;  and  having  taken  the  two  Midia- 

nitifo  Princes,  f  Oreb  ^  and  Zeeb,  they  cut  off  their  Heads, 
and  fent  them  to  Gideon. 

GIDEON, 

chofe  this  Part  of  the  Night  to  do  it  in,  are  obvious,  becaufe 
the  Trumpets  v/ould  then  feem  to  found  louder,  and  the  Lights 
to  fliine  brighter,  and  fo  both  increafe  the  Confternation  of  the 
Enemy,  and  conceal  the  Smallnefs  of  his  own  Army,  Poo/'s 
Annotations. 

f  There  might  be  feveral  Reafons  for  their  doing  this:  — 
Either  becaufe  the  Night  waa  fo  dark,  that  they  could  not  diftin- 
guifii  Friends  from  Foe; ;  or  becaufe  the  Thing  was  fo  fudden, 
that  it  firuck  tliem  with  Horror  and  Amazement ;  or  becaufe 
they  fufpe6led  Treachery,  (as  they  might  eafily  do,  fmce  the  Ar- 
my confifted  of  feveral  Nations,  Judg.  vi.  3.)  or  becaufe  God 
had  infatuated  them,  as  he  had  many  others  on  the  like  Occafi- 
on.     Poc/'s  Annotations. 

-f  As  the  Language  of  the  IJhjnaelites,  the  Midianites,  and 
the  Jmaltlcitcs,  who  dwelt  in  Arabia,  was  originally  the  fame, 
becaufe  they  all  defcended  from  Abraham,  their  common  Fa- 
ther ;  fo  we  may  infer,  that  there  was  little  or  no  Difference  in 
them  at  this  Time.  Oreb^  in  the  Hcbrenv,  fignifies  a  Crew,  and 
Zecb,  a  iVolf;  and  thefe  are  no  improper  Words,  to  reprefent 
the  Sagacioufnefs,  and  Fiercetiefs,  which  (hould  be  in  two  fuch 
great  Commanders.  Nor  was  it  an  uncommon  Thing  for  great 
Families,  in  ancient  Times,  to  derive  their  Names  from  fuch 
like  Creatures,  (hence  the  Cowim,  Gracchi,  Aqinlini,  Sec.  among 
the  P.cmans)   either  as  Omens,  or  Monuments  of  their  undaunted 

Cou- 


Cu AV.  II.  from  the  \{ra:t\\tts  entering  Qsin^zn^  t^c.         183, 

GIDEON,    in  the  mean  Time,    and  his  fmall  Party,    A.  m. 
were  in  full  Chafe  of  two  other  Princes  of  Midlavy  Zeba  Aift''ch^^ft 
and  Zalmunna  ;  and,  when  he  came  ta  Succoth  and  Penuel^  1443,  &c,' 
two  Towns  on  the  other  Side  of  Jordan,  in  the  Tribe  of*^'^°'"J"«'g« 
Qad-t  he  defired  of  them  fome  Provifion  for  his  Men,  be-of  Ruth.^"^ 
caufe  they  were  faint  and  weary  :    But,  inftead  of  giving  ( 
him  any  Refrefhment,  they  ridiculed  the  Smallnefs  of  his 
Army,  for  which  Infolence  he  vowed  to  be  reveng'd  of  them 
upon  his  Return.     Continuing  his  Purfuit  therefore,  with 
his  fmall  fatigu'd  Party,  he  came  up  with  the  Enemy  at  Kar- 
cor,  where  ttie  two  Midianitijh  Kings,  thinking  that  they 
had  now  fufficiently  efcap'd,  were  regardlefs  of  all  Danger : 
But  Gideon,  falling  upon  them  unexpectedly,  furpris'd  and 
defeated  them,  and,   having  taken  them  Prifoners,  carry'd 
them  in  Triumph  with  him  unto  Succoth,  where  he  execu- 
ted the  Vengeance  (which  he  had  threaten'd)  by  crufhing  the 
Princes  of  that  Place  to  Death  under  Thorn:  and  Bnars, 
killing  the  People  of  Penuel,  and  demoliftiing  its  Fortifica- 
tions.    Zeba  and  Zalmunna,    in  their  March,    had  laid  all 
the  Country  wafte,  and  put  many  to  the  Sword,  otherwife 
Gideon  was  inclinable  to  have  fhewn  them  fome  Mercy  ; 
But  underftanding,  by  their  own  Confeffion,   that  they  had 
flain  his  Brethren  at  Tahor,  he  order'd  his  Son  Jether  to  fall 
upon   them  ;    but,    as  he  was  but  a  Youth,  and  feemed  a 
little  timorous,  f  he  himfelf  difpatched  them  with  his  own 
Hand,  having  firft  order'd  them  to  be  ftripped  of  their  royal 
Ornaments,  and  their  Camels  of  their  rich  Trappings  and 
Furniture. 

M  4  These 

Courage,  and  Dexterity  in  military  Atchievements.  But,  after 
all,  it  feems  every  whit  as  probable,  that  thefe  were  only  Nick' 
namesy  which  the  Ifraelites  gave  thefe  two  Princes  of  Midian, 
to  denote  their  Fiercenefs,  and  Rapacioufnefs  of  Prey.  Bed- 
ford''s  Scripture  Chronology,  lib.  v.  c,  3.  and  Le  Clercs  Com- 
mentary. 

f  In  antient  Times,  it  was  as  much  a  Cuftom,  for  great  Men 
to  do  Execution  upon  OiFenders,  as  it  is  now  an  ufual  Thing,  for 
them  to  pronounce  Sentence  upon  them.  They  had  not  then  (as 
we  have  now)  fuch  Perfons,  as  the  Romans  call'd  Camificesy  or 
publick  Executioners  ;  and  therefore  Saul  bad  fuch  as  waited  on 
him  kill  the  Priefts  ;  and  Doeg,  one  of  his  chief  Officers,  did  it, 
I  Sam.  xxii.  17,  18.  But  the  Reafon  ^hy  Gideon  would  have 
had  his  Son  do  this  Execution,  was,  that  he  might  be  early  ani- 
mated againft  the  Enemies  of  Ifrael,  even  as  Ha7imbal  is  repor- 
ted, when  he  was  a  Boy,  to  have  been  incens'd  againft  the  Rof 
mans.    Patrick'^  Commentary, 


iS4  The  Hijlory  c/  Z^&f  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

2561,  &ci       These  great  and  glorious  Adions,  in  Defence  of  his 
Ant.'chrift.  Country's  Liberty,   rais'd  Gideon's  Name  to  fuch  a  Height, 
J.443»  ^«-^^  that  the  People  came,  and  voluntarily  offer'd   to  fettle  the 
i.7o"the  End  Government  upon  him  and  his  Family  ;  vv'hich  he  modeflly 
of  Ruth,     and  generoufly  rejecting,   and  defiring  only  (as  an  Acknow- 
*—%-—'  ledgment  of  his  Services)  to  have  the  Pendants  or  Ear -Rings, 
taken  in  the  Plunder  of  the  Midianltes,  given  him;  the  Peo- 
ple readily  confented,  and,  over  and  above  thefe,  threw  in 
the  coftly  Ornaments,  and  the  Robes  of  the  Kings,    toge- 
ther with  the  golden  f  Chains,  which  were  about  the  Ca- 
mels Necks.     The  whole  amounted  to  a  prodigious  Value  ; 
and  of  thefe  rich  Materials  he  made  an  Ephod,  and  plac'd 
it  in  the  City  of  Ophrah,  as  a  Monument  only  of  ^his  Vido- 
ry,  tho',   in  After-Times,  it  came  to  be  perverted  to  a  b^d 
Ufe,  gave  Occafion  to  a  frefh  Apojlacy^  and  prov'd  the  Ruin 
of  Gideon's  Family. 
Abimslech       GiDEON,  while  he  Hv'd,  had  fevcral  Wives,  by  whom 
cTerrJcnt  (^"  ^^^)  ^^  ^^^  feventy  Sons,  befidesoneby  a  Concubine,  f 
ej  Shecbem.  whonj  fhe  nam'd  Jtbimelech.     As  foon  as  his  Father  was 
dead,  this  Ahimelech^  who  was  a  bold  afpiring  Youth,  tam- 
per'd  with  the  People  of  Shechem,  the  Place  of  his  Nativi- 
ty, and  where  his  Mother's  Family  had  no  fmall  Intereft,  to 
make  him  their  King.     They,  by  his  Perfuafions,  were  in- 
clinable to  do  it :    And  (that  he  might  not  want  Money  to 
carry  on  his  Defign)  furnifh'd  him  with   fome  out  of  the 
Treafury  of  f  their  God  Baal-beriih,  wherewith  he  hir'd 

a  Com- 

-J-  The  Word,  which  we  render  Chains,  is,  in  the  Original, 
little  Moons,  which  the  Midianites  might  wear  ftrung  together 
about  their  Camels  Necks,  either  by  Way  of  Ornament,  or  5a- 
ferjiition,  becaufe  they,  as  well  as  all  other  People  of  Jrabia^ 
were  very  zealous  Worfliippers  of  the  Moon.  Le  Clerc\  Com- 
mentary. 

f  What  the  Names  of  his  other  Sons  were,  we  have  no'Men- 
tion  made  in  facred  Writ ;  but  the  Name  of  this  one  is  particu- 
larly fet  down,  becaufe  the  following  Story  depends  upon  it : 
and  not  only  fo,  but  his  Mother  perhaps  might  give  him  this 
Name  (which  fignifies,  my  Father  a  King)  out  of  Pride  and  Ar- 
rogance, that  ftie  might  be  look'd  upon  as  the  Wife  of  oju,  who 
was  thought  to  deferve  a  Kingdom,  though  he  did  not  accept  it : 
And  it  is  not  improbable,  that  the  very  Senfe  of  this  might  be 
one  Means  to  inflame  the  Mind  of  her  Son  afterwards,  to  affeft 
the  Royal  Dignity.     Patrick's  Commentary. 

f  The  learned  Bochart  is  of  Opinion,  that  the  Baal  here 
mention'd  was  the  fame  with  Bero'e,  tlie  Daughter  of  Venus  and 
Adonis,  deflr'd  in  Marriage  by  Neptune,  but  given  to  Bacchus ; 
*nd  that  ihe  gave  her  Name  to  Berith  in  Phanicia,  where  fhe 

W»i 


Chap.  n.    from  the  KntWtes  entering  Canaan,  &c.      185 

a  Company  of  profligate  Fellows  to  attend  him.     With    ^'  ^• 
thefe  he  repair'd  to  his  Father's  Houfe  at  Ophrah,    and,  Ant/chriit. 
having  feiz'd  all  his  Brethren  (except  Jotham^  the  youngeft,  1443  >  &"<•• 
who  made  his  Efcape)  he  flew  (hem  all  f  upon  one  Stone,  f^^^tfJefe 
and  when  he  retura'd  to  Shechem,  inftead  of  meeting  with  of  Ruth. 
Deteftation  for  this  unnatural  Murther,  was,    in  a  general  v— v/-^^ 
AflTembly  of  the  People,  elefted  their  King. 

When  young  Jotham  heard  of  this,  he  went  upon Jo^^m'sPrf- 
Mount  Gerizim,  which  overlooks  the  City  of  Shechem/^^^l^^^^^J^ 
and  from  thence,  in  a  paraboUck  Speech,  reprefented  to  f 

the 

was  much  worfhipp'd,  and  thence  tranflated  a  Goddefs  into  other 
Parts.  But,  the'  the  Word  Baal  (as  he  maintains)  be  frequently 
us'd  in  z.feminhie  Senfe,  yet  it  can  hardly  be  imagined,  but  that 
tUntfacred  Hiftorian,  if  he  had  been  minded  to  exprefs  a  Goddefsy 
might  have  found  out  feme  Way  of  diftingui(hing  her;  might 
have  caird  her  (for  Inftance)  Bahalah-berith,  the  Lidy,  .or  God- 
defs of  Berith,  without  making  Both  the  Words  of  a  mafcuUns 
Termination.  And  therefore  the  mo^  Jimple  and  natural  Man- 
ner of  explaining  the  Name,  is,  to  take  it  in  general  for  the 
God,  who  prefides  over  Covenants  and  Contrails,  to  whom 
it  belongs  to  maintain  them,  and  to  punifli  all  thofe  that  v^io- 
late  them.  For  it  is  to  be  obferv'd,  that  the  moft  barbarous,  as 
well  as  the  moft  knomolng,  the  moft  religious,  as  well  as  the  moft 
fuperjlitious  Nations  have  always  look'd  upon  God  as  the  Wit- 
nefs,  as  well  as  the  Vindicator  of  Oaths  and  Covenants ;  that 
the  Greeks  had  their  Zeus  Horkios,  as  well  as  the  Lati?js  their  Ju- 
piter Pijiius,  or  Deus  Fidius,  or  Facialis,  whom  they  look'd  up- 
on as  a  God  of  Honefty  and  Uprightnefs,  always  fuperintending 
in  Treaties  and  Alliances.  And  for  this  Reafon  not  improba- 
bly, the  Houfe  of  their  God  Berith  was  the  Citadel,  the  Arfe- 
nal,  and  the  Treafury  of  the  Shechemites,  even  as  Plutarch  in- 
forms us,  that  in  the  Temple  of  Saturn,  the  Romans  repofited 
both  their  Archives  and  publick  Wealth.  Bochart,  Canaan,  lib. 
ii.  c.  1 7.  Poors  Annot.  in  Loc.  Calmet's  Diftionary,  under 
the  Word  Baal-berith,  and  Jurieu,  Hiftoire  des  Dogmes  & 
Cukes,  ^c.  Part  IV.  Chap.  i. 

-|-  This  Stone  fome  will  have  to  be  an  Altar,  which  Abime- 
lech  dedicated  to  the  Idol  Berith,  and  erefted  in  the  fame  Place, 
where  his  Father  Gideon  had  deftroy'd  his  Altar  before  ;  and  {o 
they  account,  that  this  Slaughter  of  his  Sons  was  defign'd  for 
an  expiatory  Sacrifice  of  their  Father's  Crime  in  demolhhing  the 
Altar  and  Grove  dedicated  to  that  Idol.  But  this  is  a  little  too 
far-fetch'd,  though  there  is  hardly  any  other  Reafon  to  be  given, 
why  they  Ihould  all  be  murder'd  upon  one  and  the  fame  Stone. 
Patricks  Commentary,  and  Poors  Annotations. 

-f-  This  is  the  firft  Fable,  that  we  find  any  where  upon  Re- 
cord ;  and  from  hence  it  appears,  that  fuch  Fidions  as  thefe, 
wherein  the  moft  ferious  Truths  are  reprefented,  were  in  Ufe 

amonz 


1 86  The  Hifiory  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

2  ^i  ^f  t^^  ^^'^pl^  ^^^^  Father's  Modefty  and  Self-denial,  inrefufing 
Ant!  Chrift.  to  have  the  Government  fettled  on  him  and  his  Family, 
'443.   ^'^  which. 

From  Judges 
i.  Co  the  Ead 

of  R-utli.  among  the  Jc'ws  (as  they  are  ftill  in  the  Eajiem  Countries)  long 
'  before  the  Tinae  of  ^Efop,  or  any  other  Author  that  we  know 
of.  Various  are  the  Reafons  that  may  be  aflign'd  for  the  firft 
Invention  of  them ;  but  thefe  two  feem  to  be  the  prmcipal  ; 
I.  Becaufe  Men  would  fufFer  themfelves  to  be  reprehended  in 
this  Guife,  when  they  would  not  endure  plain  Words :  And 
jzdiy,  Becaufe  they  heard  them  with  Delight  and  Pleafure,  and 
remembered  them  better,  than  any  grave  or  rational  Difcourfes. 
•  The  Trees  ^went  forth  on  a  Time,  to  anoint  a  King  over  them  (  fo 
that  Anointing  was  in  Ufe  two  hundred  Years  before  the  firft 
Kings  of  IJrael)  and  they  faid  unto  the  Olive-Treey  Reign  over 
us.  But  the  Olive-Tree  faid  unto  them,  Should  I  leave  my  Fatnefs, 
n-Kjhereivith  by  me  they  honour  God  and  Man,  (becaufe  Oil  was  of- 
fered in  Sacrifice  to  God,  and  fed  the  Lamps  of  his  Houfe,  be- 
fides  all  the  other  Ufes,  wherein  it  was  ferviceable  to  Man)  and 
go  to  be  promoted  over  the  Trees  ?  And  the  Trees  faid  to  the  Fig- 
Tree,  Come  thou,  and  Reign  over  us.  But  the  Fig-Tree  faid  unto 
them.  Should  I forfake  my  Snveetnefs,  a7td  my  good  Fruit,  (an  apt 
JReprefentation  of  that  Content,  and  Fulnefs  of  Pleafure,  which 
jnay  be  enjoy 'd  in  a  private  Life,  and  cannot,  without  Folly,  be 
exchang'd  for  the  Troubles  and  Cares,  that  Men  meet  with  in 
the  Managery  of  p\iblick  AiFairs)  and  go  to  be  promoted  over  the 
Trees  ?  Then  faid  the  Trees  unto  the  Vine,  Come  thou,  and  Reign 
over  us.  And  the  Vine  faid  unto  them.  Should  I  leave  my  Wine, 
rjuhich  cheer eth  God  and  Man,  (a  Form  of  Speech  imitated  by 
Heathen  Authors,  efpecially  by  Virgil,  (Georg.  lib.  ii.)  where, 

ipeaking  of  fome  generous  Wine,  he  terms  it Menfis,  ^ 

Diis  accepta  fecundis,  fince  Wine,  as  well  as  Oil,  was  us'd  both  in 
fevoijh  and  Heathen  Sacrifices)  and  go  to  be  promoted  over  the 
Trees?  Then  faid  all  the  Trees  unto  the  Bramble,  (the  meaneft  of 
all  Trees,  good  for  nothing  but  to  be  burnt,  and  therefore  fitly 
reprefenting  Abimelech,  from  whom  the  Shechemites  could  expedt 
no  Manner  of  Benefit,  but  a  great  deal  of  Trouble  and  Vexati- 
on) Come  thou,  and  Reign  over  us.  And  the  Bramble  faid  unto  the 
Trees,  If,  in  Truth,  ye  anoint  me  King,  then  come  and  put  your 
Truji  in  my  Shadovj ;  (an  apt  Ernblem  of  AbimelecFs,  ridiculous 
Vanity,  to  imagine,  that  he  Ihould  be  able  to  maintain  the  Au- 
thority of  a  King,  any  more,  than  the  Bramble  could  afford  a 
Shadow  or  Shelter)  a-nd  if  not,  let  Fire  come  out  of  the  Brarnble^ 
and  devour  the  Cedars  of  Lebanon.  (Words  that  carry  a  lively 
Image  of  Abimelech'' t  oftentatious  Spirit,  and  Menaces  to  take  fe- 
vere  Vengeance  on  the  Nobles  of  Shechem,  fuch  as  the  Houfe  of 
Millo,\vho  had  been  chiefly  inftrumental  in  his  Promotion,  in 
Cafe  thet' Ihould  defert  him.)  This  is  the  Parable  :  and  in  fome 
Meafure,  its  Interpretation  :  The  only  Difficulty  is,  to  know, 
whom  thefe  Tfees  are  fet  to  fignify.     And  herC;^  fome  have 

thought^ 


Chap.  II.     from  the  KrsieWte^  entering  C2iY\2i2Ln,&c.       ^Bj 

which  they  had  now  conferr'd  on  one^  as  much  inferior  in    A.  M^ 
Virtue  and  Honour  to  6' /<:/^<?« 5  and  his  lawful  Sons,  as  the^j,^   qj^^IJ^^ 
Bramble  is  to  the  OlivcTree,   the' Fig-Tree,  or  the  Vine :  1443,  &c. 
And  then  expoftulating  the  Injury  done  his  Family,  and  up-  f  "^^"^^ 
braiding  them  with  their  Ingratitude,  he  appeals  to  their  of  Ruth, 
Confciences,  whether  they  had  done  right  or  not,  and  de-<— «-v-*«-» 
nounces  a  Curfe  againft  them  for  their  fiding  with  Abime- 
lech  in  all  his  wicked  Deeds. 

Having  thus  deliver'd  himfelf  to  the  Shechemites,  Jo-'^^'l'^^t 
tham  made  his  f  Efcape  to  Beer^  where  he  liv'd  fecure  from  i^h.         *' 
Abimelech^s  Rage  ;  and  it  was  not  long  before  his  Curfe  be- 
gan to  operate.     For  the  People  of    Shechem,  *  growing 
jealous  and  diflruftful  of  their  new  King,  were  for  appre- 
hending and  killing  him,  which  made  him  leave  the  Place, 

and 

thought,  that,  by  the  OU've-Tree,  we  are  to  underftand  Othmel\ 
by  the  Fig-Tree,  Deborah,  and  by  the  Vine,  Gideon ;  for,  to  the 
two  former,  they  fuppofe,  the  Offer  of  the  Kingdom  was 
made  for  the  Services  done  their  Country,  and  by  them  rejefted, 
as  Well  as  by  the  lafti  But  for  this  there  is  no  Authority  ;  nei- 
ther is  there  any  Neceflity,  in  the  Explication  of  fuch  Fables, 
to  affign  a  particular  Reafon  for  every  Image,  that  is  drawn  in 
them.  It  is  fufRcient,  if  we  can  but  hit  of  their  main  Intend- 
ment, which,  in  this  of  Jotham,  was  to  convince  the  She>' 
chemites  of  their  Folly  in  chafing  a  Man  for  their  King,  who  wae 
no  more  able  to  proteft  them,  than  a  Bramble  was  to  cover  other 
Trees,  that  fhould  refort  to  it,  under  the  Shadow  of  its  Branches. 
Saurins  Diflertations,  and  Patrick's  Commentary. 

f  This  was  a  City,  that  flood  on  the  Northern  Frontiers  of 
the  Tribe  of  Judah,  which  did  not  acknowledge  Abimelech  for 
King,  and  therefore  Jotham  knew,  that  he  might  have  fiire  Re- 
fuge and  Proteftion  there. 

*  In  the  Text  the  Expreflion  is,  Then  God  fent  an  e'vil  Spirit y 
or  Spirit  ofDifcord,  befween  Abimelech  and  the  Men  of  Shechem, 
Judg.  ix.  23.  which,  in  Scripture,  is  an  ufual  Form  of  Speech, 
and  denotes  not  zny  pojiti^e  ASdon,  but  a  Permiflion  only,  or, 
at  moft,  a  Direftion  from  God.  It  is  obferv'd  however,  that 
this  Manner  of  Expreffion  may  poffibly  have  given  Rife  to  fome 
Notions  in  the  Theology  of  the  Heat  hens  ^  when  they  fuppofe, 
that  the  Furies  are  appointed  by  the  Gods  to  fow  the  Sce^i;  of 
Difcord  among  Men. 

Luftificam  Alefto,  dirarum  ab  Sede  Sororum, 

Infemifque  ciet  Tenebris ;  cui  triftia  Bella, 

Irasque,  Infidiaeque,  &  Crimina  noxia  Cordi. 
And  a  little  lower, 

Disjice  compofitam  Pacem,  fere  Crimina  Belli : 

Arma  velit,  pofcatque  funul,  rapiatque  Juventus. 

Virg.  /En.  tS, 


iSS  The  Hifiory  (?/  /^^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

as^iV^f.  ^"'^  efcape  for  his  Life.     As  foon  as  he  was  gone,  they  fet 
Ant.  Chrift.up  another  vile  Vv^retch,  GaeU  the  Son  of  Ebed,  to  be  their 
1 443  *&?<:.  Governor.     Under  his  Protedion,   the  People  ventur'd  out 
TtoAe  End^^  '■'^^P  ^'^^  ^'■"'^^  ^^  ^^^  Earth,  and  having,  upon  this  Oc- 
of  Ruth.      caHon,  made  themfelves  merry,    they  exprefs'd  their  Detef- 
*-— v-*-f  tation  of  Abimelech^  and  none  w^as  more  forward  than  Gael 
to  fpeak  contemptibly  of  him,  and  make  his  Boafts  what 
he  would  do  with  him,  if  he  could  but  once  catch  him. 
Xebul^    whom  Ah'imelech  intrufted  with  his  Concerns  in  his 
Abfence,  gave  him  Intelligence  of  all  that  pafs'd,   aqd  ad- 
vis'd  him  to  come  with  fome  Forces,  before  it  w^s  too  late. 
Accordingly,  he  marches  all  Night,  divides  his  Army  into 
four  Parts,  and,  early  in  the  Morning,  had  befet  the  City. 
Gael^  tjio'  a  very  Coward^  feeing  Matters  reduc'd  to  this 
Extremity,  march'd  out  with  what  Forces  he  had,  but  was 
foon  defeated  and   flain.     Ab'imelech^    next  Day,   ftorm'd 
the  Place,  and  killed  all  the  Inhabitants  that  came  in  his 
Way  ;  but  fome  having  betaken  themfelves  to  a  Fort  be- 
longing to  the  Temple  of  their  God  Berith^    he  fet  Fire  to 
it,  and  deftroy'd  them  all  togther. 
WbohkUi'd     During  thefe  Times  of  Confufion,  the  Town  of  TZ'^- 
by  e^vrcman},g^^  not  far  diftant  from  5/>^f/^f;n,  revolted  J  znd  Abimehc6f 
t,4sF//;o/be'ngnow  flufh'd  with  Viftory,  befieg'd  and  took  it  j    but 
a  ,'argeS tone,  the  Inhabitants  flying  to  a  ftrong  Tower,  he  endeavour'd  to 
burn  that,  as  he  had  done  the  other,  but  not  with  the  fame 
Succefs,     For  while  he  was  encouraging  his  Men,  and  help- 
ing them  to  fet  the  Gate  on  Fire,  *  a  Woman  threw  dowri 

a  Piece 

*  Thus  Plutarch  relates,  that  Pyrrhus,  at  the  Siege  of  Argos, 
was  kilrd  by  a  Woman  throwing  a  Tile  upon  his  Head  ;  but 
tliere  is  fomething  more  remarkable  in  Abimeledis  Death  by  a 
Stone,  becaufe,  as  he  flew  all  his  Brethren  upon  one  Sto7te,  for 
him  to  die  by  no  other  Inftrument  carry'd  fome  Stamp  of  his 
Sin  upon  it.  The  Manner  of  his  Death,  however,  puts  me  in 
mind  of  what  the  fame  Author  records  of  the  Spartan  General, 
Lyfandtr,  who  fell  inglorioufly  under  the  Walls  of  Haliartus. 
"  Thus  he  died,  fays  he,  but  not  like  Cleombrotus,  who  was  flain, 
V  while  he  was  glorioufly  making  Head  againft  an  impetuous 
"  Enemy  at  LevMra,  not  like  Cyrus,  or  Epaminondas,  who  re- 
*'  ceiv'd  a  mortal  Wound,  while  he  was  rallying  his  Men,  and 
"  fecuring  to  them  the  Vidlory.  Thefe  great  Men  died  in  their 
**  Callings.  They  died  the  Death  of  Kings  and  Commanders : 
*'  Whereas  he,  like  fome  common  Soldier,  or  one  of  the  forlorn 
f  Hope,  call:  away  his  Life  inglorioufly  ;  giving  this  Teftimony 
"  to  the  ancient  Spartans,  that  they  did  well  to  avoid  ftorming 

"  of 


Ca  AP.  U.  from  the  Kr2it\iies  entering  Cm^L^n^  i^c.         189 

a  Piece  of  Millftone  upon  him,  which  frsftur'd  his  ScuU  •,  fo    A.  M 
that  finding  himfelf  mortally  wounded,  he  call'd  to  his  Jr-  AnJ'chrift. 
mour-Bearer  to  put  an   End    to  his  Life,  that  it  might  not  1443   &■<■"• 
be  faid,  he  died  by  the  Hand  of  a  Woman.     Thus  God ,  p°™^Jf|^« 
in  his  abundant  Righteoufnefs,  punifh'd  both   Abimelech:,  of  RutK. 
and  the  Men  of  Shechetn   according  to  their   Deferts  ;  and  Ci;— v"aiJ 
within  the  Space  of  three  Years  after  their  Crimes  were 
committed,    made  them  the  Inftruments  of  each  other'§ 
Deftrudion. 

After  the  Death  oi  Jblmelech^    Tolab^    the  Son  ofToiahWjair 
Puah,  an  eminent  Man  of  the  Tribe  of  IJfachar,  under-  ^„jj",f"' 
took  the  Government,  and  continu'dinit  for  three  and  twen-Aw«r,  tbe 
ty  Years.     He  dwelt  on  Mount  Ephraim^   near  the  Center '  "f'  "f^f' 
of  the  Country,    that  the  People  might,  with  more  Con-  ^^^  cbbr/s'd, 
veniency,  refort  to  him  for  Judgment ;  and,   tho'  there  is 
not  much  recorded  of  him,  yet  he  feems  to  have  been  a  pru- 
dent and   peaceable  Man  ;    rais'd  up   to  reform  Abufes,   to 
put  down   Idolatry,    to  appeafe   Tumults,    and  heal   the 
Wounds,  which  were  given  to  Church  and  State,   duiing 
j^bimelech's  Ufurpation. 

He  was  fucceeded  by  Jiiir,  a  Gtleadltey  of  the  Tribe 
of  Manajfeh,  the  firfl  Governor  that  was  rais'd  up  out  of 
any  of  the  Tribes  beyond  yordan,  and  who,  in  the  main, 
feems  to  have  been  more  follicitous  to  f  aggrandize  his  own 
Family,  than  to  mind  the  Concerns  of  Religion.  For  du- 
ring his  Adminiftration,  the   People  not  only  worfhipp'd 

Baalim  y 

"  of  Walls ;  in  which  the  ftouteft  Man  may  chance  to  fall  by 
"  the  Hand,  not  only  of  an  abjeft  Fellow,  but  by  that  of  a 
**  Boy,  or  a  Woman,  as  they  fay  Achilles  was  flain,  in  the  Gates 
"  of  TVoy,  by  the  Hands  of  the  effeminate  Paris.''''  Patrick' s 
Commentary,  and  Plutarch's  Comp.  of  Lyfafider  and  Sylla. 

-f-  The  Reafons,  which  the  Scripture  gives  us  to  think,  that 
he  really  did  aggrandize  his  own  Family,  are,  ift,  Becaufe  he 
is  faid  to  have  had  thirty  Sons,  that  rode  on  thirty  JJJes  Colts  : 
Foi-,  as  in  thofe  Days,  the  Ifraelites  had  but  few  Chariots,  and 
were  not  allow'd  to  keep  many  Hqrfes,  the  mofl  honourable  of 
them  were  us'd  to  be  mounted  on  thefe  Creatures,  which,  in 
the  Eaftern  Countries,  were  much  higher,  and  more  beautiful, 
than  they  are  with  us.  2dly,  They  had  thirty  Cities,  or  Villages, 
tailed  after  their  o'wti  Name,  in  the  Land  of  Gilead.  For,  as  we 
read  that  fair,  the  Son  of  Manajfch,  went  and  took  the  fmall 
Towns  of  Gilead,  and  call'd  them  Hanjcth  jair,  (Numb,  xxxii. 
41.  and  Deut.  iii.  14.)  fo  we  rnay  prefume,  that  ^\%Jair,  who 
was  afterwards  Judge  of  Ifrael,  recover'd  the  Places,  which  his 
Anccftor  conquered,  and  perhaps  added  fome  more  to  them,  that 
•each  Son  of  his  miglit  have  oiie.     he  Ckrc\  Commentary. 


190  The  Bijiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.    Baalim^  and  AJhtaroth^  as  they  had  frequently  done  be- 

Ant'chrift.^'°''^>  but  adopted  the  Gods  likewife  of  every  neighbouring 

»443j  ^c.  Nation,    of  the   Syrians,    the   Zidonians^    the   Ammonites, 

fTtheS^^^  M)a^//^J,  and  the  Philijiines  ;  (o  that  God,    being  in- 

•V  Ruth,      cens'd  againft  them,  incited  the  Philijiines^  and  the  Ammo^ 

Km-'^yf-m^nites  to  invade  them  on  all  Quarters  in   one  and  the  fame 

Year.     Nor   did  thefe  People  make  their  Incurfions  only 

upon  the  Tribes,  that  were  on  the  EaJ't  Side  of    Jordan  ; 

but  pafling  the  River,  gave  the  Tribes  of  Judah,  Benjamin^ 

and  Ephraim.,  no  fmall  Moleftation,  and,  by  their  fundry 

Defeats,    made  them  feel  the  Weight  of  their  Power. 

The  Jfraelites,  finding  themfelves  not  able  to  cope  with 
fuch  powerful  Enemies,  grew  fenfible  of  their  Folly  j  and, 
to  recover  the  Prote£tion  of  God,  renounc'd  all  their  Idols^ 
and  betook  thcTifelves  to  his  Service  in  good  Earneft ; 
Whereupon,  f  his  Mercy  returning  with  their  Repentance, 
he  foon  found  out  Means  to  efFe6l  their  Deliverance. 
jephthah <fr •      There  was,  at  that  Time,  in  the  half  Tribe  of  .Mz. 

wMtr  '^#^'  "^^^^^  ^^"'^^  °"  ^^^  ^"fl  ^''^^  °f  Jordan,    a  Man 
quiffies  the    of  Note  among  his  People,  whofe  Name   was  Gileady    of 
Ammonites,. the  Family  of  that  Gilead,  the  Son  of  Machar,  to  whom 
Mofes  gave  the  (^)  City  of  Gilead,  from  v/hence  the  Fa- 
mily took  their  Name.     This  Man  had  by  his  Wife  feveral 
Sons,  and  one  f  by  a  Concubine,  whom  he  named  Jephthahy 

but 

f  This  is  the  moft  remarkable  Repentance  and  Reformation 
that  v»e  meet  with  in  the  Hiftory  of  the  Judges  ;  and  it  feems  to 
be  fo  ferious,  that,  in  the  Times  of  thofe  three  Governors,  who 
fucceeded  Jephthah,  we  read  nothing  of  their  relapfmg  into  Ido- 
latry. And,  as  their  Repentance  was  fmcere,  fo  the  Expreffion 
of  the  Divine  Compaffion  towards  them,  'viz.  that  his  Scul^Mas 
grieqjed  for  the  Mijery  of  Kvvid,  Jud.  X.  1 6.  is  the  ftrongeft  that 
we  meet  with  ;  though  every  one  knows,  that  the  Divine  Na- 
ture is  not  capable  of  Grief  properly  fo  called,  but  the  Meaning 
is,  that  he  quite  alter'd  his  former  Intention,  and,  in  much  Mer- 
cy, refolv'd,  upon  their  Repentance,  to  deliver  them. 

{</)  Numb,  xxxii.  29. 

f  Several  Jenjcijh  Doflors  are  of  Opinion,  that  the  Word 
Zonah  may  fignify,  either  one  of  another  Tribe,  or  one  of  ano- 
ther Nation  ;  and  fo,  Jofephus  calls  Jephthah,  ^ivo:;  Tsp)  t*iv  ixvilspa, 
it  Stranger  by  the  Mother  s  Side.  It  is  to  be  obferv'd  however, 
that,  among  the  Jen.'js,  if  fuch  Perfons  as  were  deem'd  Strangers 
embrac'd  the  La--w,  their  Children  were  capable  to  inherit,  among 
the  reft  of  their  Brethren.  Jephthah,  indeed,  complains  of  the 
hard  Ufage  he  met  with,  but  it  was  upon  this  Occahon,  when 
Ills  Country  he  found  ftood  in  need  of  him ;  for  had  he  been 
anjuftly  difpoffefs'd  of  his  right  of  Inheritance  before,  we  can 

hardly 


Chap.  II.     from  the  KmtWtcs  enterifig  C^nizn,  ^c.       191 

but  when  his  Sons  grew  up,    and  their  Father  was  dead,    A  m 
they  cxpell'd  Jephibah,  as  having  no  Right  of  Inheritance^^^'^^j^ 
with  them,  fo  that  he  was  fent  to  feek  his  Fortune,  and,  at  14,3,  gf^ 
length,  fettled  in  the  f  Land  of  Tab  ;  where,  being  a  Manf^'^™  J^h'^ 
of  great  Courage  and  Bravery,  he  was  Toon  made    the  Cap-  ^^  ^^^^  ''" 
tain  of  a  fmall  Army,  with  whom  he  us'd  to  make  Excurfi- 
ons  into  the  Enemies  Country,  and  fometimcs  bring  cfF  rich 
Spoils. 

The  Ammonites  had  now  rais'dalarge  Army,  with  a 
Defign  to  invade  the  Country  of  Gilead  itfeif.  The  Gilea- 
dites,  on  the  other  Hand,  were  refolv'd  to  defend  their  Coun- 
try, and,  to  that  Purpofe,  had  got  together  what  Forces 
they  could  ;  but  then  they  were  at  a  Lofs  for  a  General, 
Jephthah,  they  knew,  was  a  Man  of  Courage  and  Condu6l, 
who  had  fignaliz'd  himfelf  on  frequent  Occafions  againft  the 
Enemy;  and  therefore,  in  a  full  Afiembly  of  iht\r  Chiefs ^ 
it  was  refolv'd  to  fend  him  an  Offer  of  the  Command  of  their 
Army.  Surpriz'd  at  this  fuddcn  Change,  and  remonftrating 
a  little  their  former  Unkindnefs  to  him,  he  confented  at  latt 
to  accept  of  the  Command  3  but  it  was  on  this  Condition, 
that,  it  hehappen'd  to  befuccefsful  in  the  War,  they  {hould 
eftablifh  him  their  Governor  for  Life,  which  they  readiily 
confented  to,  and  folcmnly  ratify'd.     Being   invefled  with 

this 

hardly  fuppofe,  that  a  Man  of  his  Courage  and  martial  Spirit 
would  have  fat  dov/n  contented  with  his  Exclufion.  It  is  not  to 
be  doubted  therefore,  bur  that  he  ivas  the  Son  of  an  Harlot, 
properly  fo  call'd :  But  tiien  the  Queftion  is,  Why  God  fhould 
make  Choice  of  a  Perfop  of  his  Character  for  fo  great  an  In- 
ftrument  of  his  Glory  ?  To  which  it  may  be  reply 'd,  ill,  That 
God  has  prefcrib'd  Laws  to  Men,  but  none  to  himfelf;  and 
can  therefore  alter  his  Difpenfations  as  he  pleafes,  according  to 
the  Circumftances  and  Exigencies  of  Things.  2dly,  That  as  he 
chufes  to  aft  hyfecGnd  Caufes,  he  always  makes  ul'e  of  fuch  In- 
ftruments,  as  (all  Things  confider'd)  are  propereft  for  his  Purpofe, 
without  Regard  to  any  Blemifhes,  for  whicli  they  themfelves  are 
not  accountable :  And  3dly,  That  he  might  purpofely  difpenfe 
with  the  Law  in  this  Cafe,  to  fhew,  that  thofe,  who  are  h^feh 
horn,  ought  not  to  defpond,  but,  by  a  virtuous  and  good  Life, 
expedl  a  Share  of  God's  Bleflings.  //oauf/Z's  Hillory,  Lib.  iv. 
in  the  Notes, 

f  We  read  no  where  elfe  of  this  Country,  which,  very  pro- 
bably, was  not  far  from  Gilead,  upon  the  Borders  of  tlie  Ammo- 
mtes,  in  the  Entrance  of  Arabia  Dc/erta  ;  or  perhaps  it  is  the 
fame  with  what  is  called  I(h-tob  (2  Sam.  viii.  6,  8.)  which  was 
in  Syria,  and  fo  near  the  Ammonites,  tliat  they  hir'd  Forces  from, 
thence,  as  well  as  from  other  Nations,  to  fight  againft  Da'vid. 
Patrick'^  Commentary. 


192  The  Hiftory  of  de  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.    this  Power  and  Authority  Jephthah  fent  Ambafladors  to  the 
Ait^'chrUt  ^'"S  °^  Ammoti^  to  demand  the  Reafon  of  his  invading  the 
1443,  &fc  GileaditeSi  to  whom  that  Prince  reply'd,  that  their   Land 
From  Judges  was  hts^  and    that  the  IfraeliteSy  in  their  Paflage  from  E~ 
of  Ruth.  "  §yp^^  ^'^'^  taken  it  from  his  Anccftors,  which  he   now  in- 
>  tended  to  recover.  "Jephthah  return'd  him,  by  other  Ambafla- 
dors, in   Anfwer,  that,  if  either  Conqueft  or  P refer tption 
conferr'd  a  Title,  they  had  a  juft  Right  to  the  Country  they 
pofliefs'd,  fince  they  took  it,  not  from  them,  but  from  the 
Amorites^    and   had,    for    three  hundred   Years ^    been    in 
quiet  Pofleflion  of  it ;  but  all  would  not  do.     The  Ammo- 
nites were  refolv'd  upon  a  War,  and  Jephthah  made   all 
Things  ready  to  receive  them :  But,  before  he  took  the 
Field,  he  *  made  a  Vow,  that,  if  he  return'd  with  Vjdlory, 
the  fitfl  Thing  that  came  out  of  his  Houfe  to  meet  him, 
he  would  certainly  offer  unto  the  Lord,  which  many  think 
was  the  Occafion  of  the  facrificing  his  own  Daughter. 
jindfupprtf      However  this  be,  'tis  certain,  that  when  he  return'd 
"eBion  oftbe °'^'  ^^  ^^^  Country  of  Amman,  where  his  Battles  were 
Ephraimitcs.  fought  with  Succefs,    he  met  with  fome  Difturbance  at 
Home  ;  for  the  Tribe  of  Ephraim,  not   long  after,  pafs'd 
the  River  fordan,  on  purpofe  to  pick  a  Quarrel  with  him, 
becaufe,  (as  they  pretended)  he  had  not  fent  for  them  to 
join    the  Army,    and  fhare   in  the  VicStory.     f  At  other 
Times  they  had    been  noify  and  clamorous  enough,  but 
now  they  proceeded  fo  far  as  to  threaten  to  burn  his  Houfe 
over  his  Head.     Jephthah  endeavour'd  what   he  could,  to 
•        pacify  them  with  good  Words ;  but  when   he  found   that 
Reafoning  would  notdo,  he  fell  upgn  them  with  his  Army, 
^  and 

*  To  make  a  Vow,  was  an  Aft  of  religious  Worfhip,  and  in 
itfelf  no  way  culpable ;  nay,  not  only  the  Jeius,  but  other  Na- 
tions look'd  upon  it  in  this  View :  And  therefore  we  find  Li%y 
fo  frequently  telling  us,  that  the  Roman  Generals  were  wont  to 
vow  to  Jupiter,  or  Jpo//o,  or  fome  other  God,  that  if,  by  their 
Help,  they  Ihoold  prove  fuccefsful,  they  would  devote  fome 
Part  of  the  Spoil,  they  fhould  take  in  the  War,  to  their  Ufe,  or 
build  Temples  and  dedicate  them  to  their  Honour.  Patricks 
Commentary. 

f  Tho'  Gideon  had  called  the  Ephraimites  to  aflift  in  the  Pur- 
fuit  of  the  Midianites,  and  had  given  them  the  Advantage  of 
Plunder,  and  the  Honour  of  taking  Oreb  and  Zeeb,  two  Princes 
of  Midian,  Prifoners ;  yet,  becaufe  they  were  not  called  at  firft 
to  the  Battle,  they  took  upon  them  to  reprehend  him  very  Iharp- 
ly,  which  he,  like  a  prudent  Man,  took  patiently,  and  paci- 
fy'd  them  with  good  Words,  Honjoell^  Hiftory,  Lib.  iv.  in  the 
Notes. 


Chap.II.     from  the  UrsidkQS  entering  Can2L2Ln,  ^c.       193 

and  put   them  to  Flight :    And,  being  refolv'd  to  hinder    A.  m. 
them  from  giving  him  the  like  Moleftation  any  more,  ^^Ant!'<S^ia. 
fent,  and  fecur'd  all  the  Pafles  over  Jordan  in  their  Wdy  1^4^^,  &c. 
home  ;  fo  that,  as  faft  as  they  came  thither,  if  upon  Ex-  F'om  judges 

.        .  1  911  ri  7-^7       •     •.  ^u  1.  to  the  End 

ammation  they  own'd  themfelves  ii/)/;rfl;;«/^«,  they  were  (,f  g^^.j^ 
immediately  put  to  the  Sword  ;  if  they  deny'd  it,  they  had< 
f  the  Teft-Word  Shibboleth  given  them,  which  (if 
they  pronounc'd  it  Sibboleth)  difcover'd  their  Country, 
and  coft  them  their  Lives ;  infomuch,  that  what  in  the 
Field,  and  what  on  the  Banks  of  the  River,  no  lefs  than  f 
two  and  forty  thoufand  Ephrairnites  were  flain. 

Thus  Jephthahy  having  delivered  his  Country  from  the 
Attempts  both  oi  foreign  and  domejlick  Foes,  liv'd  the  Re- 
mainder of  his  Days  in  Peace,  and,  after  the  Adminiftra- 
tion  of  publick  AfFairs  for  fix  Years  Continuance  in  all,  he 
died,  and  was  honourably  bury'd  in  his  own  Country. 

He  was  fucceeded  by  lb%an  of  Bethlehem^  who,  after 
he  had  govern'd  feven  Years,  was  fucceeded  by  Elony  of 
the  Tribe  of  Zebulun ;  and  he,  after  he  had  rul'd  ten 
Years,  by  Ahdon^  of  the  Tribe  of  Ephraim^  who  rul'd 
eight.     Of  thefe  Judges  the  facred    Hillory  fays  nothing 

remarkable, 

f  Nothing  is  more  notorious,  than  that  the  People  of  the  fame 
Nation^  who  fpeak  the  fame  Language,  differ  very  much  in  their 
Pronunciaticn  of  it,  in  feveral  Parts  of  the  Country.  In  Palejiine, 
the  People  in  Galilee,  and  thofe  that  liv'd  at  Jerufalem,  fpake  the 
fame  Tongue,  and  yet,  in  the  Time  of  Chrijl,  the  latter  could 
tell  St.  Peter,  that  his  Speech  henx>rayd  him,  Matth.  xxvi.  73, 
In  Greece  all  fpake  Greek,  and  yet  the  lonians,  Atticks,  Do7-ians, 
and  JEolians  pronounc'd  very  differently.  And  here,  tho'  the 
Gileadites  and  Ephraitjiites  were  all  of  one  Nation,  yet  the  latter, 
we  find,  could  not  pronounce ^  the  Letter  Schin.  There  were 
doubtlefs  therefore  many  other  Words,  which  they  could  not 
frame  their  Mouths  to  fpeak,  as  the  Gileadites  did,  but  this  one 
was  chofen,  becaufe  it  was  fit  for  their  Purpofe.  For,  as  Shibr- 
boleth  fignifies  Floods  of  Water,  the  Gileadites,  when  they  faw 
any  Ephraimite  appear,  might  put  this  Tefl:  to  him  and  bid  him 
fay,  Let  me  pafs  o'ver  the  Water.  Le  Clercs  and  Patrick's  Com- 
mentaries. 

•f-  This  was  a  terrible  Slaughter,  for  one  Tribe  to  make  of 
another ;  but  the  Ephrairnites  feem  to  have  deferv'd  it,  as  a  juft 
Punifhment  of  their  Pride  and  Infolence  j  in  defpifmg  fo  great  a 
Man  as  Jephthah,  who  had  fav'd  all  the  People  of  Ifrael,  and 
threatening  to  deftroy  his  Houfe,  after  fo  glorious  a  Viftory ;  in 
reviling  their  Brethren  likewife;  invading  them  without  a  Caufe, 
and  attempting  to  drive  them  out  of  their  Country.  Patricks 
Commentary. 

Vol.  in.  N 


194  ^^e  Uijiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  remarkable,  only  that  fome  of  them  had  a  numerous  liTue, 
Ant' 'chr[ft_  which  IS  mention'd  to  ftiew  that  the  Government,  at  that 
1443,  ©"<:.  Time,  was  not  Hereditary. 

From  Judges     DuRiNG  the  Adminiftration  of  thefe  Judges,  the  Ifrae- 

of  Ruth.     "^^^  enjoy  d  a  reace  of  three  and  twenty  Years  L-ontmu- 

<— yK-^^ance ;  but  when   they  relaps'd  into    their  old  Irnpieties, 

Samfon'*      God  fufFer'd   the  Philijiines  to  invade  and   opprefs  them, 

B^rth"'a'nd  whefeupon,  Samfori's  valiant  A6ls  began  to  difplay  them- 

juviniii  Ex'  felves.     He  was  the  Son  of  Manoahy  f  of  the  Tribe  of 

flotti.  Dan^  and  of  a  Mother,  whofe  Name  we  no  where  find  in 

Scripture.     This  Woman  was  a  long  Time   barren,  and 

had  no  Children ;  and  therefore  when  an  Angel  appear'd 

to  her,  while  (he  was  alone,  and  gave  her  AfTurances,  that 

(he  would  be  Mother  of  a  Son,  who  was  to  be  f  a  Nazaritg 

from 


•f-  As  the  Tribe  of  Dan  lay  bordering  upon  the  Vhilifi'inesy 
it  was  moft  expos'd  to  their  Incurfions  and  Invafions ;  and  there- 
fore God,  out  of  that  Tribe,  chofe  Sam/on,  to  be  a  Scourge  to 
them,  and  a  Revenger  of  his  People,  which  is  very  agreeable  to 
the  Prophecy  of  Jacob,  when  he  bleffed  his  Sons,  a  little  before 
his  Death.  Ti&njhall  be  a  Serpent  by  the  Way,  an  Adder  in  the 
Path,  biting  the  Heels  of  the  Horfe,  fo  that  his  Rider  Jhall  fall 
hacknvard.  Gen.  xlix.    17. 

•^  A  Nazarite  was  one,  who,  under  the  Levitieal  Law,  ei-, 
ther  to  attain  the  Favour,  or  avert  the  Judgments,  or  acknow- 
ledge the  Mercies  of  Almighty  God,  vowed  a  Vow  of  particu- 
lar Purity,  andy^/>«ra/r^himfelf  (for  fo  the  Word  fignifies)  in. 
an  extraordinary  Manner,  to  the  Service  of  God.  The  Time 
of  this  Vow  lafted  ufually  for  eight  Days,  fometimes  for  a 
Month,  and,  in  fome  Cafes,  for  the  Perfon's  whole  Life.  Du- 
ring this  Time,  the  Perfons  (for  Women,  as  well  as  Men,  might 
enter  into  this  Engagement)  bound  themfelves  to  abftain  from 
Wine,  and  all  flrong  Liquors ;  not  to  cut  the  Hair  of  their 
Heads ;  not  to  come  near  a  dead  Corps,  nor  afiift  at  a  Funeral ; 
Nay,  the  Matter  was  carry'd  fo  high,  that  if  any  happen'd  to 
die  fuddenly  in  their  Prefence,  the  whole  Ceremony  of  this  Se- 
paration was  to  begin  a-new.  ?kfter  the  Time  that  their  Sepa- 
ration was  ended,  they  were  to  offer  fuch  Sacrifices,  as  the  Law 
appointed,  and  then,  being  abfolv'd  from  their  Vow  by  the 
PrieiT:,  they  might  drink  Wine,  and  ufe  the  fame  Freedom, 
that  other  People  did.  Sanifon\  Nazaritifm  (to  which  he  was 
coiifecrated  by  his  Parents)  was  to  laft  the  whole  Term  of  his 
Life ;  but  his  frequent  Intercourfe  with  the  Philijiines,  and  the 
great  Havock  and  Slaughter,  that  he  fo  often  made  among  them, 
would  induce  one  to  think,  that  he  had  a  particular  Difpenfation 
exempting  him  from  the  Obfervation  of  fome  of  the  foregoing 
Rules.  Vid.  Numb.  'vi.  Patrick's  and  Le  Clerc%  Commentaries 
upon  it,  and  C^lfHvfi  Diftionary  under  the  Word. 


Cu  A  p .  I T.    from  the  Ifraell tes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.         1 9 5 

from  his  Birth  ;  to  drink  no  Wine  or  ftrong  Liquor  ^  and     A.  M. 
t  never  have  his  Hair  fhav'd  j  upon  her    telling  her  Huf-  Am'^^^Jft. 
band  thefe  glad  Tidings,  he  requefted  of  God  to  vouchfafe  1443,  ^'' 
him  a  Sight  of  the  fame  heavenly  Mcjfenger^  which   ac-Ffom  judges 
cordingly  God  granted  him,  and,  when  Manoah  intreated'^^^j^^^^ 
the  Angel  to  accept   of  a  fmall   Entertainment,  which  he  1 
chofe  rather  to  have  converted  into  a  Sacrifice,  Manoah 
made  ready  a  Kid,  and  Wine  for  Libations ;  and  having 
plac'd   them  upon  an  Altar  made  of  Stone,  as  the  Smoak 
of  the  Sacrifice  began  to  afcend,  the  f  Angel  mounted  up 
in  the  Flame,  and  fo  difappear'd. 

At  the  Time  appointed  the  divine  Promife  was  accom- 
plifh'd,  and  the  Woman  was  delivered  of  a  Son,  whom 
fhe  named  Samfon.  While  he  was  yet  a  Youth,  the  Spirit 
of  God  began  to  appear  in  him,  and  to  exert  itfelf  in  fome 
notable  Exploits  and  Feats  of  Adivity,  in  what  was  called  f 
the  old  Camp  of  Dan,  (lying  between  f  Zorah  and  Eptaol) 

N  2  the 

•f-  Long  Hair  was  efteem'd  very  much  among  the  Jenvs  ;  and 
fuch  Perfons  as  were  made  Nazarites  by  their  Parents,  and  con- 
fecrated  to  God  from  the  Womb,  were  requir'd  to  wear  their 
Hair  long  and  uncut,  becaufe  it  was  a  Token  not  only  of  Beauty, 
but  of  Majefty  and  Veneration.    HonxieU\  Hiftory,  in  the  Notes. 

•f  Angels  Bodies,  which  the  Platonijis  called  ^j^vjixala,  Or  Ve- 
hicles, are  not  fubjeft  to  the  Laws  of  Grwvity,  as  ours  are.  Af- 
ter our  Saviour's  Refurreftion,  the  Hiftory  of  the  Gofpel  informs 
us,  how  immediately,  and  in  an  Inftant,  his  Body  could  move 
from  Place  to  Place  ;  and  therefore  it  is  no  Wonder,  that  Ma- 
noah and  his  Wife  fhould  difcover  the  Perfon,  that  appear 'd  to 
them,  to  be  an  Angel  by  the  Manner  of  his  Afcenfion.  Le  Clercs 
Commentary. 

•f-  This  Camp  of  Dan  was  probably  the  Place,  where  the 
'Daratcs  made  their  Encampment,  in  their  Expedition  and  En- 
terprize  againft  Laijh,  Judg.  xviii.  1 1 .  for  it  is  not  at  all  likely 
that  the  Philiftines,  who  had  the  Ifraelites,  at  that  Time,  entire- 
ly under  their  Subjedlion,  Ihould  fuifer  them  to  have  any  ftand- 
ing  Camp.  And  this,  by  the  Bye,  is  a  good  Argument,  that 
the  Story  of  Micah,  and  of  the  Danites  E;^pedition,  was  tranf- 
afted  before  Satn/ons  Time,  though  the  Compilers  of  the  Bible 
have  plac'd  it  after.     HoivelPs  Hiftory,  in  the  Notes. 

■\-  Both  thefe  were  Towns  in  the  Tribe  of  Dan,  whereof  Zo- 
rah lay  on  the  Frontiers  of  Judah  ;  and  for  this  Reafon  Reko- 
boam,  upon  the  Revolt  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  feems  to  have  kept 
this  Place,  tho'  lying  in  one  of  thefe  Tribes,  and  to  liave  forii- 
fy'd  it  for  a  Barr^-Town,  on  that  Side  of  the  Kingdom  o^^  Ju- 
dah  ;  as  he  did  alfo  Jijalon,  another  Town  belonging  to  the  fame 
Tribe.  Welh\  Geography  of  the  Old  Teftameut,  \''ul.  IL 
Chap.  vi. 


196  The  Hijlory   of  the  ^\B  I.  E,     Book  V. 

A-  M.    the  Place  where  he  was  born.     When  he  came\o  Man's 

AM.^'chrift.  Eftate,  he  fell  in  Love  with  the  Daughter  of  a  PhttiJiinCy 

1443,  ^'='  who  liv'd  at  Timnah  j  and  tho'  his  Parents  did  not  fo  well 

From  Judge^s  appj-Qve  of  the  Match,  becaufe  fhe    was  fprung  frOm  an 

of  Ruth.       idolatrous  YzmAy^  yet,  fuch  was  their  Tendernefs  for  their 

u— *V— JSon,  that  they  indulged  his  Paflion,  and  went  both  of  them 

with  him  to  f  ?  imnah  to  treat  about  the  Marriage.     As 

they  were  on  their  Journey,  and  Samfon  was  ftraggling  a 

little  from    the  Company,  all  on  a  fudden  a  young  Lion 

came   running  at  him  with  open  Mouth,  but  he  took  it, 

and   flew  it  with  as  much  Eafe,  as   if  it  had  been  a  Kid  ; 

and,  fome  Time  after,  as  he  pafs'd  that  Way,  (which  was 

when  his  Father  and  Mother  went  with  him  to  folemnize 

his  Nuptials)  he  turn'd  afide  to  fee  what  was  become  of  the 

1/ion's  Carcafe,    and,   to   his  great  Surprife,    found   a  -f- 

Swarm  of  Bees,  and  fome  Honey   in  it,  which  he  took, 

and  gave  Part  of  it  to  his  Parents,  but  did  not  tell  them 

from  whence  he  had  it. 

Hit  Mar.        jr^  ^^  cuftomary  in  thofe  Days  to  continue  the  nuptial 

/Lphili-      -Entertainment  for  feven  Days,  and,  to  do  the  Bridegroom 

ftines,  and    greater  Honour,  his  Wife's  Relations  had  brought  f  thirty 


turmng  ibtit 

Cern  ttieb  , 

Foxes.  the 


^^^^    ■  r    of  their  prime  Youth  to  bear  him  Company,  to  whom  (as 


•j-  It  is  not  improbably  thought,  that  the  Place  which  is  called 
Timnah,  Jofh.  xv.  10.  and  Tijmiatha,  Jofli.  xix.  43.  was  the 
fame  with  this.  It  was  affign'd  at  firft  to  the  Tribe  of  Judahf 
but  afterwards  to  the  Tribe  of  Dan,  and  was,  in  all  Likelihood, 
the  Place  whither  Judah,  the  Patriarch  of  the  Tribe,  that  was 
called  after  him,  went  up  to  his  Sheep-lhearers,  Gen.  xxxviii.  12. 
Wells's  Geography,  ibid. 

f  Bees  are  obferv'd  by  Ariftotle  and  others  to  abhor  (linking 
Smells,  and  to  abftain  from  Flefh ;  which  has  made  fome  think 
it  ftrange,  that  a  Swarm  of  Bees  fhould  be  found  in  the  Carcafe 
of  a  Lion  :  But  it  is  no  hard  Matter  to  fu^pofe,  that  either  Time 
had  confum'd,  or  Birds  and  Beafts  devour'd  all  the  Flefh,  fo  that 
nothing  was  left  of  the  Lion  but  the  Skeleton,  in  which  the  Bees 
did  not  breed  (for  the  Notion  of  Infeds  breeding  in  that  Man- 
ner is  now  quite  exploded)  but  only  fettle  themfelves,  when  they 
piKmyjnd,  as  they  have  fometimes  done  in  dead  Men's  Sculls,  and 
in  their  Tombs.  ^cc/W/s  Hieroz.  Part.  II.  lib.  iv.  c.  10.  and 
Ls  Clerci  Commentary. 

f  During  the  Time  of  the  Marricge-feaji,  which,  for  a  Vir- 
gin, lafted  feven,  but  for  a  Widow,  only  three  Days,  it  was  cuf- 
tomary .":iJOi:g  the  Jt'vu,  to  have  a  thofen  Set  of  young  Men, 
vdioni  th?  Greek f  called  /'^w/y.w/'vj,  and  the  Hebretv  iSchttia- 

chim. 


Chap.  11.    from  /i'iflfraelites  entering  Canaan,  t^c.      197 

the  Manner  then  was)  he  propounded  a  Riddle^  t  which  if^^A.  M.^^ 
they  could  explain  in  the  Time,  that  the  Feaft  lafted^  ^e  ^^^'(.^^^1^^ 
obliged  himfeif  to  give  them  thirty  Suits  of  Clothes,  and  an  1443,  Sf^. 
equal  Number  of  Shirts  j  but  if  they  could  not,  they  were  F;°^^g;^ 
to  forfeit  the  like  to  him.    The  Words  of  the  Riddle  were,  of  Ruth. 
Out  of  the  Eater  came  forth  Meat,  and  out  of  the  Strong 
came  forth  Sweetnefs  ;  which  fo  puzzled  the  young  Men, 
that  they  could  not,  for  their  Hearts,  devife  what  it  meant, 
and  therefore  applying  themfelves  to  Samfon's  Wife,   what 
with  Threats,  and  what  with  Intreaties,    they   prevail'd 
with  her  to  get   the  Secret  out  of  her  Hqfband  .*  Which 

N  3  when, 

chim,  to  keep  the  Bridegroom  Company  ;  as  alfo  a  certain  Num- 
ber of  young  Women  were  about  the  Bride  all  this  Time.  Thefe 
young  Men  were  generally  of  the  Bridegroom's  Relations  and 
Acquaintance  ;  but,  at  Sam/on  s  Marriage,  they  belong'd  to  his. 
Wife's  Family,  (and  were  fent,  as  fome  of  the  Jeivs  think)  not 
fo  much  to  do  him  Honour  at  the  Time  of  his  Nuptials^  as  to 
be  a  Guard  over  him,  left  he  fhould  make  any  Difturbance,  of 
which  the  PhiUfines  were  afraid,  when  they  underftood  that  he 
was  a  Man  of  {q  much  Strength  and  Might.  Lamys  Introduc- 
tion, Lib.  i,  Cap.  14.  and  Calmet\  Diliert.  fur  les  Marriages 
des  Heb. 

f  This  Riddle,  which  SamfoK  propos'd  at  hisNqptials,  is  fpme-^ 
what  fmgul^r.     As  the  Men  and  Women  were  not  permitted  to, 
be  together  in  t\it{tEaJiern  Countries,  they  could  not  amufe  them- 
felves with  their  Converfation ;  and  as  they  could  not  fpend  their 
Time  merely  in  dull  eating  and  drinking,  it  is  hence  prefum'd 
that  their  Cuftom  was,  in  their  Compotations  and  Feafts,  (as  we 
find  it  afterwards  among  the  Greeks)  to  propofe  Queftions,  and 
hard  Problems  to  be  refolv'd,  in  order  to  exercife  the  Wit  and 
Sagacity  of  the  Company.     Selden  de  Uxore  Hebr.  lib.  ii.  c.  16. 
But  as  to  this  Riddle  of  Samjhns,  fome  People  are  apt  to  find 
Exceptions.     The  Oppofltion,  they  fay,  is  manifeft  in  the  for- 
mer Part  of  it,  but  not  in  the  latter;  for  Weaknefs  is  oppos'd  Co 
Strength,  not  Siveetnefs,  whofe  Oppofite   is  Bitternefs  or  Sha7-p- 
nefs.     But  Bochart  has  ingenioully  obferv'd,  that  thefe  two  Words^ 
jirong  ?ixv6.jharp,  are  oftentimes  us'd  promifcuoufly.     For,  in  the 
Arabick  Language,    the  Word  Mirra,   which  ngnifies  Strength ^ 
comes  from  Marra,  which  fignifies  to  he/jarp  or  hitter  ;  and  fo 
it  is  in  the  Latin,  where  J<er,  -i^Jharp  Man,  is  as  much  as  a  va- 
liant Man,  one  who  eagerly  (as  we  fpeak)  engages  his  Enem)> 
and  (what  is  more)  we  find  in  fome  of  the  beft  Authors,  thi? 

particular  Epithet  apply'd  to  Lions Genus  acre  Leonum., 

Ovid.  Faft.     And  therefore  the  Antithefs  of  the  Wor^is,  is  this, 
■   ■  Tood  came  from  the  Dcjourer,  and  S^veetncfs  from  ivhai 

is  eager  or  Jharp,  i,  e.  violent  and  fierce>     Patrick''^  and  Lc  Ckrc\ 
Commentaries. 


198  l^e  Hipry  of  //?;^  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.  when,  with  much  Importunity,  {he  had  done,  fhe  told  it 
Ant!'chrift.*^^^">  and  they,  at  the  Conclufion  of  the  Feaft,  gave  him 
1443,  &<^-  ^o  underftand  that  they  knew  it.  He  told  them  however 
From  Judges  by  whofc  Information  they  had  it,  and,  being  defperately 
<if  Ruthr°'^  enrag'd,  went  down  to  f  Afkalon^  a  City  of  the  PhiliJI'mes^ 
I  where  having  ilain  f  thirty  Men,  he  gave  their  Clothes  to 
thofe  that  expounded  the  Riddle  ;  but,  taking  the  Thing 
very  ill  of  his  Wife,  he  left  her,  and  went  down  to  his 
Father's  Houfe,  while  fhc,  in  his  Abfence^  was  marry'd 
to  one  of  the  young  Men,  that  had  been  his  Companions 
all  the  Weddmg-Week. 

As  foon  as  his  Refentment  was  abated,  and  his  Anger 
appeas'd,  Samfon  took  a  Kid  for  a  Prefent  to  his  Wife, 
and  went  to  her  Father's  Houfe,  with  a  full  Purpofe  of  be- 
ing reconcil'd  to  her ;  but,  to  his  great  Amazement,  was 
deny'd  Admittance  to  her  Room,  and  told  by  her  Father, 
that,  upon  Prefumption  he  had  quite  forfaken  her,  he  had 
marry 'd  her  to  one  of  his  Companions,  but  had  another 
Daughter  younger,  and  more  beautiful,  that  was  at  his 
Service.  This  Anfwer  was  far  from  fatisfying  him  ;  and 
therefore,  imagining  that  the  AfFront  was  not  fo  much  the 
hdc  of  his  Father-in-law,  as  the  general  Contrivance  of  the 
Philijl'mes,  he  turn'd  about  fhort,  and  vow'd  Revenge, 
which  he  afterwards  executed  in  the  following  Manner. 

By 

•f-  It  is  a  City  in  the  Land  of  the  PhiUjiines  fituated  between 
A%oth  and  Gaza,  upon  the  Coaft  of  the  Mediterranean-Sea,  a- 
bojt  five  hundred  and  twenty  Furlongs  diftant  from  Jerufahm. 
It  is  faid  to  have  been  of  great  Note  among  the  Gentiles,  for  a 
Temple  dedicated  to  Derceto,  the  Mother  of  Semiramis,  here 
woiifhipp''d  in  the  Form  of  a  Mermaid ;  and  for  another  Tem- 
ple of  Apcllo,  where  Herod,  the  Father  of  Antipater,  and  Grand- 
father of  i/t;W /^g  Great,  ferv'd  as  Prieft.  The  Place  fubfifts 
to  this  Day,  but  is  now  very  inconfiderable.  Some  Mention  there 
js  made  of  the  Wine  of  JJkalon,  and  the  Cyprefs-Tree,  (a  Shrub 
that  v/as  anciently  in  great  Efteem,  and  very  common  in  this 
Place)  but  modern  Travellers  fay  no  fuch  Thing  of  it  now.  Cal- 
f-ifii  Diftionary  under  the  Word,  and  Welh\  Geography  of  the 
Old  Teitameut,  Vol.  III. 

f  It  may  well  be  queftion'd,  upon  what  Occafion  Samfon  could 
aViCet  with  thirty  Philijiines,  all  cloth'd  in  their  new  and  beft 
Attire,  even  though  we  allow  that  he  went  with  a  Difpofition  to 
pick  a  Quarrel  with  them,  and  flay  them  ;  but  then  it  is  but  fup- 
pofing,  that,  at  this  Time,  there  was  a  Merry-making,  either  in 
the  Fields,  or  in  the  City,  at  feme  publick  Solemnity,  when 
great  Companies  us'd  to  be  gathered  together,  and  appear  in  their 
DQii  Apparel,  and  the  Thing  is  done.     Patricks  Commentary. 


Chap.  II.    from  ibe  Jfradkes  entering  Cznzzn,  ^c.        199 

By  fome  Means  or  other,  he  got  together  a  Multitude    A.  M. 
of  Foxes,  to  the  Number  of  three  hundred;    and,  tying ^t^Chrift^ 
them  two  and   two  together  by  the  Tails,  with  a  lighted  1443,  &<:• 
Torch  between  each  Pair,  he  turn'd  them  into  the  ftand-.^';°"jJ"g^'J 
ing  Corn  at  different  Places,  and  fo  not  only  fet  the  Fields  oV Ruth. 
on  Fire,  but  the  Vine  and  Olive  Yards  likewife,  infomuch ' 
that  the  whole  Country  was  in  a  Blaze.     When  the  Phi- 
lijlines  underftood  that  it  was  Samfon^  who  had  done  this, 
in  Revenge  to  the  Affront,  which  his  Tather-in-law  had  put 
upon  him,  they  came  in  a  Body,  and  fir'd  the  Houfe  over 
his  Head,  and   fo  burnt   him  and   Samfon's  Wife  toge- 
ther.    This  was  a  frefti  Provocation,  for  which  Sam/on 
threaten'd  to  be  reveng'd  j   and,  thereupon,  without  any 
Ceremony,  fell  immediately  upon  them,  and  1|  flev/  a  great 
Number  of  them. 

SAMSON,  being  confcious  to  himfelf,  that  he  mufl 
have  highly  provok'd  the  PhUt/iines  by  this  lafl;  Slaughter 
of  them,  took  up  his  Refidence  thence  forwards  on  the  f 

N  4  Top 

{(  The  Words  in  the  Text,  according  to  our  Tranflation,  are. 
And  he /mote  them  Hip  and  Thigh  nvith  a  great  Slay.ghter;  Judg. 
XV.  8.  But  the  Words  in  the  Original  will  admit  of  this  Signir 
fication,  He  fjnote  them  ivith  his  Leg  on  their  Thigh,  and ganje  them 
great  Hurts  or  Wounds ;  and,  to  juftify  this  Senfe,  a  learned  Com- 
mentator fuppofes,  that  there  was,  at  this  Time,  fomewhere  a- 
mong  the  Philijiines,  Wreftling-Matches,  and  other  rural  Exer- 
cifes,  to  which  every  one  was  invited,  and  that  Sam/on,  among 
the  reft,  might  go  thither ;  that  there  he  threw  great  Numbers  of 
the  Philijiines,  who  perhaps  might  value  themfelves  upon  their 
Aftivity  that  Way  ;  and,  in  the  Midft  of  the  Grapple  with  them, 
broke  their  Thighs  with  a  Kick  or  Twift  of  his  Leg.  If  thi^ 
Suppofition  be  right,  the  Phrafe  Crus  Femori  impingere  feem 5  to 
be  much  the  fame  with  what  the  Greeks  call  a-KtAiteiv?  or  axoane^t- 
fjiv  >  for,  though  this  Kind  of  Exercife  grew  into  high  Efteern 
among  the  Grecians,  who  were  fo  famous  for  their  Gymnick 
Sports ;  yet,  that  Wreftling  was  an  Exercife  not  unknown  at 
mong  the  People  of  the  Eafi  is  manifeft  from  Gen.  xxv.  26. 
XXX.  8.  and  xxxii.  24.  This  our  Commentator  offers  but  as  J^ 
Conjefture  indeed  ;  but  it  feems  much  more  fealible,  than  the 
Interpretation  either  of  the  Vulgate^  or  Chaldee  Paraphaft.  Ls 
Clercm  Locum. 

-}■  This  was  a  ftrong  Place  in  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  (as  Jofephus 
relates)  to  the  Top  of  which  no  more  than  one  Man  could  come 
a-breaft,  and  therefore  eafily  defenfible :  By  all  this  however,  and 
what  follows  in  this  Hiftory  of  Sam/on,  it  is  plain,  that  he  had 
no  Commiffion  from  God,  nor  was  mov'd  by  any  extraordinarv 

Impuir^ 


2(30  The  Hifiory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

A.  M.     Top  of  the  Rock  Etam^  which  was  in  the  Tribe  of  Judah. 
Ant^'chrlrt.  ^^""^"P^"  ^^^  Phili/Iines  came  down  with  an  armed  Force, 
1413,  &c.  and  demanded  Samfon  to  be  deliver'd  up   to  them.     The 
From  Judges  People  of  Judah,  fearing  the  Confequence  of  this  Invafion, 
of  Ruth,      detach'd  a  Body  of  three  Thoufand  Men  to  Samfon  j  who, 
after  they  had  expoftulated  the  Injury  he  had  done  them  in 
provoking  their  Enemies  fo  highly,  told  him  in  plain  Terms, 
that  they  were  come  to  feize,  and  deliver  him  up  to  the 
Fhil'iftines^ 
His  W.K»ga     S A M^>ON  {nhm'xtie^  to  have  himfelf  bound  (which  was 
icco  w;V^tf(jone  with  new  ftrong  Cords)  upon  Condition,  that  they 
/dw--  ■""'  themfelves  would  not  fide  with  the  Enemy  againft  him  ; 
and  fo  being  brought  to  the  Place,  where  the  Phiiijiines  were 
encamp'd,  they  now   thought  they   had  him  fecure,  and 
therefore  ran   out  v.'ith    Joy  to  receive  him.     But  as  they 
carae  near  him,  he  fnapp'd  the  Cords  afunder,  and  happen- 
ing to  efpy  a  frefh  Jaw- Bone  of  an    Afs,  he  made  Uie  of 
that  for  Want  of  a  better  Weapon,  and  therewith  flew  no 
iefs  than  a  Thoufand   Men ;    froni    which  Atchievement, 
the  Place  was  afterwards  called,  either   fimply  Lehi^  i.  e. 
t«ie  Jaw-Bone^  or    Ramah-Lehi,  the   Lifting    up  of  the 
Jaw^Bofie.     Fatigu'd  with  this  Fight,  and  being  now  ex- 
ceflive  thirfty  in  a  Place,  where  no  Water  was  to  be  had, 
he  made   his  Supplication  to  God,  and  God   immediately 
caus'd  a  Fountain  of  delicious  Water  to  iflue  from  an  hollow 
Rock,    adjacent  to   Lehi^  wherewith   Samfon  allay 'd    his 
Thirft,    and  was  reviv'd  ;  and  from  this  Event  the  Place 
was  call'd  En-hakkor^  the  Well  of  him  that  -prayed,  ever 
after. 
Urnw?  e.      After  this  A£lion  Samfon  made  nothing  of  the  PhilifineSy 
*vaythe  ambut  Went  cpcnly   into  f  one  of  their  Cities  call'd  Gaza^ 
•/"Gaza.      gnd  took  up  hJs  Lodging  in  a  publick  Houfe  of  Entertain- 
^  ment. 

Impulfe  to  make  open  War  (as  did  Gideon,  Jephthah,  and  others) 
for  the  Deliverance  of  Ifrael  from  the  Yoke  of  the  Phiiijiines, 
but  only  to  weaken  them  and  keep  them  in  Awe,  that,  out  of 
Dread  of  him,  they  might  be  Iefs  cruel  in  their  Oppreffion  ;  and 
that  this  was  all  that  God  intended  to  do  by  him,  is  pretty  plain 
from  the  Words  of  the  Angel,  Judg.  xiii.  5.  He  Jhall  begin  to 
dcU'ver  Ifrael      Fatrick\  Commentary. 

+  This  City  was,  by  JoJI:ua,  made  Part  of  the  Tribe  of  Ju- 
dii^,  but,  after  him,  it  fell  into  the  Hands  of  the  Phiiijiines,  and 
was  one  of  their  five  Principalities,  fituated  between  Raphia  and 
Jjkelon,  towards  tlie  fcuthern  Extremity  of  the  promis'd  Land. 
'ihe  advantageous  Situation  of  this  Place  was  the  Caufe  of  the 

maay 


Chap. II.  from  the KratVites  entering  Canaan,  £f?r.         201 

ment.     The  Governor  of  the  Place  had  foon  Intelligence     A.  M. 
of  him  and  fent  Guards  to  befet  the  Houfe,  and  to  watch  Ant.' Chrift. 
the  Gates  of  the  City  for  his  going  out  next  Morning  j  1443,  ©"<■• 
but  Sam/on,  being  inform'd  of  this,  rofe  in  the  Midnight,  f'^^J^"^!^*'* 
and  taking  the  two  Gates  of  the  City,  Gate-Pofts,  Bars,  ©V  Ruth. 
Bolts,  Chain  and  all,  he  laid  them  on  his  Shoulders,  and  ^  — 'y  >J 
carry'd  them  to  the  Top  of  an  Hill,  f  that  looks  towards 
Hebron,  and  there  left  them. 

At  length  a  more  fatal  Adventure,  than  any  of  thefe,  falling  in 
befel  him  :For,  falling  in  Love  with  a  beautiful  Woman  d^JjJ,*"'^ 
nam'd  f  Dalilah,  who  liv'd   in  the  Vale  of  Sorcky  which  vihcm  h  it 

lav  ^'''''y''^>  *"'' 

delive-  V  to 

many  Revolutions,  to  which  it  became  lubject.  At  nrft  of  all  tines. 
it  belong'd  to  the  Philijiines,  but,  in  Jojhuas  Time,  was  con- 
quer'd  by  the  Hebrenvs.  In  the  Reigns  of  Jotham  and  Ahaz,  it 
recover'd  its  Liberty,  but  was  conquer'd  by  Hezekiah.  It  was 
made  fubjeft  to  the  Chaldeans,  when  they  reduc'd  Syria  z.n6.Phas- 
Tiicia ;  and  afterwards  fell  into  the  Hands  of  the  Perjians.  They 
were  Mafters  of  it,  when  Alexander  befieg'd,  took,  and  demo- 
lifh'd  it.  It  afterwards  rofe  again  ( but  not  near  of  the  fame 
Magnitude  )  under  the  Name  of  Majuma,  which  underwent  as 
many  Viciffitudes  as  the  former.  The  Kings  of  Egypt  had  it  for 
fome  Time  in  PofTeffion ;  Antiochus  the  Great  took  and  fack'd  it ; 
the  Afmoneans,  or  Maccabees,  took  it  feveral  Times  from  the  Sy- 
rians ;  Alexander  "Jannaus,  King  of  the  Hebrenvs,  deftroy'd  it ; 
Gabinius  repair'd  it ;  Aiigujius  gave  it  to  Herod  the  Great ;  Con- 
jtantine  gave  it  the  Name  of  Conjiantia,  with  many  independent 
Privileges,  in  Honour  of  his  Son  ;  but  the  Emperor  Julian  de- 
ftroy'd, and  depriv'd  it  of  all.     Calmet\  Diftionary. 

f  The  Words  in  the  Text  are,  that  he  carried  them  up  to  the 
Tap  of  a  Hill,  that  is  before  Hebron,  Judg.  xvi.  3.  but  the  Word, 
which  we  render  before,  does  equally  fignify  in  the  Sight  of  He- 
bron ;  and  therefore,  fmce  the  Diftance  between  Gaza  and  He- 
bron is  no  lefs  than  twenty  Miles,  it  is  more  probable,  that  the 
Hill,  where  Samfon  left  thefe  Gates,  lay  between  the  two  Cities, 
and  in  View  of  both,  that  the  Inhabitants  of  one-  City  might 
behold  them  to  their  Confulion,  and  they  of  the  other  to'  their 
Encouragement  to  hope  for  a  future  Deliverance.  Patricks 
Commentary. 

-)-  It  is  certain,  that  Sorek  was  a  Place  in  the  Land  of  Judiga^ 
famous  for  choice  Wines,  as  may  be  gathered  from  Gen.  xlvi. 
II.  Ifaiah  V.  12.  and  Jer.  ii.  21.  and  lay  not  above  a  Mile  and 
a  half  from  Efcol,  from  whence  the  Spies  brought  a  Bunch  of 
Grapes  for  a  Sample  of  the  Fruitfulnefs  of  the  Country  ;  but 
whether  Dalilah,  who  is  faid  to  live  here,  was  a  Woman  of  If- 
rael,  or  one  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Philijiines,  ( who  at  this 
Time  were  Rulers  in  the  Country  of  Judah)  or  whether  fhe  was 
his  Wife,  or  an  Harlot  only,  is  not  exprefs'd  in  her  Story.    St. 

Chryfofiom 
\ 


202  "The  Hifiory  of  the  BIB  l^  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  lay  in  the  Tribe  of  Judah^  he  was  fo  infatuated  to  her, 
^Ant'^iA.  *^^^  ^^  "^^  ^^^  Regard  to  his  own  Safety.  The  Princes  of 
144,3,  ^^.""the  Phili/lines^  obferving  his  Paffion  for  this  Woman, 
Fromjudges  came  and  promis'd  her  fa  round  Sum  of  Money,  if  fhe 
of  Ruth.  ^  would  learn  of  him^  and  difcover  to  them,  what  might  be 
fthe  Caufe  of  this  his  wonderful  Strength,^  and  f  how  he 
might  be  depriv'd  of  it.  This  flie  undertook  to  do ;  and 
fail'd  not  to  employ  all  her  Art  and  Sollicitation,  to  get  the 
important  Secret  from  him.  For  fome  Time  he  amus'd 
her  with  Fictions,  and  made  her  believe,  that  his  Strength 
confifted  fometimes  in  one  Thing,  and  fometimes  in  an- 
other ;  firft,  that  binding  him  with  Bands  made  of  green 
Withs,  then,  that  tying  him  with  Ropes  that  had  never 

been 


Chryfojiom  and  others  are  of  Opinion,  that  he  was ' marry 'd  tp 
her ;  but  if  fo,  fome  Mention,  one  would  think,  there  fhould 
have  been  of  the  Marriage-Ceremonies  in  this,  as  well  as  in  his 
iformer  Wife's  Cafe :  Nor  can  we  think,  that  the  Philijiines  would 
have  been  fo  bold,  as  to  attempt  to  draw  her  into  their  Party, 
and  to  bribe  her  to  betray  him  into  their  Hands,  had  fhe  been 
his  lawful  Wife.  It  appears  indeed,  by  her  whole  Behaviour, 
that  ihe  was  a  mercenary  Woman,  who  would  do  any  Thing  to 
get  Money,  and  accordingly  Jofephus  (Antiq.  lib.  v.  c.  i .)  calls 
her  a  common  Proftitute  of  the  Philijiines.  Patrick's  Commen- 
tary, and  PooPs  Annotations. 

-|-  The  Princes  of  the  Philijiines,  from  their  five  chief  Cities, 
Accaron,  Afcalon,  Gaza,  A%oth,  RXid  Gath,  1  Sam.  vi.  17.  are 
fuppos'd  to  be  five  in  Number,  fo  that,  if  they  made  her  a  com- 
mon Purfe,  (as  we  fay)  of  five  Times  eleven  hundred  Pieces, 
or  five  thoufand  five  hundred  Shekels  of  filver,  it  would  amount 
to  about  three  hundred  and  forty  three  Pounds  fifteen  Shillings. 
Jionveir^  Hillory,  in  the  Notes. 

f  There  is  a  good  deal  of  ProbabiHly  in  Jofephus'?.  Manner 
of  telling  this  Story,  i'/z.  That  while  they  were  eating  and 
drinking  together,  and  he  was  carefiing  her,  fhe  fell  into  an 
Admiration  of  his  wonderful  Deeds ;  and,  having  highly  ex- 
tolled them,  defir'd  him  to  tell  her,  how  he  came  fo  much  to 
cxcell  all  other  Men  in  Strength.  For  we  cannot  fuppofe, 
that  Ihe  came  bluntly  upon  him  all  at  once,  and  defir'd  to  know, 
(as  it  is  in  the  Text)  ixjkcrcivith  he  might  be  bound  and  aj^ided. 
This  had  been  difcovering  her  wicked  Defign  againft  him  at 
once,  and  defeating  herfelf  of  an  Opportunity  of  betraying 
him  ;  and  therefore  we  mull  conclude,  that  the  Sacred  Hiftory 
in  this  Place  (as  it  frequently  does  elfewhere)  gives  us  only  the 
Sum  and  Subftance  of  what  Dalilah  faid  to  h.tr  Paramour,  with- 
out caking  notice  of  all  the  cunning  and  artful  Speeches,  where* 
with  Ihe  drefs'd  it  up.     Le  Ckns  Commentary. 


Chap.  II.    from  the  KrzditGS  enUring  Czn^^n,  ^c.       205 

been  us*d,  and  again,  f  weaving  his  Hair  into  Trejps,  and    A.  M. 
fo  flitting  them  up,  would  bereave  him  of  his  Strength :  Anl^'chriiK 
But  thefe  were  no  more  than  mock  Stories,  for,  upon  Trial,  1443,  &c. 
flie  found   that  all   this   fignify'd  nothing ;  and  therefore,. ^'■""^^J^'^ses 
betaking  herfelf  to  all  her  Arts  and  Wiles,  fhe  complain'd  ^f  r^j},. 
of  his  Falfenefs,    and  upbraided  him    with  his  Want  of « 
Love,  fmce  he  with-held  a  Thing  from  her,  which  fhe  was 
fo    impatient  to  know  ;    And  thus,  by  daily  teazing  and 
importuning  him,  fhe  prevail'd  with  him  at  length  to  tell 
her  the  Secret,  viz,  that,  in  the  Prefervation  of  his  Hair 
(for  he  was  a  Nazarite  from  his  Birth)   his  Strength  and 
Security  lay. 

There  was  fomething  in  his  Manner  of  telling  her  this, 
that  made  Dalilah  believe  fhe  had  now  got  the  true  Secret 
from  him  ;  and  therefore  fhe  fent  Word  thereof  to  fome  of 
the  Chief  of  the  Phili/linesy  who  came  and  paid  her  the 
Money  they  had  covenanted  to  give  her  :  And,  when  fhe 
had  cut  off  his  Hair,  as  he  lay  fleeping  in  her  Lap,  they 
fell  upon  him,  bound  him,  and  put  out  his  Eyes ;  and, 
having  carry'd  him  to  Gaza,  they  fhut  him  up  in  Prifon, 
and  made  him  f  grind  in  the  Mill,  like  a  Slave. 

Im 

•f-  We  have  follow'd  in  this  Paflage  (which  indeed  is  a  very 
obfcure  one)  the  Notion  of  the  learned  Spencer,  (da  Leg.  Mofis 
Rif,  lib.  iii.  c.  6.  DifTert.  i.)  concerning  the  Hair  of  the 
Nazarite  ;  but  a  learned  Commentator  is  of  another  Opinion, 
wx;.  that  S am/ofi' s  Hair,  being  very  long,  was  interwoven  with 
the  Threads  and  Warp  of  a  Web  of  Cloth.  And  to  this  Pur- 
pofe  he  fuppofes,  that  in  the  Room  where  he  fometimes  flept 
upon  a  Couch,  there  might  Hand  very  near  a  Loom,  wherewith 
Dalilah,  (as  the  Cuftom  then  was)  at  her  leifure  Hours,  might 
work  and  divert  herfelf,  and  that  now,  by  his  Permiffion  and 
Connivance,  fhe  might  take  the  Locks  of  Lis  Hair,  work  it 
into  the  Web,  and,  to  hinder  it  from  being  pulled  out,  fecure  it 
with  an  Iron  Pin  thruft  into  the  Beam,  but  that  Satnfon,  when  he 
awoke,  took  the  Loom  along  with  him  at  his  Hair.  And 
indeed,  without  fome  fuch  Suppolition  as  this,  we  cannot  very 
well  tell  what  to  make  of  his  going  away  with  the  Pin  of  the 
Beam,  and  nvith  the  Web,  Judg.  xvi.  14.  Le  Clercs  Com- 
mentary. 

f  Before  the  Invention  of  Wind  and  J^ater-Mills,  Men  made 
ufe  of  Hand-Mills,  wherewith  to  grind  their  Corn ;  and,  as 
this  was  a  very  laborious  Work,  we  find  Mafters  (efpecially  in  moft 
Comic  Authors)  threaten'd  their  Servants  with  it,  in  cafe  of  any 
Delinquency.  It  was  the  Work  indeed  of  MalefaRors,  as  well 
as  Slaves  ;  and  therefore  it  feems  very  probable,  that,  in  this 
Prifon,  where  Samffon  was  put,  there  was  a  publick  Mill,    as 

Socrates 


204  ^^^  //i/?^0'   of  the  BlBl.  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  In  Procefs  of  Time  however,  his  Hair  grew  again,  and 
Ant''chrltt,^'^^^  it  his  former  Strength  return'd  ;  So  that,  when  feveral 
1443,  6ff.  of  the  Princes  and  Nobility  of  the  Philijiines  were  met  in  a 
f"^^!"  ><is"  general  Aflembly,  to  return  Thanks  to  their  God  f  Dagon^ 
of  Ruth.  ^°''  li^ving  deliver'd  their  worft  and  foreft  Enemy  into  their 
v— v~— J  Hands  j  and  after  they  had  feafted  a  while,  and  were  now 
Uif  lip  Ex.  grown 

flcit,  and 


Death. 


Socrates  (Hifl.  Ecdef.  lib.  v.  c.  18.)  tells  us  there  were  feveral 
afterwards  in  Rome,  in  the  Time  of  fheodofius.  So  that  from 
this,  and  fome  other  Circumftances,  we  may  learn,  that  the 
Fhilifiues  '2v.T'p6(&  was,  not  to  ^ut  Sam/on  to  Death,  (even  as 
they  had  promised  Dalilah  they  would  not)  but  to  punifti  him  in 
a  Manner  (i;/s.  with  Elindnefs,  hard  Labour,  and  Infults)  much 
v.'orfe,  and  more  intolerable,  than  Death  itfelf.  Le  Qerc's 
Commentary 

-f-  The  Word  Dagon,  is  taken  from  the  Phrenician  Root  Dag, 
which  fignifies  a  Fifh  ;  and  accordingly  the  Idol  is  ufually  repre- 
fented  (as  the  Heathens  do  Tritons  and  Syrens)  in  the  Shape  of  a, 
Woman,  with  the  lower  Parts  of  a  ¥\^-^deJlnit  in  Pifcem  mulier 

formofa   fuperne. For     this   Reafon    learned   Men   have 

imagin'd,  that  Dagon  was  the  fame  with  Dcrceto,  which  the  Peo- 
ple of  Jjkelon  worfhip'd,    and  near  which   Place  there  was  a 
great  Pond   full  of  Fiih,    confecrated  to  this   Goddefs,    from 
•wiiich  the  Inhabitants  fuperftitioufly   abftaiin'd,   out  of  a  fond' 
Belief  that  Venus,  having  theretofore  caft  herfelf  into  this  Pond, 
was  tnetc.mcrphofeilinio  a  Filh,     The  learned  'Jurieu  is  of  another 
Opinion,  'viz.  That  Dagon,  whofe  Termination  is   Mafculine, 
both  in  facred  and  profane  Writings,  is  always  reprefented  as  a 
Male  Deity,  and  may  therefore  very  properly  be  thought  to  be 
the  Istptune  of  the  Ancients.     The   Phce^iicians  in    particular 
(from  whom  both  iheG/Yf/a  and  i?ow^»j  borrow'd  their  Gods)  liv- 
ing upon  the  Sea-Coaft,  and,  by  their  Navigation  and  Commerce, 
gaining  great  Advantages  from  that  Element,  can  hardly  be  fup- 
pos'd  to  want  a  Deity  to  prehde  over  it.     Saturn,  and  his  three 
Sons,  Jupiter,  Neptune,  and  Plato,  were  their  principal  Idols  : 
And,  as  Saturn  was  their  Moloch,  Jupiter  their  Baal,  and  Pluta 
X\ii\v  Baul-Zehub  ;  fo  have  we  Reafon  to  prefume,  iha.t  Neptune 
was  their  Dagon.     This  however,  will  not  hmder  us  from  fup- 
poiing,  that  there  might  be  two  Deities,  a  Male  and  a  Female, 
worlhipp'd  -in  the  fame  Country,  and  under  the  fame  Figure  or 
Form ;  and  that,  as  the  Pagan  Theology  gives  Jupiter  a   Juno^ 
to  be   his   Confort  in  Heaven ;  and  Pluto,  a  Proferpine  to  keep 
him  Company  in  Hell ;  fo  Neptune  had  his  Amphitrite  to  be  the 
Partner  of  his  liquid  Empire  in  the  Sea.     According  to  this 
Suppofition,    the  Dagon  of  Gaza  "or  AJhdod  mull  be  Neptuncy 
Snd  the  Dcrceto  of  Ajkelon,  a  few  Leagues  diftant,  Amphitrite, 
the  Daughter  of  Doris  and  Gceanus.     Nor  can  it  be  thought  in- 
congruous to  fuppofe  farther,  that  the  Univerfal  God  of  the  Sea 

might. 


Chap.  II.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      205 

grown  merry,  they  order'd  that  this  fame  Sdmfon  ftiould    A.  M. 
be  fent  for,  that  they  might  have  Pleafure  in  ridiculing  his  AnJ 'ciui«. 
Mifery,  and  making  Sport  with  his  Blindnefs,  and  accord-  1443?  ^<^- 
ingly    Samfon   was  brought.     A  large  Number  of  PeopIef'^°^^J^^ge« 
was  upon  this  Occafion  met  together;  and  the  Building,  of  Ruth, 
where  the  Feaft  was  celebrated,  had  only  two  large  Pillars ' 
to  fupport  the  Roof.     After  the  Philijiines  therefore  had  in- 
fulted  Samfon  as   long  as  they  thought  fit,  he  Jefir'd  the 
Boy,    that  led   him,  to  guide  him  to  one  of  thofe  Pillars, 
that  he  might  reft  himfelf  a  little  againft  it.     The  Boy  did 
fo  :  And  Samfon  by  this  Means  having  laid  hold  of  the  two 
main  Supporters,  the  one  with  his  right  Hand,  and  the  other 
with  his  Left,  after  a  fhort  Ejaculation  to  God  for   tlie 
Rejioration  of  his  former  Strength,  he  gave  them  fuch  a  ter- 
rible Shake,  that  down  came  the  Houfe,  and  crulh'd  no 
lefs  than  three  Thoufand  Perfons  to  Death  under  its  Ruins, 
and  Samfon  among  the  reft. 

-}•  Thus  died  this  Hero^  in  the  midft  of  his  Enemies, 
as  he  defir'd  ;  and  when  his  Relations  heard  of  his  Death, 
they  fent,  and  f  took  away  his  Body,  and  bury'd  it  ho- 
nourably in  the  Sepulchre  cf  his  Fathers. 

ne 

might,  in  one  Place,  be  reprefented  as  a  Male  (as  at  AJhdod]  ; 
and,  in  another  (as  at  JJkelon)  as.  a  Female,  to  fignify  the  Fecun- 
dity of  that  Element,  which  produces,  and  nouriflies  fo  many 
living  Creatures.  Le  Clcrc's  Commentary,  Calmet''s  Diftio- 
nary,  and  Jurieu,  Hiftoire  des  Dogmes  &  Cukes,  Par.  IV. 
Chap.  vi. 

■f-  It  is  made  a  Queftion  among  the  Cafuifis  and  Dlmnes, 
whether  Samfon  ought  to  have  died  in  this  Manner,  with  a  Spirit 
of  Revenge,  and  Self-murther  ?  St.  Aufiin  excufes  him  indeed, 
but  it  is  upon  the  Suppofition  that  he  was  ,  rg'd  thereunto  by  the 
inward  Motions  of  him.  who  is  the  great  Arbiter  of  our  Life 
and  Death ;  and  St.  Bernard  affirms,  that,  if  he  had  not  a  pecu- 
liar Infpiration  of  the  Holy  Ghoil  to  move  him  to  this,  he 
could  not,  without  Sin,  have  been  the  Author  of  his  own 
Death  ;  but  others  maintain,  that,  without  having  Recourfe  to 
t\i\$  fupernatural  Motive,  this  A<5tion  of  his  might  be  vindicated 
from  his  Office,  as  being  the  Judge  and  Defender  of  Ifael,  and 
that  he  might  therefore  devote  his  Life  to  the  Publick  Good  (as 
fome  Heathens  have  merited  the  Commendation  of  Pollerity  by 
fo  doing)  without  having  any  Thing  in  View,  but  the  Death  of 
his  Enemies,  and  the  Deliverance  of  his  own  People.  Calmet\ 
Dictionary,  and  Saurins  Dillert.  lur  divers  Exploits  de  Sam- 
fon. 

■f-  How  the  People  of  Ga^a  came  to  permit  Sa?;!fu??''s  Relations 
to  come  and  take  avvav  his  Bodv  is  not  lb  obvious  to  conceive. 

In 


2o6  The  Hiftory  of  the  BIBLE,    Book  V. 

2561',  ©V.      '        T^he    Objection. 

Ant.  Chrift. 

1443,  &c.  "   TUDGES,  according  to  the  Notion  that  one  would 

TtrtheEnd"  J  ^^^^  °^  ^^^^y  ^o"^^  ^e  Mert  of  great  Gravity  and 
of  Ruth.  "  Sedatenefs;  not  only  regular  and  religious  themfclves, 
but  zealous  promoters  of  Virtue,  and  fevere  Avengers  of 
*'  all  Wickednefs  and  Impiety;  w^ellfkill'd  in  theKnow- 
'*  ledge  of  the  Laws  of  God,  and  impartial  in  the  Admini- 
*'  ftration  of  Juftice :  But,  inftead  of  this,  what  do  we  meet 
**  with  in  this  Hiftory  of  their  Lives,  but  Cruelty  and  Per- 
*'  fidioufnefs,  a  profane  Negleft  of  the  Service  of  God,  £n- 
*'  couragement  given  to  Vice  by  their  own  Examples,  and 
*'  fuch  Romantic k  Accounts  of  fome  of  their  Aftions  and 
"  Adventures,  as  no  human  Faith  can  fwallow  ? 

"  For  what  can  we  think  of  Ehud's  left-handed  doings^ 
*'  in  aflaffinating  Eglon,  King  of  the  Aloabttes,  under  the 
*'  wicked  Pretence  of  having  a  MeiTage  to  deliver  to  him 
**  from  God?  And  yet,  it  muft  be  own'd,  that  this  was 
*'  not  near  fo  bafe  as  JaePs  inviting  Slfera  (who  was  then 
*'  at  Peace  with  her  and  her  Hufband)  into  her  Tent,  and, 
*'  in  Circumftances  that  would  have  mov'd  another's  Com- 
**  paffion,  knocking  him  on  the  Head,  for  which  fhe  merit- 
*'  ed  to  have  her  Name  recorded  in  a  triumphant  Song. 

**  The  Faith  of  feveral  of  thefe  Worthies  is  highly 
"  commended  [e)  by  the  Author  of  the  Hebrews  ;  and  yet, 
*'  we  find  Barak  refufing  to  obey  the  divine  Summons, 
*'  unlefs  Deborah  Vfoxxld  promife  to  go  along  with  him ; 
*'  and  Gideon  requefting  Miracle  upon  Miracle  for  the  Con- 
*'  firmation  of  his  Faith,  tho'  he  had  Demonjl ration  e- 
"  nough  that  the  Meflenger  came  from  God. 

«  No 

In  all  Nations  there  was  formerly  fo  much  Humanity,  as  not  to 
prohibit  Enemies  from  interring  their  Dead,  nor  did  any  of  the 
Ifraelites  join  with  Sam/on  in  his  Enterprizes  ;  he  flood  alone  in 
what  he  did;  But  this  laft  Slaughter  which  he  had  made  among 
them,  might  have  provok'd  them,  one  would  think,  to  fome 
Afts  of  Ouirage  even  upon  his  dead  Body.  It  is  to  be  obrerv''d 
however,  that  inftead  of  any  AiScs  cf  Violence,  they  might 
perhaps  be  much  humbled  and  molLf/'d  by  this  late  Difaller? 
and  might  fear,  that  if  they  deny'd  hi;n  Burial,  the  God  of 
Ifrael,  who  had  given  him  fuch  extraordinary  Strength  in  his 
Life-Time,  wo.i)d  not  fail  to  take  Vengeance  of  them.  And 
therefore  dreading  his  very  Corps,  they  ^vere  defirous  to  get  quit 
of  it  (even  as  they  were  of  the  Ark  afterwards)  and  glad  that 
any  came  to  take  fach  a  formidable  Object  out  of  their  Sight, 
Patridis  and  he  Ck.'x's  Conunentaries. 
[e)  Heb,  xi. 


Chap.IL  from  the  KratWtes  entering  Ca.n^3.n,  ^c.         207 

'*  No  Man  had  certainly  experienc'd  more  fignal  Inter-    -A-  M. 
*'  pofitions  of  God's  GoodneTs  in  his  Favour,  than  this  Ge-  Ant'^cWit 
**  neral  had  done;  and  yet,  how  badly  did  he  requite  his  1443,  &c. 
*'  gracious  Protestor,  in  making  an  Ephod^  to  be  an  Inftru-  f'"omJutlge3 
**  ment  of  Idolatry,  and  a  Means,   in  After-Ages,  to  alie-Qf  Ruth. 
*'  nate  the  Hearts  of  the  People  ?  And  how  implacable  wasj 
**  his  Revenge,  in  crufhing  the  Princes  of  Succoth  under 
"  Thorns,   and  putting  the  Inhabitants  of  Penuel  all  to 
"  Death,  merely  for  denying  him  fome  Provifions,  which, 
**  after  all,  he  had  no  Right  to  demand  ? 

*'  But,  of  all  the  Men,  ih^X  judged  Ifrael^  commend  me 
*'  to  Samfon  (and  yet  he  is  recorded  among  the  Worthies  of 
*'  old)  for  a  compleat  Pattern  of  Lewdnefs  and  Immorality, 
**  brutal  Strength,  and  brutal  Paflions.  It  was  a  Feat,  one 
*'  would  think,  great  enough  (tho'  Jofephus  makes  no 
*'  mention  of  it)  for  Shamgar  to  kill  fix  hundred  of  his  Foes 
*'  with  an  Ox-Goad  only  ;  but  what  is  this  to  the  Heaps 
*'  upon  Heaps ^  which  Samfon  flew  with  the  Jaw-Bone  of 
*'  an  Afs;  and  to  the  Waters  which  gufh'd  out  at  the  Soc- 
**  ket  of  one  of  the  Teeth  of  the  fame  Jaw-Bone  fo  very 
''  opportunely  to  allay  his  Thirft  ?  A  ferviceable  Weapon 
**  this,  both  to  deftroy  his  Enemies,  and  refrefh  himfelf  ! 

**  It  may  favour  of  Spite  and  Malice  perhaps,  for  him  to 
*'  fet  the  Country  in  a  Blaze,  and  burn  down  all  the  poor 
**  People's  Corn,  merely  becaufe  his  Wife,  whom  he  left 
•'  firft,  had  play 'd  the  Jilt,  and  betaken  herfclf  to  another 
'*  Man  ;  but  it  would  really  raife  one's  Wonder,  to  think, 
"  where  he  could  poffibly  get  fuch  Multitudes  of  Foxes,  as 
*'  would  do  the  Work :  And  tho'  we  fhould  allow,  that, 
•'  after  his  Hair  was  grown  again,  he  might  have  Strength 
*'  enough  to  pull  down  the  Houfe,  where  the  Philifiines 
**  were  feafting ;  yet  it  fecms'  hardly  confident  with  the 
"  Rules  of  ArchiteSfure,  that  a  Fabrick,  able  to  cont2.in 
"  three  thoufand  People,  ftould  have  its  whole  Weight 
•'  fupported  by  two  Pillars  only.  ' 

*'  The  Truth  is,  Samfon  %  Character  at  beft  is  but  a 
**  rough  and  uncouth  one;  and  fome  Things  arc  faid  of, 
'*  his^  Exploits,  that  feem  to  exceed  the  Bounds  of  Probabi- 
"  lity.  But,  the  Wonder  of  all  is,  how  he  comes  to  bg 
"  called  a  Judge  of  Jfrael,  who,  in  all  Appearance,  was 
'*  good  for  nothing  elfe,  but  to  kill  the  Men,  and  lie  with 
"  the  Women  :  And,  as  eafily  may  we  conceive,  in  what 
*'  Scnfe  (f)  Wine  may  cheer  God^  as  how  the  Spirit  of  tht 
'*  Lord  might  come  upon  hifn,  whofe  Actions  were  fo  dia- 

'*  metrically 


2o8  rhe  Hiflory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    <e  tnetrically  oppofite  to  every  Motion  ot  that  blefied  /«- 

Ant.  ChrUt.        ^^^^^' , 

1443,  feff.  "  It  may  well  exercife  our  Wonder  again,  why  none 
fTthe  End"  o^<^^^^^  Judges  (whofe  Office  it  was  to  reform  all  Abufes) 
of  Ruth,  "  fet  about  the  Extirpation  of  Idolatry.  The  Princes  of 
Ifrael  were  certainly  in  the  Right  (tho*  Jojhua  in  ail  his 
*'  Wars  never  did  it)  in  having  Recourfe  to  the  Oracle  of 
*'  God  ;  and  yet  the  Infiruments  and  Offices  of  Religion 
**  feem  to  be  ftrangely  blended,  when  the  Levite  in  Micah's 
*'  Houfe  pretended  to  anfwer  the  Donites  every  whit  as 
**  well  by  a  Teraphtniy  which  was  no  more  than  a  Pagan 
"  Idol.  And  tho'  the  other  Levite,  mention'd  in  this  Hi- 
*'  ftory,  might  not  have  fufficient  Reafon  for  cutting  his 
'*  dead  Wife  into  Pieces,  and  fending  them  about  to  every 
'*  Tribe  ;  yet  certainly  the  Ifraelites  a£led  a  jufl  Part,  in 
*'  efpoufmg  the  Quarrel:  And  therefore  we  cannot  con- 
*'  ceive,  why  God  fhould  fuffer  the  Benjamites,  thefe  bold 
*'  Contemners  of  all  Goodnefs,  to  be  twice  fuccefsful  a- 
*'  gainft  them.  And  when,  in  Procefs  of  Time,  the  other 
*'  Tribes  had  got  the  better  of  them,  'tis  ftill  another  Para- 
*'  dox,  how  their  Minds  came  to  be  fo  chang'd  towards 
**  them,  as  to  ftick  at  no  Means  (neither  Rapes  nor  Mur- 
"  thers)  to  recruit  their  Tribe,  and  effect  their  Reftaura- 
*'  tion. 

<<  Without  entering  therefore  into  the  odd  Story, 
**  which  is  told  of  Boot,  ^nd  Ruth,  and  by  what  a  (hamelefs 
**  Contrivance,  the  young  Widow  drew  in  the  old  Man  to 
**  marry  her ;  we  may  adventure  to  fay,  that,  during  this 
*'  Period,  the  Ifraelites  gave  fmall  Proof  of  their  being  the 
*'  peculiar  People  of  God  ;  and  that  the  Rulers,  whom  he 
"  is  faid  to  have  raised  up,  were  the  very  reverfe  of  what 
"  they  fiiould  have  been,   (g)  a  Terror  to  good  Works,  ra- 
*'  ther  than  Evil,  and  Promoters  of  Wickednefs  and  Ido- 
*'  latry,  rather  than  Avengers,  to  execute  Wrath  upon  thofey 
**  that  were  guilty  of  them." 
AnJtoer'd,hy     JuDGES,   which,    in  Hebrew,    are  Shophetim,    were  a 
/hewing  ri^Kind  of  Magiftrates,  not  much  unlike  the  Jrchontes,  among 
2Ttbor'iuof  '^^   Jlthenians,   and   the  DiSfators,   among  the   Romans. 
/i-t/f  Judges. The  Carthaginians,    a   Colony  among  the  Tyrians,   had  a 
"Sort  of  Rulers,   whom  they  called  Suffetes,  or  Shopketim, 
much  of  the  fame  Extent  of  Power ;  and  Grotius,  in  the 
Beginning  of  his  Commentary  on  this  Book  of  Judges,  com- 
pares them  to  thofe  Chiefs,  that  were  in  GaiJ,  in  Germany ^ 
and  in  Britain,  before  the  Romans  introduc'd  another  Form 

of 
f^)  Rom.  xiii.  3,  4. 


Chap.  II.     from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  l^c.      209 

of  Government.     Their  Power  confifted  in  a  Medium  (as    A.  m, 
it  were)  between  that  of  a  King  and  an  ordinary  Magiftrate,^^jjJ'(.j^[^^ 
fuperior  to  the  latter,   but  not  fo  abfolute  as  the  former.  1443,  cyr. ' 
They  were  indeed  no  more  than  God's  Vicegerents^  and  e- f ■■°™  J"^ge« 
very  Attempt  to  raife  themfelves  to  regal  Dignity  was  look'd  Jf  r^^ 
upon  as  an  Ufu/pation  upon  his  Right,  who  alone  was  to       -  ^-  ,  f 
be  confider'd  as  the  Sovereign  of  the  Hebrews  ;  and  there- 
fore we  find  Gideon  refufmg  this  fupreme  Authority,  when 
it  was  ofFer'd  him  j  (h)  I  will  not  rule  overyou^  neither  Jh all 
my  Son  ruh  over  you  j  the  Lord  Jhall  ride  over  you. 

The  Honour  of  thefe  Judges  lafted  for  Life,  but  their 
Succejfion  was  not  always  continu'd  ;  for  there  were  fre- 
quent Interruptions  in  it,  and  the  People  liv'd  often  under 
the  Dominion  of  Strangers,  without  any  Government  oF 
their  own.  According  to  common  Cuftom,  they  were  ge- 
nerally appointed  by  God.  The  Gifts  which  he  invefled 
them  with,  and  the  Exploits  he  enabled  them  to  do,  were  a 
Call  fufficient  to  that  Office  :  But,  in  Cafes  of  extreme  Exi- 
gence, the  People  made  fometimes  Choice  of  fuch,  as  they 
thought  beft  qualify'd  to  refcue  them  out  of  their  Oppreffion, 
without  waiting  for  any  divine  Defignation. 

Their  Right  extended  fo  far,  as  to  arbitrate  in  all  M-^^'^dihetr 
fairs  of  War  and  Peace,  and  to  determine  all  Caufes;  but  f^'^^lfl" 
then  they  had  none  at  all  to  make  any  new  Laws,  or  lay  any 
new  Taxes  upon  the  People.  Their  Dominion  did  feldom 
Teach  over  all  the  Land;  but,  as  it  often  happen'd,  that  the 
Oppreflions,  which  occafion'd  a  Recourfe  to  their  Afliflance, 
were  felt  in  particular  Tribes,  or  Provinces  only  ;  fo  the 
Judges,  which  were  either  rais'd,  or  chofen  to  procure  a 
Deliverance  from  thefe  Grievances,  did  not  extend  their 
Command  over  all  the  Land  in  general,  but  over  that  Di- 
ftridt  only,  which  they  were  appomted  to  deliver. 

In  fhort,  thefe  Judges  were  by  their  Office  the  Protestors 
of  the  Laws,  the  Defenders  of  Religion,  and  the  Avengers 
of  all  Crimes,  efpecially  of  that  of  Idolatry ;  and  yet  it  muft 
be  own'd,  that  thefe  were  Men  of  the  like  Fajfions  and  In- 
firtnities  with  others,  and  that  the  great  Advantages,  which, 
under  God,  they  procur'd  for  the  Ijraelites,  did  not  exempt 
them  from  that  Frailty,  which  is  incident  to  all  human 
Things. 

The  facred  Story  indeed  tells  us,  that  (i)  the  L'-rd  rat- 
fed  up  fudges  y  which  delivered  the  Ifraelites  out  of  the  Hands 

of 
^^)  Judg.  viii,  23,  (zHbid.  ii.   1 6,  i8. 

.  Vol.  111.  6 


flio  <rhe  BJlory  of  the  BIB  h  E,    Book  V. 

f^  ©^f    °^  ^^^^^>  that  fpoil'd  them,  and  that  when  he  raifed  them  up^ 
Ant/chrift.'^^  ''^^^  ^^'^  ihem^   i.  e.  he  communicated  to  them  Gifts, 
»443>  &f'  both  natural  znd  fupernattirali  according  to  the  Exigencies 
fTtifrSS^^.  ^''  People,  and,  in  all  their  Encounters  with  their  Ene- 
cf  Ruth,      "^'es,  attended  them  with  a  peculiar  Providence :  But  as 
V— V-**'  well  may  we  infer,  that  every  General^  who  fights  the  King 
of  England'%  Battles  with  Succefs,  {hould  be  a  Man  of  fin- 
gular  Sandity,  as  that  thofe,  who  were  employ'd  under  God 
in  that  Capacity,  (hould  lead  Lives  anfwerable  to  their  high 
Charader.     The  Power  of  working  Miracles  is  not  always 
accompany 'd  with  an  holy  Life.     Many,  that  (hall  fay  un- 
to Chrift,  (k)  Have  not  we  prophefied  in  thy  Name^  and  in 
thy  Name  cajl  out  Devils^  and  in  thy  Name  done  many  won-- 
derful  Works,  by  Reafonof  the  Iniquity  of  their  Lives  (hall 
^nd  no  Acceptance  with  him :  What  wonder  is  it  then,  to 
behold  feme,  both  Kings  and  Conquerors,  even  while  they 
ride  in  Triumph  over  the  vanquifh'd  Foes,  tamely  led  cap- 
tive by  their  own  Paflions  ;  fo  that  while  we  cannot  but  ad- 
mire them  for  their  military  Exploits,  we  are  forc'd  to  blame 
and  cenfure  them  for  their  private  Condu6l  ? 

To  mention  one  for  all.  Samfon,  a  Perfon  born  for  the 
Caftigation  of  the  Phili/lines,  and  to  be  a  Pattern  of  Valour 
to  all  fucceeding  Heroes,  forgot  himfelf  in  the  Arms  of  a 
Dalilah,  and,  to  thePaflion  he  had  for  a  bafe  perfidiousWo- 
man,  facrific'd  thofe  Gifts,  which  God  had  beltow*d  on 
him  for  the  Deliverance  of  his  Church,  and  fo,  to  all  Ages, 
he  became  a  fad  Example  of  the  Corruption  and  Infirmities 
of  human  Nature.  The  like  perhaps,  in  other  Refpe£ls,  may 
be  faid  of  the  reft  of  the  Judges:  But  then  we  are  to  remem- 
ber, that  they  were  Perfons  under  a  particular  O Economy  of 
Providence  \  that  their  Condudl  therefore  is  no  Direction  to 
us,  tho'  their  Paflions  the  Almighty  might  make  ufe  of  (and 
therefore  tolerate)  for  the  Accomplifhment  of  his  wife  Ends : 
Hoivbeit  they  meaned  not  fo,  neither  did  their  Hearts  think 
fo,  (I)  as  the  Prophet  exprefles  himfelf  upon  the  like  Oc- 
cafion. 
"S^i-aA'sMur.  Whether  It  be  lawful,  according  to  the  Right  of  Na- 
Y*fre/Eglon  tm-e  and  Nations,  for  Subje£ls  to  refcue  themfelves  from  Ty- 
ramiy  by  taking  away  the  Life  of  the  Tyrant^  and  to  reco- 
ver their  Country,  which  has  been  unjuftly  taken  from 
them,  by  deftroying  the  Ufurper,  is  a  Queftion,  that  has 
been  much  debated,  and  what,  at  prefent,  we  need  not  enr 

ter 

(^;  Matth.  vi:.  22.         (l]lh.  X,  7.         (7n)  De  Jure  Belli 
L  Ptci;,  hb.  i.  c.  4,  §.19. 


Chap.U.  from  f /he IfraclltGS  enienng  Canazn,  ^c.         211 

ter  into,  for  the  Vindication  of  Ehud's  Fat^-.     It  is  the  Ob-    A.  M. 
fervation  of  the  learned  (rn)  Gratius,  that  the  Authority  of  ^^jjj''^]^j[^  • 
the  King  of  Moab  was  never  legitimiz'd  by  any  Conven- 1443,  f^fc 
tion  of  the  Iffaelites,  and,  confequently,  that  they  weref'°'",J'^*ls« 
at  Liberty  to  fhake  ofF  his  Yoke,  whenever  they  found  aofRuth. 
convenient  Opportunity.     The  only  Difficulty  is,  (n)vih.e-^ 
ther  a  private  Man  might  make  himfelf  an  Inftrument  in 
efFeding  this,  in  the  Manner  that  Ekucl  did  ?    But  to  this 
it  is  reply'd,  that  Ehud  was  no  private  Man,  but  afted  by 
a  Warrant  and  Authority  from  God  :  And,  to   this  Pur- 
pofe,  the  Hiftory  acquaints  us,  that  (0)  when  Ehud  had 
made  an   End  of  offering  the  Prefent^  which  the  Ifraeiites 
fent  to  Eglon,  he  was  upon  his  Return  home,  and  had  gone 
as  far  as  the  ^arriesy  which  were  by  Gilgal.     The  Word 
Pefily  which  is  here  render 'd   parries ^  molt  commonly 
fignifies  (as  indeed  it  is  in  the  Marginal  Note,  as  well  as  the 
Septuagint  and  Vulgate)  graven  Images,  which  it  is  not  im- 
probable the  Moabites  had  fet  up  in  this  Place,  rather  than 
any  other,  in  pure  Contempt  of  the  God  of  Ifrael,  who  had 
for  fo  long  a  Time  made  Gilgal  famous  by  his  Prefence  in 
the  Tabernacle,  while  it  flood  there. 

These  Images  when  Ehud  beheld,  his  (p)  Spirit  was 
flirred  withajuft  Indignation  within  him  j  and  therefore, 
proceeding  no  farther  in  his  Journey  Home,  he  difmifs'd  his 
Attendants,  and  went  himfelf  back  with  a  Refolution  to 
revenge  this  Affront  to  God,  as  well  as  the  OpprefTion  of 
his  People. 

That  (his  his  Return  was  dire£led  by  a  divine  Impulfe 
and  Inftigation,  is  evident,  I  think,  from  the  Hazard  of 
the  Enterprizc  he  was  going  upon,  and  the  many  favoura- 
ble Occafions  that  accompany'd  the  Execution  of  it.  For, 
how  could  any  Man  in  his  Senfes  think  that  a  finglc  Perfon, 
as  he  was,  fliould  ever  be  able  to  compafs  the  Death  of  a 
King,  amidft  the  Circle  of  his  Guards  and  Attendants  ? 
How  could  he  expert  that  an  Enemy,  as  he  was,  (hould  be 
admitted  to  a  private  Audience  ?  or  that,  if  he  fhould  prove 
fo  lucky,  the  King  ihould  be  fo  far  infatuated,  as  to  order 
all  the  Company  to  quit  the  Room  ?  The  killing  the  King 
mufl  have  been  a  great  Difficulty  under  thefe  Circumflanccs; 
but  then,  his  making  his  Efcape  had  all  the  Signs  of  an  Jm- 
poflibility  in  it :  And  yet,  without  his  efcaping,  the  Defign 
<tf  delivering  his  Country  muft  have  been  abortive.     Upon 

.  O  2  the 

in)  Saurm\  Diflert.  fur  Hcglcn  tue  par  Ehud.         (o)  Jueg. 
iii.    1 1,  ^r.  {p)  Patrick'' i,  Commentar/. 


iii2  The  Hipry  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.    tije  whole  therefore  it  appears,  that  nothing,  but  a  divine 

i!uit!'chrift.  ■^'^^'"'^'  could  have  given  him  Courage  to   fet  about  the 

1443,  &c.  Thing  ;  and  therefore  it  was  not  all  Fallacy,  when  he  told 

^^^"^h^^  Eglon^  that  he  had  a  Meffage  from  God  unto  him,  becaufe 

of  Ruth.      Gcd  had  fent,  and  commiifion'd  him  to  kill  him  :  So  that, 

Uig'«^"»^what  he  did  in  this  Cafe,  he  did  not  of  himfelf,  or  from 

his  own  mere  Motion,  but  by  Virtue  of  an  Orlli^r,  which 

he  had  recciv'd  from  God,  who  had  dcftinated  this  Oppref- 

fcr  of  his  People  to  this  untimely  Kind  of  Death. 

This  feems  to  be  the  only  Way,  whereby  we  can  apo- 
logize for  Ehud^  in  a  Fa6l,  which  by  no  Means  is  to  be 
made  a  Precedent,  and,  without  a  divine  Warrant,  is  in 
ho  Cafe  to  bejuftify'd.  But,  as  for  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
wherein  this  A<Stion  is  related  Jimply,  and  without  either 
Diflike  or  Approbation,  why  fhould  they  fufFer  in  our  E- 
fteem  upon  that  Account,  any  more  than  Livy,  Thucydidesy 
or  any  01  her  Heathen  Author,  for  recording  the  various 
Tranfactions  (and  fome  of  them  full  as  bafe  and  barbarous 
as  this)  that  happen'd  in  the  Ages  whereof  they  treat  ? 

It  is  a  Miftake  to  think,  that  every  Perfon,  whom  the 
Scripture  mentions,  nay,  whom  the  Scripture  commends  in 
fome  Refpedts,  fhould,  in  all  others,  be  faultlefs  and  un- 
blameablc  j  and  it  would  be  a  much  greater  Imputation  up- 
on the  Truth  and  Authority  of  thefe  facred  Records,  if  the 
People  of  God  were  all  made  Saints^   and  no  black  Adlions 
recorded  of  them ;  llncc  it  is  the  receiv'd  Chara£ler  of  a  good 
Hiftorian,  thaty  as  he  Jhould  not  dare  to   relate  any  Ihing 
that  is  falfe,  fo  neither  fhould  he  conceal  any  T/^ng  that  is 
true. 
Jiid]ieVt       There  is  fomething  peculiar  in  relation  to  theFaft  of 
^w'^'X  y^'^^  ^"^  *^^'  *®  ^^^  Words  of  the  Prophetefs,  in  her  TrI- 
aer'd.  umphant  Song:   (q)  Blejfed  above   Women  Jhall  ]ze]^  the 

Wife  of  Heber,  the  Kenite,  he  \  hlejjed  {hall  Jhe  be  above 
Wo7nen  ift  the  Tent ;  which  fome  look  upon  as  a  Commen- 
dation of  Jaely  and  confequently,  an  Approbation  of  the 
Murther  of  Sifera :  (r)  But  Deborah  herein  might  only 
prophefy,  how,  and  in  what  Manner,  the  Ifraelites  would  be 
affected  towards  that  Woman,  by  whofe  Means  (tho'  not 
in  the  moft  commendable  Way)  they  had  been  deliver'd  from 
a  very  dangerous  Enemy. 

'Tis  natural  for  us,  when  at  any  Time  we  are  refcu'd 
from  an  Adverfary,  by  whom  we  have  fufFer'd  much,  and 
bave  Reafon  to  dread  more  j  'tis  natural  I  fay,  for  us  to 

wifh 

(s)  ]^^Z'  ^'  H'  (^')  ^f  Clerct  Commentary. 


Chap.  II.     from  the  Urndites  en fering  Canaan,  ^c,      213 

wifh  well  to  the  Perfon,  by  whofe  Means  he  was  taken  off;    ^'  ^ 
nor  are  we  apt  to  confider  the  Aftion  according  to  the  Mea- Ant''chrift. 
fure  of  ftri<ft  Virtue,  by  reafon  of  the  Benefit,  which  ac- 1443,  &e- 
crues  to  us  thereby.     Deborah  might  therefore  mean  no.^'^°""J"'!f" 
more,  than  what  were  the  common  JNotions  of  Mankmd  of  Ruth. 
in  a  Cafe  of  this  Nature.     But,    even  t  admitting   her^ 
Words  to  be  a  Commendation  of  the  Faft,  we  might,  very 
likely,  perceive  feveral  Reafons   for  jr,  if  we  had  but  a 
Knowledge  of  fome  Circumflances,  which  we  may  reafona- 
bly  fuppofe,  tho'  the  Scripture  has  not  related  them  to  us. 

It  is  certain,  that  the  Kenites^  defcended  from  Hohah^ 
the  Son  oijethro^  Father-in-law  to  Mofes,  were  (s)  atfirft 
■invited  to  go  with  the  Ifraelltes  into  the  Land  of  Canaan^ 
and  were  all  along  kindly  treated  by  them.  They  indeed 
had  no  Share  in  the  Divifion  of  the  Land,  nor  were  they 

P  3  permitted 

•\  One  of  our  Annotators  has  another  Way  of  accounting 
for  the  Commendation,  which  is  given  to  Jael  in  DeboraF^ 
Song,  and  that  is  by  giving  up  the  Divine  Infpiration  of  it. 
*'  It  is  not  to  bedeny'd,  fays  he,  but  that  there  arc  fome  Words, 
"  Paffage^,  and  Difcourfes  recorded  in  Scripture,  which  are 
**  not  divinely  infpir'd,  becaufe  fome  of  them  were  utter'd  by 
"  the  De^iJ,  and  others  by  the  holy  Men  of  God,  but  miftakcn : 
"  Such  is  the  Difcourfe  of  Nat  ha?!  to  David  {z  SsLia.  vii.  3.) 
"  which  God  prefently  contradidled  Ver.  4,  5,  &c.)  and  feve- 
•"  ral  Difcourfes  in  Jab,  which  God  himfelf  declares  to  be  un- 
.*'  found  J  j£  ha've  not  fpohen  of  mc  the  Thing  that  is  right,  as  my 
"  Ser'vant  Job  hath.  Job.  xlii.  7.  This  being  fo,  continues  he, 
"  the  worft,  that  any  malicious  Man  can  infer  from  this  Place, 

"  is,  — That  this  Song,  tho'  indited  by  a  good  Man,  or 

"  Woman,  was  not  divinely  infpir'd,  but  only  compofed  by  a 
"  Perfon  pioufly  minded,  and  tranfported  with  Joy,  for  the 
*'  Dehverance  of  God's  People,  but  fubjeft  to  Miftake  ;  who 
"  therefore,  out  of  Zeal  to  commend  the  happy  Inftrument  of 
"  fo  great  a  Deliverance,  might  eafily  overlook  the  IndireSineft 
"  of  the  Means,  by  which  it  was  accomplifh'd,  and  <:ommen3- 
"  ed  that,  which  fhould  have  been  diflik'd.  If  it  be  urg'd  that 
"  the  Song  was  compos'd  by  Deborah,  a  Prophetefs,  and  muft 
•'  confequently  be  divinely  infpir'd,  the  Anfwer  is,  ift.  That 
"  it  is  not  certain  what  Kind  of  Prophetefs  Deborah  was,  whe- 
*'  ther  extraordinary,  and  infallible,  or  ordinary,  and  fo  liable  to 
?*  Miftake.  But,  zdly,  that  every  Expreflion,  even  of  a  true 
*'  and  extraordinary  Prophet,  was  not  divinely  infpir'd,  as  it, 
"  evident  from  Nathati's  Miijtake  above-mentioned,  and  from 
"  Samuel's  Error  concerning  Eliab,  whom  (for  his  outward 
"  Stature  and  Comelinefs)  he  took  to  be  the  Lord's  Anointed." 
I  Sam.  xvi.  6.  PooFs  Annotations. 
(s)  Numb,  X.  29. 


214  "Ths  Bifiory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

s<;fi'  ^  permitted  to  dwell  in  their  Cities ;  yet  they  had  the  free  Ufc 
Ant. 'chrift!  of  their  Country,  and  were  allow'd  to  pitch  their  Tents  (as 
1443)  &'•  their  Manner  of  Life  was)  wherever  they  thought  fit  for  the 
f'^^^^^'^j^" Convenience  of  the-ir  Cattle,  tho'  generally  they  chofe  to 
of  Ruth,  continue  in  the  Tribe  of  Judah.  By  this  Means  a  ftri6t 
'Friendfhip  inteifer'd,  and  a  firm  Alliance  was  always  fub- 
fifthig  between  the  Ifr^i^lites  and  thefe  People  ;  whereas, 
between  the  Kenites  and  Jabin,  there  was  no  more  than  a 
bare  Ceflation  of  Hoftiiities ;  and  tho'  Heber  and  they  con^ 
tinu'd  Km/r.  /  in  this  War,  yet  it  was  not  without  wifliing 
v^eil  to  their  ancient  Friends,  -  the  Ifraelites,  among  whom 
they  liv'd.  '   - "  •  •       ' 

•  Now  it  is  a-receiv'd  Maxim  among  all  Civilians,  that 
where  two  Compads  ftand  in  Competition,  and  cannot  be 
both  obferv'd,  the  J^ror.gcr  fnould  always  have  the  Prefe- 
rence. An  Agreement,  for  Inftancc,  fays  Puffendorf  (t)y 
that  is  made  with  an  Oath,  fhould  always  fuperfcde  that 
which  is  made  without  one,  'Tis  but  fuppofing  then,  that 
the  tv/o  depending  Treaties  were  of  thefe  different  Kinds, 
and  this  will  be  a  Circumftance  in  Favour  of  'Jael;  but  then, 
if  we  may  fuppofe  farther,  that  yabin  was  a  grievous  Ty- 
rant, and  Si/era  the  chief  Inftrument  of  bis  Tyranny ;  this 
(u)  (according  to  the  Opinion  of  fome)  will  fupply  us  with 
a  full  Apology  for  what  flie  did.  "  For  there  are  certain 
*'  Monfters  in  Nature,  ffjy  ihey,  in  whofe  Defl:ru(9ion  all 
•'  Civil  <Sij«V(y  is  concerned.  To  do  any  Thing  to  preferve 
"  them,  nay,  to  flip  a  proper  Opportunity  of  ridding  the 
*«  World  of  them,  -(whatever  Terms  we  happen  to  be  un- 
*'  der  with  them)  is  to  be  falfe  to  what  we  owe  to  the  whole 
*'  Cemmuniiy,  under  the  Pretence  of  Fidelity  to  a  bafe  Jlly. 
*'  When  Matters  are  come  to  fuch  an  Extremity,  (hat  we 
"  muft  fight  with  Men,  as  we  do  with  wild  Beafts,  Fal- 
*'  lacy  of  anyKind  (which  at  other  Times  is  juftly  detefted) 
"  may,  in  fome  Meafure,  be  then  excus'd  j  nor  have  they, 
"  who,  in  their  Dealings  with  others,  are  regard lefs  of  all 
"  Laws,  both  human  and  divine,  any  Reafon  to  complain, 
"  if,  upon  fome  Occafions,  they  meet  with  a  Retalia- 
«  tion." 

yy^ELy  when  {he  took  the  Hammer  and  Nail  in  her 
Hand,  might  have  this  perhaps,  and  much  more  to  fay  in 
her, own  Vindication  :  But  what  abfolves  her  moft  efl^e6tual- 
\y  with  us,  is,  the  Declaration,  which  God  had  made  in 

Favour 

[t)  De  Jure  Nat.  &  Gent.  lib.  iv.  c.  z.  (u)  Vid.   Le 

CUrcs  Coir-mentaiy,  and  Saurins  DiiTert.  lur  la  Defaite  de  Jahin. 


Chap.  II.    from  the  K^ztWtts  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     215 

Favour  of  the  Ifraelitesy  by  the  wonderful  Defeat  of  7^^'"*^  ^,fl  ^e 
Army,  and  the  Direftion  and  Impulfe,  wherewith  he  exci-Ant.  Chrift. 
ted  her  to  difpatch  his  vanquifh'd  General,     (x)  Had  fhe'443>  &<:. 
been  left  to  herfelf,  fhe  would  have  been  contented  (one^'"^"^^"^^^" 
would  think)  to  have  let  him  laid  ftill,  until  Baraky  who  of  Ruth. 
was  in  Purfuit  of  him,  had  ccme  up,  and  furpriz'd  him.  To  <— "-v"**^ 
fall  upon  him  herfelf  was  an  Enterprize  exceeding  bold  and 
hazardous,  and  above  the  Courage  of  her  Sex ;  and  there-^ 
fore  we  may  conclude,  that  if  it  was  God,  who  infpir'd  hei: 
with  this  extraordinary  Refolution,  fhe  was  not  to  be  blam'd 
(notwithftanding  the  Peace  between  Jabln  and  her  Family) 
for  being  obedient  to  the  heavenly  Impulfe  j  becaufe  all  Obli- 
gations to  Man  muft  neceflarily  ceafe,  when  brought  in 
Competition  with  our  higher  Obligations  towards  God. 

Whoever  looks  into  the  Catalogue  of  the  Worthies,  ijaraij;.jFa;/i 
whom  the  Author  of  the  Hebrews  enumerates,  will  foon  per-  dtar'd. 
ceive,  that,  as  he  is  far  from  being  exaft  in  the  Order, 
wherein  he  places  them ;  fo,  by  the  Faithy  for  which  he 
commends  them,  he  means  no  more,  than  a  Belief  of  what 
God  told  them,  and  ready  Obedience  to  his  Commands, 
whenever  they  were  fignify'd  to  them  by  a  proper  Authori- 
ty. Deborah  was,  at  this  Time,  a  very  remarkable  Wo^ 
man,  famous  for  the  Adminiftration  of  Juftice,  and  Deter- 
mination of  Controverfies  among  the  People ;  but,  notwith- 
ftanding  thisj  it  would  have  been  Rafhnefs  in  Barak,  to 
have  gone  upon  fo  hazardous  an  Undertaking  without  any 
farther  AfTurance  than  this.  He  did  not  abfolutely  refufe  to 
go,  nay,  he  ofFer'd  to  go  upon  the  firft  Notice,  and  for  this  his 
Faith  is  commended  in  Scripture  j  but  then  he  was  minded 
to  have  fome  farther  Conviftion,  that  this  Notice  was  from 
God,  and  of  this  he  could  not  have  a  better  Proof,  than  if 
the  Prophetefs  herfelf  would  go,  and  fhare  with  him  the  Fate 
of  the  Battle. 

Th  e  Enemy  was  as  formidable  an  one,  as  ever  the  Ifra- 
elites  had  to  encounter.  Nine  hundred  Chariots  of  Irony 
when,  ( y)  in  Times  of  greater  military  Preparation,  Ml- 
thridates  had  but  one  hundred,  and  Darius  no  more  than 
two  hundred  in  their  Armies,  was  enough  to  injeft  Terror 
into  any  Qommandery  whofe  Forces  confifted  all  of  Foot, 
and  had  no  proper  Defence  againft  thefe  deftruftive  Engines. 
Good  Reafon  had  he  therefore  to  apprehend,  that  the  People 
would  not  fo  readily  have  inlifted  themfelves  into  the  pub- 

O  4  lick 

(x)  Scripture  Vindicated,  Part  III.  (y)  Le  Chn'i  Com- 

mentary. 


2 1 6  fhe  Bifiory  o/  ^;&g  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V". 

as^i',  Sf.  ^^^^  Service,  had  there  not  been  a  Perfon  of  her  Charafter 
Atrt.  Chrift.  to  appear  at  the  Head  of  it.  She  was  a  Prcphetefs.,  and  had 
*443)  6^<^-  receiv'd  frequent  Revelations  from  Godj  and  therefore, 
i.'tTihe  End  '^^^"  *^^  People  faw  her  perfonally  engag'd  in  it,  they 
of  Ruth,  would  be  the  apter  to  be  perfuaded,  that  the  Expedition 
'was  by  God's  Appointment,  and  therefore,  without  all 
Peradventure,  would  be  attended  with  Succefs.  And  as 
DehoraVs  joining  with  Barak  in  the  Expedition  might 
be  thought  a  good  Expedient  to  raife  a  fufficient  Num- 
ber of  forces;  fo  might  it  equally  be  thought  a  Means 
effe<Stual,  both  to  prevent  their  Defertion,  and  to  ani- 
mate them  to  the  Fight :  And  accordingly  ('z)  Jofe- 
fhus  tells  us,  "  That,  when  the  two  Armies  lay  en- 
camp'd,  one  within  the  Sight  of  the  other,  ihtlfrae- 
lites  were  ftrucjc  wifti  fuch  a  Terror  at  the  infinite  Odds 
of  the  Enemy  in  Numbers,  that  both  General  znd  Sol- 
diers were  once  upon  the  very  Point  of  fhifting  foe 
themfelves,  without  fo  much  as  ftriking  a  Blow  ;  but 
upon  Deborah's  Aflurance,  that  it  was  the  Caufe  of  God, 
and  that  he  himfclf  would  affift,  and  bring  them  off, 
they  were  prevail'd  upon  to  ftand  the  Shock  of  the  Bat- 
tle." 

But  there  is  one  Advantage  more,  which  Barak  might 
more  efpecially  promife  to  himfclf  in  having  Deborah's  Com- 
pany in  this  Expedition,  and  that  is,  thaf  he  might  not 
want  an  Oracle  to  refort  to  upon  anv  Emergency,  that 
might  happen;  becaufe  he  was  perfuaded,  that  God,  who, 
by  her  Means^  had  put  his  People  upon  this  Enterprize, 
v/ould  not  fail,  by  her  Mouthy  to  dire£l  him  in  the  Ma- 
nagement of  it.  And,  accordingly,  in  the  grand  Point  of 
all,  viz.  when  it  was  the  propereji  Time  to  engage  the  Ene- 
my^ we  find  the  Benefit,  which  he  receiv'd  from  her  Com- 
pany and  Converfation  :  {a)  Up^  fays  fhe  ;  for  this  is  the 
Day,  in  which  the  Lord  has  delivered  Sifera  into  thy  Hand. 
Is  not  the  Lord  gone  out  before  thee  ?  So  Barak  wtnt  down 
from  Mount  Tabor,  and  ten  Thoufand  Men  after  him^  and 
the  Lord  difcomf  ted  S'lkrzy  and  all  his  Chariots,  and  all  his 
Hoft,  with  the  Edge  of  the  Sword. 
Gideon's  The  Faith  of  thofe  Perfons,  whofe  Anions  are  recor- 

Fahbajfir-  jjed  jn  ii;,e  Qi^  Tefiament,  and  Fame  commemorated  in  the 
New,  confifted  (as  we  faid)  in  a  firm  Belief  of  God's  De- 
clarations, and  a  ready  Obedience  to  his  Commands ;  and 
how  can  we  account  Gideon  culpable  in  either  of  thefe  Re- 
ipedts  ?  When  the  Angel  of  the  Lord,    (or  a  Perfon  much 

fuperior, 

(z)  Antiq.  lib.  v.  c.  6  (a)  Judges  iv.   14. 


Chap.  II.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  t^c»      iiy 

fuperior,  as  fome  fuppofe)  appear'd  to  him,  and  brought    A.  M. 
him  the  News  of  God's  having  appointed  him  to  deliver  ^iJckiit. 
his  People  from  the  Oppreflion  of  the  Midian'ttes^  he  feemsi443,  &c» 
indeed  at  firft  to  be  willing  to  decline  the  Office,  as  con-f'°^"'^J^'^UJ. 
fcious  of  his  own  Incapacity ;    but  defires  withal  to  haveoV  Ruth. 
fome  Convidion  given  him,  (as  who,  upon  the  like  Occa-' 
fion,  would  not  have  defir'd  fome  ?)  that  the  Meflenger 
came  from  Heaven,  and  was  in  Reality  no  Impoftor  j    but 
when  once  he  was  fatisfy'd  in  this,  he  never  pretended  to 
difpute  the  divine  Command. 

He  knew  very  well,  that,  when  he  pulled  down  the 
Altar  and  Grove  of  Baal^  he  muft  neceflarily  incenfe  the 
whole  Country  againft  him,  and  run  the  Hazard  of  his  own 
Life;  and  yet,  to  do  it  more  effe£lually,  he  took  to  his 
Aid  ten  of  his  Father's  Servants,  and,  that  he  might  meet 
with  no  Moleftation,  did  it  in  the  Night.  He  knew  very 
well,  that  when  he  founded  a  Trumpet  in  order  to  form 
an  Infurredtion  in  the  Country,  and  to  raife  fome  Forces 
to  aflert  his  Nation's  Liberty,  the  Midianites  would  inter- 
pret this  as  an  open  Declaration  of  War,  and  come  againft 
him  with  an  Army,  as  numerous  as  the  Sand  on  the  Sea-Jhore 
for  Multitude  j  but  this  he  matter'd  not.  He  knew,  that 
two  and  thirty  Thoufand  Men,  when  he  had  rais'd  them, 
were  but  a  Handful,  In  Comparifon  of  the  Enemy  ;  and 
yet,  to  fee  two  and  twenty  thoufand  of  thefe  defert  him 
all  at  once^  and  of  the  ten  thoufand,  that  remain'd,  no 
more  left  at  laji  than  bare  three  hundred  ;  this  was  enough 
to  ftagger  any  one's  Mind,  that  had  not  a  firm  Reliance 
on  the  Word,  and  Promlfes  of  God.  He  knew,  that  three 
hundred  Men,  had  they  been  all  Giants .^  and  arm'd  Cap- 
a-pee  with  Coats  of  Mail,  would  not  be  able  to  do  any 
great  Execution  againft  fo  numerous  a  Foe  j  but  when  he 
found,  that,  inftead  of  being  arm'd,  he  was  to  attack  the 
Enemv  naked,  and  inftead  of  Swords  and  Spears,  (as  ufual) 
his  Soldiers  were  to  march  in  fuch  a  Plight,  as  was  never 
feen  before,  with  every  one  a  Light,  a  Pitcher,  and  a  Trum- 
pet in  his  Hand  ;  and,  when  they  came  up  with  their  Ene- 
my, were  to  break  their  Pitchers,  flourifti  their  Lights, 
found  their  Trumpets,  and,  inftead  of  regular  fighting, 
were  only  to  (hout  and  roar,  like  fo  many  Men  either  mad 
or  drunk  ;  who  but  a  Gideon,  that  had  his  Faith  confirm 'd 
by  fo  many  Vifions  and  Miracles  before,  would  have  o- 
bey'd,  and  put  in  Execution  fuch  Orders,  as  muft  hav^ 
been  thought  wild,  and  frantick,  and  abfurd,  had  they  pro- 
ceeded from  any  other  Mouth  but  God's  ? 

Wel^ 


2iS  rhe  Hiflory  of  tk  BIBL  E,      Book  V. 

f'  w        Well  therefore  might  he  be  allow'd  to  requeft  a  Repeti- 
^t!*Chr[ft.tion,  nay,  a  Multiplication  of  Miracles,  who  was  to  have 
^443,  &e.  the  Trial  of  his  Faith  and  Obedience  carry'd  to  fuch  an 
f'^^J^^^Extremity :    But  the  Truth  of  the  Matter  is,  that  it  was 
of  Ruth,      not  for  his  own  Sake,  that  he  made  this  Requeft.     He  had 
Wi"v^>J  been  fufficiently  convinc'd  by  the  Fire's  breaking  out  of 
the  Rock  at  the  Touch  of  the  Rod  in  the  Angel's  Hand, 
that  nothing  was  iwpofliblc  to  God,  and  that  the  MeanB, 
which  he  dire£ted  (how  incongruous  foever  they  might  ap- 
pear to  Men)  would  certainly  not  fail  of  their  Effect :  But 
it  was  for  the  Sake  of  his  Jllies,  that  had  juft  now  join'd 
him  in  this  Expedition*  that  he  fent  up  his  Petition  to  God, 
to  have  them  likewife  fatisfy'd  ;  and  therefore  wc  may  ob» 
ferve,  that  when  all  the  ^ota^s  were  come  up,  and  en- 
camp'd  together,  then  ('very  likely  in  the  Audience  of  the 
whole  Army)  he  requefted  of  God,  (b)  and  /aid,  if  thou 
wUtfave  Ifrael  by  my  Hand^  as  thou  hajl  faid^  behold  1  will 
put  a  Fleece  of  Wool  in  the  Floor,  &c.     It  was  for  their 
Sakes,  I  fay,  that  the  Miracles  were  wrought,  that  they, 
who  were  to  (hare  in  fo  hazardous  a  War,  and  to  dejlroy 
the  Army  of  the  Aliens  with  fo  fmall  a  Force,  nay,  with  no 
Force  at  all,  fhould  have  fome  Aflurance  given  them,  that 
the  God  of  Ifrael y  who  had  fo  often  promis'd  their  Fore- 
Fathers,  that,  if  they  would  continue  in  his  Favour,  (c)  one 
cf  them  Jhould  chafe  a  Thoufand,  and  two  of  them  put  ten 
Thoufand  to  Flighty  was  determin'd  to  aflift  them  in  this 
Enterprize. 
Kipunip,.       If  ever  this  Promife  was  literally  fulfilled,  it  was  in  this 
ifej t;S'.  Defeat,  which  Gideon  gave  the  Midianites :  But  the  Inha- 
cated,         bitants  of  Succoth  and  Penuel,  it  feems,  made  but  a  Jeft 
and  Ridicule  of  it,  for  which  they  receiv'd  a  condign  Pu- 
nifliment  j  but  of  what  Kind  their  Puniftiment  was.  Com- 
mentators are  not  fo  well  agreed,     {dj  The  Word  in  the 
Hebrew  fignifies  Threjhing,  and  thence  it  is  generally  in- 
ferr'd,  that  Gideon  caus'd  the  principal  Men  of  Succoth, 
who  had  deny'd  his  Soldiers  Provifion  in  their  Dlftrefs,  to 
be  ftripp'd  naked,  laid  flat  on  the  Ground,  f  and  a  good 
Quantity  of  Thorns  and  Briars  heaped  on  them  ;    that  fo, 
by  Cart- Wheels,    or  other  heavy   Carriages  paffing  over 

them, 

{b)  Judges  vi.  37.  (c)  Deut.  xxxii.   30,         (d}  PatrieJTs 

and  Le  Clerch  Commentaries. 

f  This  was  the  Manner  of  threlhing  their  Com  in. the  Eaficrn 
Countries. 


Chap.  II.  from  /i&^  Ifraelites  tf«/m»j' Canaan,  ^c,        sij 

them,  their  Flefh  might  be  pierc'd  and  torn,  and  themfelvcs    ^'  ^ 
tortui'd,  if  not  quite  crufh'd  to  Death,  ^  Ant.'VhrUt. 

This  was  a  Punifhment,  not  much  unlike  what  2)fli;;Vi443,  &c. 
inflided  on  the  Ammonites^  after  he  had  taken  their  Cityf'^^^^^S" 
Rahhah  ;  but  tlie  Ammonites^  in  my  Opinion,  did  not  fooV  Ruth, 
much  deferve  it,  as  thefe  :  For  thus  (lands  the  Cafe.  Gi- 
deon was  now  in  Purfuit  of  two  Kings,  who,  after  the  ge- 
neral Rout  of  their  Army,  were  making  their  Efcape  with 
a  Party  of  five  thoufand  Men.  Coming  to  two  Places  in 
the  Tribe  of  Gad^  who  were  Ifraelites  as  well  as  he,  and 
equally  concern'd  to  have  been  venturing  their  Lives  for 
the  publick  Liberty,  he  is  deny'd  a  fmall  Refrefhment  for 
his  Men  fatigu'd  all  the  Night  with  fighting  for  them,  and, 
without  fome  Recruit,  in  no  Condition  to  continue  thdr 
Purfuit ;  So  that,  as  far  as  in  them  lay,  inftead  of  afTifting 
their  gallant  Country -Men,  who  had  merited  every  Thing 
from  their  Hands,  thefe  Gadites  took  part  with  the  Enemy, 
and  did  what  they  could  to  facilitate  their  Efcape  by  denying 
/oma  Relief  to  their  weary  Purfuers.  By  the  Right  of  War 
Gideon  might  have  demanded  this  Help  from  any  Nation, 
but  much  more  from  a  People,  who  were  embark'd  in  the 
fame  Caufe,  and  whofe  Refufal  of  fo  fmall  a  Boon  had  the 
Aggravation  of  Perfidy  and  Ingratitude,  as  well  as  Hard- 
heartednefs,  to  inflame  its  Guilt. 

Nor  was  this  all.  His  Brethren,  the  Gadites,  not  only 
refus'd  him  this  common  Courtefy,  but  were  very  witty 
likewife,  in  making  their  Jefts  and  Sarcafms  upon  Gideon. 
They  upbraided  him  with  the  Smallnefs  of  his  Army,  and 
magnify'd  the  Strength  of  his  Enemies,  and  thereby,  not  '' 

only  did  all  they  could  to  difcourage  his  Men  in  their  Pur- 
fuit, but  endeavour'd  likewife  to  have  it  believ*d,  that  there 
was  no  Interpofition  of  God  in  gaining  this  Vidory,  and 
that  Gideon  would  never  be  able  to  accomplifh  it :  And 
fo,^  to  their  other  vile  Qualities,  they  added  Infult  and  Ir- 
religion;  a  Contempt  of  God,  and  a  Difparagement  of  the 
Man,  whom  the  Lord  had  made  fo  Jlrong  for  him f elf.  And 
therefore  it  is  not  at  all  to  be  wonder'd  at,  that  Gideon^ 
under  all  this  Exafperation,  fliould  chufe  to  bring  the  two  cap- 
tive Kings  (with  whom  they  had  upbraided  him)  in  Triumph 
to  thefe  two  Places,  and  then  refent  the  AfFront,  which 
was  done  to  God,  as  well  as  himfelf,  by  making  a  fevere 
Example  of  fome  of  the  chief  Offenders. 

It  is  fuggeflcd  indeed  by  fome,  that  Gideon  wzs  as  grezt  His  Ephod 
an  Offender  as  any  in  his  making  an  Ephod  for  the  Pur-  explain'd: 
pofe  of  Idolatry  ;   but  before  we  admit  of  fo  rafh  a  Cen- 

fure. 


J5^o  rhe  Hijlory  of  the  ^l^  I.  E,     Book  Y* 

2561  ©•<:.  ^"''^'  ^^  fliould  enquire  a  little  into  the  Nature  of  this 
Ant.  Thrift.  Ephod,  and  for  what  poflible  Purpofe  it  was  at  firfl:  made. 
1443,  &c.  (e)  An  Ephod^  we  know,  is  a  common  Veftment  be- 
|-ricEad'°"6'ng  to  Priefls  in  general  j  but  that  of  the  High-Prieft 
ifRuth.  was  of  very  great  Value.  This  Veftment  however  was 
'not  fo  peculiar  to  the  Priefts,  but  that  fometimes  we  find 
the  Laity  (  as  in  the  Cafe  of  David  bringing  Home  the 
Ark  of  God)  allovv'd  to  wear  it;  and  therefore fome  have 
,  imagin'd,  th^t  the  Ephody  which  Gideon  made,  was  only  a  rich 
and  co^ly  Rfhs  of  State,  which,  on  certain  Occafions,  he 
..might  wear  tp  denote  the  Station,  he  held  in  the  Jewijh  Re- 
publick.  BMt  if  his  Intent  was  only  to  diftinguifh  himfelf  from 
others  by  fuch  a  particular  Veftment,  how  this  could  giveOc- 
cafion  to  the  People's  falling  into  Idolatry,  or  any  "Way  become 
a  Snare  to  Gideon  and  his  Houfe,  we  cannot  conceive. 
Y,.  Others  therefore  fuppofe,  that  the  Word  Ephod  is  z 
ifhort  Expreflion  to  denote  the  High-Prieft's  Breaft-Plate,  to- 
gether with  the  Urim  and  Thummim  ;  and  hence,  by  an  eafy 
Figure,  ..they  -arc  led  to  think,  that  to  make  an  Ephod  is  to 
eftablifli  a  Prief^hood  ;  and  thereupon  conclude,  that  Gz- 
deon's  Crime,  m  ma  Icing  this  Ephod,  was  not  to  eftablifh 
Idolatry,  but  pi)ly  to  inftitute  another  Priefthood,  befides 
that,  which.  God  had  appointed  in  Aaron  and  his  Pofterity ; 
And,  to  this  Purpofe,  they  fuppofe,  that  he  erefted  a  pri- 
,vatc  Tabernacle,  an  Altar,  a  Mercy*  Seat,  with  Cheru- 
bims,  i^c.  that,  being  now  made  the  fupreme  Governor, 
he  might  confult  God  at  his  own  Houfe,  in  fuch  difficult 
Points,  as  occurr'd  in  his  Adminiftration. 

But,  befides  that  it  is  not  eafy  tp  imagine,  that  a  Man, 
familiar  with  God,  and  chofen  by  him,  as  Gideon  was, 
ihould,  after  fo  fignal  a  Vidtory  as  he  had  obtain'd,  imme- 
diately apojiatlze,  as  he  muft  have  done,  had  he  fet  up  an 
Oracle  in  his  own  Houfe  ,  there  feems  to  have  been  no 
Manner  of  Ncceffity  for  it,  becaufe  Shiloh  (where  the  Ta- 
bernacle flood)  was  in  the  Tribe  of  .£^/>/?>?-<7/7n,  which  ad - 
join'd  to  that  of  Manajfeh,  whereunto  Gideon  belong'd. 
{f  )  Nor  fliould  it  be  forgotten,  that  this  Ephod  ■w^s  (g) 
fet  up  in  Ophrah,  which  Place  Gideon  {h)  quitted,  as  foon 
^s  he  had  refign'd  his  publick  Employ,  and  retiring  to  a 
Country-Houfe  of  his  own  in  all  Probability  left  this  Ephod 
behind  him  :  There  is  Reafon  therefore  to  believe,  that  the 

Defiga 

(e)  Le  Clerc's  and  PatricFs  Commentaries.  PooPs  Annotati- 
ons, ^c.  '  [f)  Patrid's  Commentary.  (g)  Judg.  viii.  27 
[b]  Ver.  29. 


Chap.  n.    from  the  Kratlites  entering  CanasLn,  ^c.      221 

Deftgn  of  fetting  it  up,  was  merely  to  be  a  Monument  of    A.  m 
his  remarkable  Vidlory  over  the  Midlanite*^  in  like  Man-^^jf/'(^|^|'^  _ 
ner  as  other  Conquerors  had  done  before  him  ;    only,  351443,  ^<^ 
the  common  Cuftom  was,  to  ere£l:  a  Pillar,  or  hang  up  f '"'"  J^'jS" 
Trophies  upon  the  like  Occafion,  he  chofe  rather  to  make^f  ^^xh, 
an  Ephod,  or  Prieft's  Habit,  fperhaps  all  of  folid  Gold)  asv— — v-*—# 
a  Token,  that  he  afcrib'd  this  Victory  only  to  God,  and 
triumph'd    in  nothing  fo  much,  as  in  the  Reformation  of 
the  true  Religion  by  that  Means.     This  was  an  A£tion  of 
no  bad  Intent  in  Gideon,  tho',  in  After-Times,  when  the 
People  began  to  return  to  Idolatry,  and    had  this  Fancy, 
among  others,  that  God  would  anfwer  them  at  Ophrah^ 
where  this  Ephod  was,  as  well  as  his  Tabernacle  in  Shilsh^ 
it  was  perverted  to  a  bad  Purpofe.     But,  as  this  Abufe  a- 
rofe  from  the  mad  Caprice  of  the  People,  and  not  from  any 
ill  Intent  in  Gideon,  he  is  no  more  chargeable  therewith, 
than  Mofes  was  with  the  idolatrous  Worfhip,  which  the 
Ifraelites,    in  future  Ages,  paid    to  the  Brazen-Serpent , 
which  he,  for  very  beneficial  Purpofes,  at  firft  fet  up. 

It  is  generally  fuppos'd,  (z)  that  the  facred  Hiftory  hasjofephus's 
not  furnifh'd  us  with  a  compleat  Catalogue  of  the  feveral^''^'"-^'"''" 
yudges,  that  govern'd  Ifrael,  from  the  Death  of  Jc(hua  to 
the  Reign  of  Saul ;  and  that  even  of  thofe,  whom  it  takes 
Notice  of,  it  relates  nothing,  but  what  was  moft  remar- 
kable in  their  Lives  and  Actions :  And  yet,  notwithftan- 
ding  this  Concifenefs,  it  is  far  more  exa61:  and  inftruftive, 
than  the  Hiftory  of  Jofephus,  to  which  (k)  Scaliger  feems 
to  give  a  Preference  above  all  others.     The  Fault  of  Jo- 

fephus  (as  any  one  may  perceix'e  itj  is  this : That  he 

omits  the  Account  of  feveral  Miracles,  which  the  holy 
Scripture  relates,  for  fear  that  other  Nations,  to  whom  be 
writes,  fliould  think  he  gives  too  much  into  the  Marvel- 
lous, tho',  at  the  fame  Time,  he  makts  no  Scruple  of  fa- 
crificing  the  Glory  of  God  to  his  own  private  Character. 

For  this  Reafon  it  is,  that  [l)  he  fays  nothing  of  the 
Angel's  touching  with  the  End  of  his  Rod  the  Sacrifice,  . 
which  Gideon  had  prepared,  and  fo  caufing  Fire  to  flame 
out  of  the  Rock,  and  confume  it ;  nothing  of  the  two 
Sigtts,  which  God  was  pleas'd  to  grant  him,  fc^r  the  Con- 
firmation of  his  and  his  Confederates  Faith,  exhibited  in 
the  Fleece's  being  at  one  Time  wet,  and,  at  another,  dry; 
nothing  of  his  Zeal  in  demolifhing  the  Altar  and  Grove  of 

Baal, 

(i)  Satmns  Diilert.  fur  Heglon  tue  par  Ehud.         [k)  Proleg. 
«  Emend.  Temp.  (i)  Antiq.  lib.  v.  c.  8. 


22  2  fhe  Hijtory  of  the  BIB  I.  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M,    Baal^  for  which  he  drew  upon  himfelf  the  Indignation  of 

Anl'cSft.^'^  the  Abettors  of  Idolatry;    and  here,  in  the  Matter  of 

1443,  &c.  Shamgar,  he  fupprelles  the  Circumftances  of  his  flaying  fjjc 

Fromjudges  hundred  Phili/iines  with  an  Ox-Goad^  tho'  this  be  the  only 

of'Ruth.^  remarkable  A£Uon  recorded  of  him,  and  what  may,  not 

ViiMv*.^  improbably,  be  thus  accounted  for. 

Shamgar't        In  not  many  Ages  after  this,  we  read,  that  thefe  very 

^bc'oM.lad.^^'^^-^'""*  with  whom  he  had  here  to  do,  had  difarm'd 

' the  Ifraelites  to  that  Degree,  that  [m)  none  in  their  whole 

Army,  when  they  came  to  Adtion,  had  either  Swoid  or 

Spear,    but  only  Saul  and  Jonathan  his  Sonj    nay,  that 

they  would  not  fo  much  as  fuffer  a  Smith  to  live  among 

them,  for  fear  of  their  providing  themfelves  with  tnilitary 

Weapons,  but  oblig'd  them  to  repair  to  them,  whenever 

they  wanted  to  iharpen,    or  repair  their  Inftruments  of 

Hufbandry. 

Now  it  muft  be  allow'd,  that  the  Scriptures  fay  nothing 
of  any  fuch  Reduftion  as  this,  in  the  Days  of  Shamgar  : 
But  if  fuch  was  the  Policy  of  the  Philijiines  in  the  Begin- 
ning of  Saul^s  Reign,  why  may  we  not  fuppofe  that  it 
commenc'd  fome  Time  fooner  ?  This  certainly  the  Scrip- 
ture tells  us  exprefsly,  that,  (n)  in  the  Days  of  Shamgar, 
the  Highways  were  unoccupied^  and  the  Inhabitants  of  pil- 
lages ceafed^  by  Reafon  of  the  Philijiines,  who  came  and 
plunder'd  the  Country,  and  carry'd  off  what  Booty  they 
pleas'd  without  Moleftation;  and  therefore  it  is  not  unlike- 
ly, that,  for  Want  of  fome  regular  Arms,  ( whereof  the 
Philijiines  had  ftripp'd  the  Ifraelites)  Shamgar  might  make 
himfelf  a  Goad,  fo  well  contriv'd,  that  with  it  he  could 
kill  any  Man,  without  any  Manner  of  Sufpicion  that  it 
was  made  for  that  Purpofe,  but  only  for  common  Ufe ; 
that  with  this  Inftrument  he  ufually  went  to  plow  ;  and 
when,  at  any  Time,  the  Philijiines  made  their  Inroads  in- 
to his  Lands,  he,  with  the  Afliftance  of  his  Servants,  (who 
perhaps  were  arm'd  in  the  like  Manner)  fell  upon  them, 
and,  at  feveral  Times,  kill'd  to  the  Number  of  fix  hun- 
dred of  them  in  the  Space  of  about  twenty  Years.  This  is  a 
fair  Analyfis  of  the  Senfe  of  the  Words ;  and  where  is  the 
great  Incongruity  of  this  ?  Or  what  indeed  is  there  in  the 
whole,  that  an  ordinary  Mafter  of  a  Family,  with  his  Do- 
mejlicks  about  him,  might  not  do,'  even  the'  We  (hould  not 
call  in  any  fupernatural  Strength  to  his  Afliftance  ? 

Therc 

{m)  1  Sam.  xiii.  20,  i^c.  (n)  Judg.  v.  6,  7. 


Chap.  IT.    from  the  Kratlites  entering  Canaan,  &?r.       223 

There  is  more  Reafon  however,  why  we  fliould  have    ^*  ^' 
recourfe  to  the  fupernatural  Aid  of  God,  in  Samfon's  ^^y-  Anu^hhi'^, 
ing  a  thoufand  of  thefe  Philijfwes,  at  one  Heat  as  it  were,  1443^  STa 
with  no  other  Weapon,  than  the  Jaw  Bone  of  '?«  ^/^.["^the^'I 
(q)  For  tho'  Afles  in  Syria  ( as  the  Learned  affirm )  areoV  Ruth. 
both  ftronger,  and  iarger,  than  what  we  have  with  us,  and  c— v^-^ 
their  Bones  confequently  better  fitted  for  fuch  hard  Service  ^"l*  ^^"• 
as  this;    yet  it  muft  be  own'd,   that  it  was  by  the  won-,i"*^'[ 
dcrful  Strength,  that  God  infus'd  into  him,  and  not  any^^w-Swr*, 
Aptitude  of  the  Injirumenty  he  made  ufe  of,  that  he  was*""^'** 
enabled  to  do  all  this  Execution,  which  is  only  incredible 
to  thofe,  (p)  that  do  not  confider  the  Power  of  God,  who 
can  raife  our  natural  Strength  to  what  Degree  he  pleafes, 
and,  at  the  fame  Time,  infeeble  the  Spirits  of  thofe,  who 
oppofe  his  Defigns,  in  fuch  a  Manner,  that  they  fhall  have 
no  Power  to  help  themfelves. 

It  muft  be  own'd  however,  that  there  are  fome  Cir- 
cumftances  in  this  Tranfa^ion,  which  might  poffibly  inti- 
midate the  Phiti/iines,  and  thereby  contribute  to  facilitate 
the  Slaughter,  which  Samfon  made  among  them.  The 
People  of  Judah  had  now  prevail'd  with  him  to  fufFer  him- 
felf  to  be  bound,  and  condudted  to  the  PhiltJItnes  Camp  : 
The  Philijiines,  as  foon  as  they  faw  him  coming,  ran  out 
with  Joy  to  receive  him,  and  very  likely  forgot  to  take 
their  Arms  with  them,  as  knowing  for  certainty,  that  he 
was  fafe  enough  now,  and  bound,  as  we  fay,  to  his  good 
Behaviour.  But  when,  contrary  to  their  Expe6lafion,  they 
faw  him  firft  break  the  Cords  fo  cafily  and  fuddenly,  and 
then  coming  upon  them  with  fuch  Fury  and  Vengeance, 
(q)  'tis  not  unlikely,  that  this  might  put  them  in  no  fmall 
Confufion,  and,  as  they  ftraggled  about  in  their  Flight, 
give  him  the  Opportunity  of  flaying  them  one  by  one,  as 
he  came  up  with  them. 

This,  we  muft  allow,  is  the  higheft  Inftance  of  per- 
fonal  Prowefsy  that  we  any  where  read  of;  and  y  it  pro- 
fane Hijiorians  inform  us  of  other  Men,  who,  by  their 
mere  natural  Courage,  unaffifted  by  any  divine  Power,  (as 
the  Scripture  informs  us  Samfon  was)  have  made  great  Ha- 
Vock  among  their  Enemies :  For  Flavlus  Voplfcus  reports, 
that,  in  the  Sartnatick  War,  Aurelian  flew  forty  eight  Men 
ia  one  Day,   and  in  feveral  Days  *  950,  which  diminiflies 

the 

(0)   PooV^  Annotations.  [p)  Patrick's  Commentary. 

{q)  Patrick's   Commentary. 

*  Upon  this  Occafion  the  Boys  made  a  Song,  (not  much  un- 
lils^^thar,  which  ^«»?/e»  made  of  himfelf,  Judg.  xv.   1 6.)  which, 

after 


224  l^he  Eipry  of  the  B  I  B  L  £,      Book  V. 

A.  M.  the  Wonder  of  this  Atchievement  of  Samfon's  not  a  litdc  ; 
Ant'chrift  cfpecially  confidering,  that  the  Philijiines,  in  their  Sur- 
1443  Sfc  prize,  might  think  that  this  was  all  a  Trick  and  Manage-^ 
^'""^  J^^?"ment  of  his  ConduSiors  to  get  fo  many  unarmed  Men  into 
of  Ruth.  "  t^^ir  Power,  and  that  they  too  were  ready  to  fall  upon 
^.o-^^,,— n^them,  and  aflift  him,  in  cafe  they  {hould  make  any  Oppofi- 

tion  againft  their  Champion. 
Tbt Water  That  Somfon,  after  fo  long  a  Fatigue,  fhould  be  al- 
from  the  xiiq^  ready  to  *  die  with  Thirft,  is  no  ftrange  Thing  at 
kow.  ''  all ;  but  the  Queftion  is,  how,  in  a  Place  where  no  Wa- 
ter was,  he  came  to  have  this  Thirft  allay'd  ?  The  Hebrew 
Word,  MaSfes^  docs  properly  fignify  the  Socket^  in  which 
the  great  Teeth  in  the  Jaw  are  faften'd  j  and,  from  hence 
Bochart,  among  many  others,  endeavours  to  maintain  by 
Arguments,  that  God  made  one  of  thefe  Teeth  drop  out 
of  the  Jaw,  wherewith  Samfon  had  done  all  this  Executi- 
on, and  immediately  a  Stream  of  Water  gufh'd  out  from 
thence:  But,  with  all  due  Deference  to  the  Learning  of 
fo  great  a  Man,  (r)  'tis  fomewhat  ftrange,  that  he  fliould 
not  obferve,  (when  he  had  this  Paftage  under  Confidera- 
tion)  that  fuch  a  Miracle  as  this  would  be  inconfiftent  with 

the 

after  a  military  Manner,  they  ftiouted  in  their  Dances.  Mille, 
mille,  mille,  miile,  mille,  mille,  decollavimus  unus 
homo ;  Mille,  mille,  mille,  mille,  decollavimus ;  Mille,  mille, 
mille :  Vivat,  qui  mille,  mille  occidit :  tantum  vini  habet 
nemo,  quantum  effudit  Sanguinis.  Vid.  Patrick's  Commen- 
tary. 

*  Jofephus   gives    us  a  ftrange  Account  of  the  Reafon  of 
Safn/ons  Thirft,  and  what  there  is  no  Manner  of  Foundation  for 
in  the  Scripture.     "  Samjon  [fays  he)  was  fo  tranfported  with  the 
'  "  Thoughts  of  this  Viftory,  that  he  had  the  Vanity  to  affume 

"  the  Honour  of  the  Aftion  to  himfelf,  without  afcribing  th& 
"  Glory  of  it  to  God's  Power  and  Providence,  as  he  ought  to 
"  have  done  :  But  while  this  arrogant  and  over-weening  Humour 
*'  was  yet  upon  him,  he  found  himfelf  feized  with  a  violent 
"  parching  Thirft,  which  gave  him  to  underftand,  that,  after 
"  all  his  Succefles,  he  was  but  Flelh  and  Blood  ftill,  and  liable 
*'  to  human  Infirmities.  The  Senfe  of  this  Diforder  brought 
*'  him  to  the  Knowledge  of  himfelf,  and  to  a  penitent  Confef- 
"  fion,  that  the  Vidory  was  God's,  and  that  he  was  able  to  do 
"  nothing  of  himfelf  without  the  Divine  Affiftance.  He  begg'd 
"  Pardon  for  his  paft  Vanity  and  Prefumption.  His  Erasers 
"  were  not  in  vain;  for  immediately  there  gulh'dout  of  a  Rock, 
"  that  was  hard  by,  a  Streani  of  delicious  Water  to  relieve  him 
*'  in  his  raging  Drought."  Antiq.  lib.  v.  c.  i. 
(r)  Le  C/frc^s  Commentary. 


Chap.  II.     from  the  Ifraelltes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        225 

the  Words  which  follow,   (j)  wherefore  he  called  the  Name     ^-  ^• 
thereof^    i.  e.   of  the  Fountain  of  Water,    wliich  gufh'd  Int/'chriii. 
out,  En-hakkoTy  or   the  Well  of  him  that  cried  to  God,  i443>  c-c 
•which  is  in  Lehi  even  unto  this  Day.      Lehi  is  here  there-  -['t^the  £„" 
fore  the  proper  Name  of  a  Place.     This  Place  had  doubt-  of  Ruth. 
lefs  its  Appellation  from  this  Adventure  of  Samjon's  with 
the  Jaw-Bone,  and  from  this  Place  God  caus'd  a  Spring  to 
arife,  that  he  might  allay  his  Hero's  Thiift.     For  it  is  in- 
congruous to  think,  that  the  Jaw  of  an  Afs,  or  any  other 
Creature  could  have  fubfifted  to  the  Time,  when  the  Au- 
thor of  this  Book  of  Judges  liv'd  ;    or,   (if,  all  this  while, 
none  fhould  have  had  the  Curiofity  to  take  av/ay  this  won- 
derful Bone)   that  God  fhould,  out  of  the  Socket  of  one 
of  its  Teeth,  caufe  a  Stream  of  Water  to  flow,    by  one 
continual,  ufelefs  Miracle. 

It  muft  then  be  a  Miftake  in  our  Veridon,  to  render  the 
Words,  God  clave  an  hollow  Place,  which  was  in  the  Jaw^ 
when  (accordmg  to  the  *  Senfe  of  the  Antients  upon  this 
Place)  they  fhould  be  tranflated,  which  was  in  Lehi.  For 
the  Truth  of  the  Matter  is,  that  tho'  this  Jaw  be  long  ex- 
tinft  and  gone,  yet  thofe,  who  have  travel! 'd  through  this 
Part  of  Palejiine^  do  inform  us,  that,  in  the  Suburbs  of 
Eleutheropolisy  where  Lehi  very  likely  flood,  the  Fountain, 
which  arofe  upon  this  Occafion,  is  ftill  remaining,  and 
called  the  I'ountain  of  the  Jaw^  to  this  Day. 

But  be  that  as  it  will,  whether  the  Water,  which  re- 
frefh'd  Samfon  in  this  his  Diilrefs,  came  from  the  Jaw- 
Bone,  or  {as  others  think)  from  a  ClifF  in  a  Rock,  or  an 
Hollow  in  the  Earth,  the  Miracle  is  the  fame,  tho'  it  may 

not 

(j)  Judg.  XV.  19. 

*  I'o  this  Purpofe  we  may  obfen''e,  that  the  Seventy  Interpre- 
ters, the  Chaldee  Paraphrad,  and  Jofephus  in  his  Hiftory,  make 
it  to  be  a  proper  Name  of  a  Place,  whence  the  Wateis  gufh'd 
but.  The  Words  in  the  Septuagint  are  Kai  "pp-J^fv  »'  ©s'o',"  rhv  sv 
S/ayov/,  5(1,  e'^^Aflei/  h  ccvm  £?wpj  God  clsi've  afi  kolloiu  Place  in 
the  Ground,  which  was  afterwards  called  Lehi,  or  Siagon, 
and  out  of  it  ifTu'd  Water.  Jofephus  is  quoted  before,  only 
he  had  thefe  Words  farther,  *6£v  /  Ycc^-\,m-^i  ixuAsi  rb  xm?iov 
HaySvu,  ivhich  Rock,  (fays  our  Tranflator  of  Jofephus)  from 
the  Exploit  of  Samfon,  bears  the  Name  of  a  Jaw,  unto  this 
'Very  Day.  And  the  Words  of  the  Faraphrnfi  are  diredily 
to  the  fame  Purpofe :  So  that  it  is  much  to  be  wonder'd 
at,  how  fo  learned  and  acute  a  Man  as  Bochart,  fhould  over- 
look thefe  Sentiments  of  the  Antients.  Le  Clerch  Commen- 
tary. 

Vol.  III.  P 


Sam  fun 'j 

FiXiS    cIC- 

ifiurtcdjt.r. 


lie  Hijlory  of  the  m^  L  E,     Book  V. 

not  be  improper  (whenever  wc  can  by  an  eafier  Interpre- 
tation) to  take  away  Occafion  from  thofe  that  feek  Occa- 
fion  to  difparage  the  Oracles  of  God. 

We  are  not  however  concern'd  to  vindicate  Samfon  in 
all  his  extravagant  and  outrageous  A£lions ;  fuch  as  his 
marrying  an  Idolatrefs,  and  then  leaving  her  ;  his  loving 
lewd  Women,  and  (iifcovering  the  great  Secret,  whereon 
his  /^//depended,  to  a  common  Prcjiitute;  his  killing  fome, 
and  maiming  others,  who  perhaps  had  never  done  him  any 
perfonal  Ijijury  ;  and  fetiing  the  whole  Country  on  Fire, 
to  burn  their  Corn- Fields  and  Vineyards,  with  many  other 
Things,  that  might  be  aliedg'd  againft  him.  Ail  that  we 
have  to  fay  is,  that  God  rais'd  him  up  to  be  a  Scourge  to 
the  PhUijfines^  and  that,  had  there  not  been  fome  PecuU- 
ar'uies  in  his  Temper,  he  had  not  been  fo  proper  an  In- 
flrument  in  his  Hand  ;  or  that  had  he  not  run  himfelf  fo 
ohcn  into  Prccmmnres,  he  would  not  have  had  fo  frequent 
Occalion  to  employ  the  Strength,  which  God  had  given 
him,  in  extricating  himfelf  from  thence  by  the  Death  and 
Dedruilion  of  his  Enemies.  Tho'  therefore  there  was 
no  Faiality  in  making  him  of  this  unruly  Difpofition,  (for 
th.it  he  contracted  himfelf)  yet  there  was  a  wife  Diredlion 
of  God's  Providence  in  making  his  rugged  Tem.per  fub- 
fcrvient  to  his  Purpofes,  and  even  out  of  his  Faults  and 
Enormities  ex: rafting  the  Plagues  and  Punifhment  of  his 
Foes  ;  for  (t)  furely  the  IP  rath  of  Man  JJ: all  prat fe  thee, 
fays  the  Pfalmi/h  and  the  Remainder  of  his  Wrath  /halt 
then  re/irain.  This  we  may  lay  down,  as  a  general  Rea- 
fon  for  God's  making  ufe  of  fo  furious  an  Inftrument  as 
Samjcn  was,  in  the  Execution  of  his  Will :  And  now  let 
us  examine  a  little  into  the  oiher  Inconfiftencics,  which 
fome  pretend  to  efpy  in  (he  Sequel  of  this  Story. 

A  Certain  anonymous    Author,  f  in  a  Differtation 
upon  Samfon  5  Foxes^  has  folv'd   the  whole  Difficulty  of 

that 


[t)  Pfal.  Ixxvi.   ID. 

f  Mr.  Bernard,  in  his  Repub.  des  Letlns,  Oj?.  1 707.  Pag. 
407.  makes  mention  of  a  fm?,ll  Treatife  in  1 2mo,  Intituled, 
JDifcrtation  fur  V AneJJi  de  Balaam,  les  Renards  de  Samfon,  la 
Ma  choir  e  d'  dne.  See.  from  whom  I  have  extrat^'ted  the  Author's 
Sentiment,  as  Mr.  Bernard  has  rcprefented  it,  but  could,  by  no 
Means,  meet  with  the  Book  itfejf,  and  cannot  therefore  properly 
enter  into  an  Examination  of  the  Author's  Opinion  :  However, 
I  thought  convenient  to  make  mention  of  it,  becaufe  there  feems 
to  be  iomething  ingenious,  as  well  as  fmgular  in  it. 


Chap.  II.  from  ibe  Ifradkes  enuring  Canaan,  ^c.         227 

that  Piece  of  Hiftory,  if  we  will  but  admit  of  his  Suppo-    A.  M. 

fitiofis.     He  fuppofes,  that  the  Word  Schualim^  which  'Wq^^^^  <^x[^ 

render  FoxeSy   fhould,  with  a  little  Variation,  be   written  1443,  ec. 

Schoalim,  which  denotes  Shea'Ves^  or  rather  Shocks  of  Corn  •,^^°^^^^'^^ 

and  that  the  Word  Zanah^  which,  in    our  Tranflation,  is  oV  Ruth. 

a  T^/V,  equally   fignifies  the  cxtream,  or  outcrmoji  Part  of  v 

any  T'hing.      Thus,  in   an  Orchard  planted  in  the  Form 

of  a  ^incunx,  the  farthermoft  Tree  is  called  Xanah  ;  and, 

in  like  Manner,  the  extrcam  or  outftde  Shocks  in  a  Field 

may  be  fo  called  here  j   and  then  the  Senfe  of  the  Words 

will   be,   "  That  Samfon^  at  different  Places,  fet  fire   to 

"  three  hundred  Shocks  of  Corn,  which  flood  in  the  Out- 

*'  Parts  of  the  Fields,  belonging  to  the   Philt/iines,  and 

*'  fo,  by  the  Fire's  fpreading  from   Shock  to  ^hock,  de« 

**  ftroy'd,  in  a  Manner,  all  their  Crop." 

But  without  entertaining  any  novel  Interpretation,  and 
which  upon  Examination  perhaps  will  hardly  bear  the  Teft, 
We  may  adventure  to  fay,  that  thefc  three  hundred  Foxes, 
which  Samfon  is  faid  to  have  caught,  are  not,  even  in  a 
literal  Senfe,  fo  incredible  a  Thing,  nor  fo  liable  to  Ri- 
dicule, as  fome  may  imagine.  For  we  are  to  confider,  (as 
the  learned  (u)  Bochart,  from  the  Account  of  feveral 
Travellers,  evinces)  that  the  whole  Country,  efpecially 
that  Part  of  it,  which  belonged  to  the  Tribe  of  Gad,  (o 
abounded  with  Foxes,  that  from  them  (x)  feveral  Places 
took  their  Names :  That,  under  the  Name  of  Foxes,  may 
not  improperly  be  comprehended  a  Creature  very  much 
like  them,  called  Tho'es,  which  go  in  fuch  Herds,  that 
two  hundred  of  them  have  been  feen  together  at  once  ; 
that  the  Manner  of  catching  them  was  not  (as  we  may 
imagine)  by  hunting  only,  but  by  Snares  and  Nets,  as  the 
abovemention'd  Author  plainly  demonflrates  -,  and  that 
Samfon  did  not  do  this  alone  by  himfelf,  in  a  Day  and 
Night's  Time,  but  that,  being  afTifted  by  his  Servants  and 
Neighbours,  (as  he  was  a  Man  of  confiderable  Eminence 
in  his  Country)  he  might  poffibly  be  fome  Weeks  in  ac- 
complifliing  his  Defign. 

His  Defign  however  will  not  appear  fo  romantlck,  if 
we  confider  what  CoUeSftons  have  been  made  of  Creatures, 
much  wilder,  and  rarer,  than  Foxes;  that  (y)  Lucius  SyJla, 
when  he  was  Prcetor^  order'd  to  be  fhewn,  on  the  Am- 
phitheatre,   an  hundred  Lions ;    Julius  Ccefar^  when   he 

P  2  was 

(»)  Hieroz.  i.   3.  c.    10.  [x)  Judg.  i.   35.  iy)  Fliny» 

lib.  viji.  c.  16. 


22  8  q:'he  Hipry  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    ;vas  Dilator,    four  hundred  ;    and  that  (%)  the  Emperor 

Ant' Chrift  Pfobus,  at  one  Spedacle,  exhibited  a  thoufand   Oftriches, 

1443,  tre    a  thoufand  Stags,    an  hundred    Lybian,    and  a  hundred 

From  Judges  5^,^/^„  Leopards,  and  an  infinite  Number  of  other  ftrange 

of  Ruth.  "  Creatures:  And  why  then  fhould  it  be  thought  to  be  aThing 

^■-\iiii^fo  incredible,  as  to  need  the  Intervention  of  a  Miracle  (  as 

fome  contend)  for  Samfon,  with  the  Affiftance  of  his  Friends, 

who  might    be  let    into    his    Defign,    to    get  together, 

in  fome  Time,  three  hundred  Foxes ^  in  a  Country,  that 

every  where  abounded  with  them  ? 

Foxes  (we  are  none  of  us  ignorant)  are  very  apt  to  do 
a  great  deal  of  Mifchief,  wherever  they  abound,  and  (a) 
therefore  Samfsn  might  have  this  farther  Aim  in  collecting 
fomany,  viz.  that,  thereby  he  might  clear  his  own  Country 
of  fuch  noxious  Animals,  and,  at  the  fame  Time,  that  he 
very  well  knew,  no  Creature  could  be  more  convenient 
for  his  Purpofe  of  annoying,  and  detrimenting  his  Enemies. 
For,  as  ihefe  Creatures  are  very  fwift  of  Foot,  and  have  a 
natural  Dread  of  Fire,  they  could  not  well  fail  (when  once 
they  were  turn'd  into  it)  of  fetting  the  ftanding  Corn  in  a 
Blaze,  and  then,  as  they  were  ty'd  in  Couples,  Tail  to 
Tail,  this  would  make  them  draw  one  againft  the  other, 
and  fo  being  retarded  in  their  Flight,  and  ftaying  longer  in 
a  Place,  they  would  give  the  Fire  more  Time  to  fpread  it 
felf,  and  make  a  Conflagration  univerfal. 

Upon  the  whole  therefore  we  may  conclude,  that  the 
muf^ering  up  fuch  a  Number  of  Foxes,  in  order  to  burn 
up  the  Philijiines  Corn,  was  neither  a  foolifti  nor  imprac- 
ticable Thing,  fuppofing  Samfon  was  at  Liberty  to  profe- 
cute  his  Revenge  in  this  Manner.  But  for  his  Righteouf- 
nefs  in  this,  and  many  of  his  other  Proceedings,  we  are  (as 
we  faid  before)  no  ways  accountable,  unlefs  his  being  con- 
fider'd  as  a  Chief  among  the  Jfraelites  (whom  God  had 
rais'd  up  to  annoy  the  Philijiines,  and  in  fuch  Methods  as 
this,  rather  than  open  War,  to  weaken  them  by  his  perfonal 
Valour  and  Strength)  may  be  admitted  in  Juftiiication  of 
what  he  did.  But  to  proceed. 
Whertin  lay  ( ^)  WHETHER  Sam  fort's  Hair  was  the  phyfical,  or 
Samfon'i  only  moral  Caufe  of  his  Strength,  needs  not,  I  think,  be 
f""'  ,  made  any  Queftion.  For,  tho' Plenty  of  Hair  may  be  fome 
indication  or  bodny  strength,  yet  uncc  he,  that  is  naturally 

ftrong, 

{%)  Apud  Vopif.  in  Probo.  [a)  Calmet's  Commentary 

in  Judg.  XXV.  (b)    CaJmefs  Tiftionary,  under  the  Word 

icmfen. 


Chap.  II.    from ibelCr^dites  entering  Czn^zn,  ^c.       229 

ftrong,  becomes  not   lefs  foy  by  having  his  Hair  cut  off,     A.  M. 
(tho'  this  was  certainly  the  Cafe  of  Sam/on)  it  muft  necef-^^^^'c^'^^ 
farily  follow,  that  his  Hair  was  no  natural C^uk  of  his  1443,   ^c' 
Strength,  but  that  it  was  a  fupernatural  and  Miraculous  Gift,  From  Judges 
not  {c)  perhaps  always  inherent  in  him,  but  only  difpena'dof^Rutii.  " 
at  certain  i  imes,  when  the  Spirit  of  God  came  upon  him, 
(d)  It  depended  indeed  on  the  Covenant  made  between  God 
and  him,  the  Sign  of  which  Covenant  was  his  Hair  ;  and 
therefore  when,  in  Compliance  to  his  Harlot,  he  fufFer'd 
his  Hair  to  be  cut  off,  he  broke  the  Covenant  with  God, 
and  forfeiting  the  Spirit  of  Strength  and  Courage,  was  left 
to  his  own  natural  Weaknefs,  and  fo  became  an  eafy  Prey 
to  his  Enemies.     But  having  been  now  a  confidcrable  Time 
in  Prifon,  wherein  he   was  cruelly  us'd,  he  began  to  re- 
pent (no  doubt)  of  his  Folly ;  and  therefore  making  fer- 
vent Supplications  to  God   for  Pardon  of  the  Violation  of 
his  Nazaritifmy  he  renew'd  his  Vow,  and  fo,  being   re- 
ftor'd  to  the  Condition  he  was  in  before  he  loft  the  Favour 
of  God,  his  Strength  began  to  grow  and  increafe,  in  Pro- 
portion as  his  Hair  did. 

When  his  Hair  was  thus  grown,  and  his  Strength  re-, 
turn'd,  it  is  made  a  Queftion,  whether  the  Houfe^  (as  it 
is  called  in  Scripture)  which  he  pulled  down,  was  the 
Temple  of  Dagon^  for  whofe  Honour  this  Fejlival  was 
appointed,  or  fome  other  Edifice  ? 

That  it  was  not  a  common  Houfe,  is  evident  from  the 
Multitude  of  the  People,  which  it  contain'd  ;  and  tho'  the 
Temples  of  the  Philijiines  are  fuppos'd  [e)  by  fome  to 
have  been  of  the  fame  Figure  and  Make  with  thofe  in  Egypt, 
i.  e.  a  Kind  of  a  Rotunda^  flat-roof'd,  with  a  large  Portico 
without,  and  Pillars  within  to  fuftain  the  Building  ;  yet 
this  feems  to  be  no  more  than  a  Fiction,  devoid  of  all  Au- 
thority, and  accommodated  to  the  Purpofe  of  folving  this 
Difficulty.  'Tis  not  certain,  that  the  Egyptian  Temples 
were  built  in  this  Manner,  and  much  more  probable  it  is,, 
that  this  Houfe  of  their  famous  God  Dagon  was  made  of 
Stone  ;  and  tho'  it  wanted  no  proper  Supports,  yet  it  is 
fcarce  fuppofable,  that  in  a  Stru6ture  of  this  Kind  its  whole 
Weight  fhould  be  fupported  by  two  Pillars  only,  and  thefe 
fo  very  contiguous,  that  Samfon  could  lay  hold  on  them 
both  at  one  Time. 

P  3  The 

(f)  Patrick^  Commentary,  [J)CoUier''s  Introdudion. 

fe)  Ca/met's  Commentary. 


230  7^<?  Hjpry  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M'        The  moft  general  Opinion  therefore  is,  that   this  was 
Ant!'chrtft.'^  Stru£lure,  which  the  Phi/r/iines  made  made  ufe  of,   (up- 
1443,  &c  on  fuch  Occafions  as  this)  built  all  of  Wood,  and  fupported 
^^""^h^^B^d^y  w°°^^"  Pillars,  in  the  Form  of  the  Theatres,  which,  in 
of  Ruth.      After-Times,  were   in  great  Requeft  among  the  Romans. 
♦—V"-^ Towards   the  Middle   of   this  Building,  we  may  fuppofe 
7be  Form  t/that  there  were  two  large  Beams,  upon  which  the  Weight 
wii'/i  Sam-°^  the  whole  Stru6lure  lay  ;  and  that  thefe  Beams  were  fup- 
fon  fuird    ported  by  two  Pillars,  which  ftood  in  a  Manner  contiguous 
dawn.         iQ  each  other.     So  that,  as  foon  as  Sam/on  had  mov'd  and 
unfettled  thefe,  down  muft  the  Pi  i'-cipa/sy  and,  with  them, 
the  whole  Building,  come.     The  only  remaining  Difficul- 
ty is,  how  a  Building,  made  of  Wood,  and  fupported  by 
two  Pillars   only,  fhould  be  able  to  contain  fuch  a  Multi- 
tude of  Men    and  Women  ?  But  whoever  reads  *  PUnyh 
Natural  Hiftory^  wiU  therein  find   a  Defcription  of  two 
Theatres^  built    by   Curio,  capable  of  cont<iining  a  much 
greater  Number  of  People,  than  the  Philijlines  are  here  faid 
to  be,  and  yet  (what  was  a  Wonder  much  greater,  than  the 
two  Pillars  here)  whenever  they  were  turn'd  round,  (as  they 
frequently  were)  to  meet  and  make  one  Amphitheatre^  they 
both  refied  upon  one  Hinge  only,  which,  had  it  happen'd 
to  flip,  muft  have  occafion'd  (as  our  Author  tells  us)  a  much 
greater    Slaughter,  than   what   was  at  the  Battle  of  Conw^*; 
as,  by  the  adlual  Fall  of  an  Amphitheatre,  built  by  Jtilius, 
no  fewer  than  fifty  Thoufand  Perfons  (as  *  Tacitus  relates 

the 

*  The  Words  of  Pliny,  upon  this  Occafion,  are  fo  very  re- 
markable, that  I  thought  it  not  improper  to  quote  them. 
"  Theatra  duo  juxta  fecit  amplifiima  e  ligno,  Cardinum  fingulo- 
"  rum  verfatili  fufpenfa  Libramento  ;  in  quibus  utrifque  Anteme- 
"  ridiano  Ludorum  Spedaculo  ed  to  inter  fefe  averfis,  ne  invicem 
"  oljflreperent  Scenac ;  &  repente  circuiriaftis,  ut  contra  ftarent  ; 
"  poftremo  jam  die,  defcendentibus  Tabulis,  &  comibus  inter  fe 
*'  coeuntibus,  faciebat  Amphitheatrum,  &  Gladiatorum  Spefta- 
*'  cula  edebat,  ipfum  magis  auftoratum  populum  Romanum  cir- 
"  cumferens.  Quid  enim  miretur  quifque  in  hoc  primum  ?  In- 
**  ventorem,  an  Invent  um  ?  Artificem,  an  Auftorem  ?  Aufum 
"  aliquem  hoc  excogi tare,  an  fufcipere  ?  parere,  anjubere?  Su- 
"  per  omnia  erat  populi  furor,    federe  auA  tam  infida  inftabiliquo 

"  Sede perituri  momento  aliquo,  laxatis  Machinis.     Lib. 

^'  xxxvi.  c.  15. 

*  The  Fall  or  this  Amphitheatre  Tacitus  relates  in  thefe  Words: 
"  M.  Licinio,  L.  Calpurnio  CofT.  ingentium  Bellorum  Cladem 
••  aquavit  malum  improvifem.  Ejus  Initium  fimul  &  Finis  exfti- 
*'  tit.    Nain^  cffipto  apud  Fidenas  Amphitheatro,  Atilius,  qui- 

"  da» 


Chap.  II.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  i^c,      231 

the  Story)   were  kill'd,  wounded,  and  maim'd  :  Which  is    A.  M. 
enough,  one  would  think,  to  nicnce  the  Cavils  of  thofe,  ^^j^ J '(^j^^^l^^ 
who  are  apt  to  fancy  that  a  Building  of  fuch  a  Capacity  1443,  &c'. 
could  not  be  fo  contriv'd,  as  to  rely  only  on  two  Supporters.  J^^^^^^^^^l 

And  indeed  all  the  other  Exceptions,  which  ar.-  uft 'ally  ^^ Ruth, 
made  to  Samfon's  Character  and  Conduft,  are,  in  EffccSt,  v-— y— V 
no  more,  than  mere  Cavils^  which  arife,  in  a  great  Mes-  ^''-'  -E*-*^- 
fure,  from  an  Unacquaintednefs  with  the  Idiom  of  the  ■^■'''-,>Sann'on.' 
hrew  Tongue.  For  as,  when  in  yathamh  Parable,  H'^tne 
is  faid  [f)  to  cheer  both  God  and  Man  ;  the  Words  Eleh'im^ 
and  Anajhiniy  ma)  fignify  as  well  high  and  low^  Princes  and 
Peafant^y  i.  e.  all  Conditions  of  Men  do  find  themfelves 
cheer'd  and  refrefti'd  with  Wine  ;  io^  when  it  is  faid,  that 
(g)  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  mightily  upon  Samjon^  we  are 
not  to  underftand  thereby,  that  he  had  any  Grace  extraor- 
dinary, or  fan<5tifying  Influences  of  the  blefled  Spirit  com- 
municated to  him,  but  only,  that  he  was  endu'd  with  won- 
derful Courage  and  Fortitude,  an  undaunted  Mind,  and  a. 
fupernatural  Strength  of  the  Body  at  fuch  and  fuch  Times, 
which  enabled  him  to  do  great  Jiis,  but  made  no  Alterati- 
on in  his  Manners.  And,  in  like  Manner,  when  he  is  faid 
to  {h)  have  judged  Ifrael  twenty  learsy  we  need  not  infer, 
that  he  was  the  fupreme  Magifirate  in  the  Republick,  (for 
that  very  probably  was  Eli)  but  only,  that  he  was  the  chief 
Man  of  War,  whofe  Valour  was  renown'd,  and  who  did 
many  great  and  fignal  Exploits,  in  order  to  refcue  his  Coun- 
trymen from  the  Oppreflion  of  their  Enemies,  and  to  re- 
ftore  them  to  their  former  Liberty.  I  fay,  in  order  to  this, 
for  he  did  not  perfeSi  their  Deliverance  ;  only,  by  the  feve- 
ral  Defeats  which  he  gave  thsm,  and  the  great  Damages  he 
did  them,  he  infus'd  into  the  Ifraelites  fuch  a  Spirit  and  Re- 
Iblution,  that,  not  many  Years  after,  they  took  up  Arms, 

P  4  and 

"  dam  libertlni  generis,  quo  fpeftaculum  Gladiatorum  celebraret, 
"  neque  Fundamenta  per  folidum  fabdidit,  neque  firmis  nexibus 
"  LigTieam  compagem  fuperftruxk,  ut  qui  non  abundant  ia  Pecu- 
*'  nias,  nee  municipali  ambitione,  fed  in  fordida  mercede  id  ne- 
"  gotium  quseliviffet.  Adfiuxere  avidi  talium,  Imperitante  Ti- 
**  berio,  procul  Voluptatibus  habiti,  virllis  &  muliebris  fexfis 
*'  omnia  .^tas,  ob  propinquitatem  loci  efrufius,  unde  gravjor  peftis 
"  fuit,  conferta  mole,  dein  convulfa,  dum  ruit  intus,  atque  in 
"  exteriora  eftunditur,  immenfamque  vim  mortalium,  fpeftaculo 
"  jntentos,  aut  qui  circum  adftabant,    in  prseccps  trahit,  atque 

*'  operit Quinquaginta  hominum  millia  eo  Cafu  debili- 

•' tata,  vel  obruta  funt."     Annal.  lib.  vi.  c.  62,  , 

(/)  Jud.  ix.  13.  [g]  Ibid,  xiv.  6.         {h)  Ibidxvi.  31, 


232  The  Hijiory  of  //&<?  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

35^1  ^.'    ^""^  appearing  in  the  Field  againft  them,  defeated,  and  fub- 

Ant.'chrift.*^"'^  them  ;  \'o  that,  in  all  the  Days  of  Samuel^  we  hear  of 

^443,  &-C.  no  farther  Moleftation  from  that  garter. 

i  tothe a^d      ^^ ^  Scripture  however  furnifhes  us  with  a  Reafon  why 

of  Ruth.      Idolatry  was  not  abolifh'd,  and  a  thorough  Reformation  of 

«— v~<.~»  Religion  eitablifti'd,  during  this  Period  :  Ft^r  it  tells  ue,  that 

Wbytieju<Li^l^  i«  thofe  Days^  viz.  between  the  Death  of  Jojhua^  and 

^bollp  Liolal  ^^'^  ^^^  Inftitution  of  the  Judges,  there  was  rio  King^  i.  e. 

Uf.  no  chief  Ruler  or  Matiiftrate  (for  the  regal  Autho  i:y  did 

not  as  yet  begin)  in  Jfrael.  hut  every  one  did  that  which  wa$ 

right  in  his  own  Eyes  ;  fo  that  confidering  the  natural  Pro- 

penfity  of  the  People  to  Idolatry,  and  the  Want  of  a  fu- 

preme  Power  lodg'd  in  fome  one's  Hand  to  controul  them, 

we  need  not  woniier,  that,  before  the  Inftitution  of  Judges^ 

ihey  fell  into  the  like  Pradices,  with  the  Nations  among 

whom  they  liv'd. 

The  fudges  indeed  were  invefted  with  Authority  to  fup- 
prefs  thefe  Practices ;  but  then  we  are  to  confider,  that  few 
or  none  of  them  had  a  Ji;rifdi£tion  over  the  whole  Land  of 
Jfrael,  but  were  only  Rulers  of  fome  particular  Cantons, 
which  they  undertook  to  deliver  from  imminent  Danger  j 
and  therefore  how  zealous  foever  they  might  be  for  a  Refor-r 
mation,  yet  fince  'heir  Authority  was  not  of  fufficient  Ex- 
tenfion,  the  Wonder  is  not  great,  that  {k)  Idolatry  fhould 
ftill  be  pra6fi:*d  in  fome  dark  Corners  of  the  Land,  and  that 
in  the  Tribe  of  Dan  (which  was  fo  far  diflant)  there  Jhould 
be  fet  tip  Micah'j  g-aven  Image,  which  he  made,  all  the 
Time  that  the   Ark  of  the  Lord  was  at  Shiloh. 

SHILOB'indt^d  was  fo  far  diftant  from  feveral  Parts  of 
the  Land  of  Canaan,  that  People  began  to  account  it  too 
much  Tr  uble  to  go  up  thither,  to  pay  their  Vows  and  Ob- 
lations, and  therefore  bethought  themfelves  of  fetting  up 
private  Chapels,  wherein  (as  they  fuppos'd,)  they  might  ferve 
God  as  well ;  and,  in  the  Inftitution  of  thefe,  being  left  to 
their  own  Fancies,  they  generally  intermix'd  fome  idolatrous 
Pra6tices,  and,  partly  in  Imitation  of  the  Cherubims  zt  Shi- 
loh, and  the  Teraphims  among  their  heathen  Neighbours, 
chofe  'o  v/orlhip  God  through  fome  vifible  Reprefentation, 
which,  by  one  Means  or  other,  was  carry'd  on  in  Time  to 
diredl  Idolatry. 

The  Moahltes,  we  know,  even  when  the  Ifraelites 
were  in  a  State  of  Independency,  and  had  Reafon  fufficient 
to  have  a  jealous  Eye  over  them,  by  their  Arts  and  Contri- 
vances drew  them  into  the  Worfhip  of  their  God  Baal-peor  ; 

and 
,{i)  Judg.  xvii.  6.         (i)  Ibid,  xviii.  31. 


Ch  A  p .  I T.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        533 

and  much  more  might  the  Nations,  to  whom  they  were  now    A.  M. 
in  Subjeftion,  fucceed  in  their  Attempts,  either  of  recom-^ J  thrift, 
mending,  or  (if  Need  requir'd  it)  of  forcing  their  Rehgion  1443?  <^f- 
upon  them  :  So  that  it  was  not  to  be  wonder'd  at,  if  Things ^'■°J"J^'^* 
ran  into  fuch  Diforder,  when  there  was  (if  not  a  total  Diflb-  oV  Ruth, 
lution)  at  leaft  a  grievous  Relaxation  of  Government  j  <— — ^—^J 
when  fome  of  the  Governors  themfelves  were  far  from  being 
the  befl  of  Men ;  and,  through   Inclination,    Intreaty  or 
Compulfion^  the  People  were  fo  liable,  upon  many  Occa- 
iions,  to  relapfe  into  Idolatry. 

What  Micah's  Intention  might  be  in  fettingup  aT<rrtf^Micah'iT<- 
phim,  and  other  Kind  of  Images  in  his  Houfe,  ^"^"tenta- ^^°.f  j'^'^^'r 
tors  are  not  fo  weil  agreed.  Thofe  that  are  willing  to  apo-jrrt»„^  ,v  »^. 
logize  for  the  Thing,  are  ready  to  fay,  (/)  that,  as  he  liv'd 
in  a  Time  of  great  Troubte  and  Confufion,  wherein  the 
publick  WorfiJiip  of  God  was  much  negledted,  if  not  totally 
difus'd,  his  Defign  was  to  ere£l  a  Kind  oidomejiick  Taker" 
nacle,  wherein  he  might  ferve  God  in  private,  fmce  he 
could  not,  without  much  Difficulty,  do  \t  in.  publick  ;  and 
that  the  facred  Habiliments  he  made,  his  Ephod,  his  Tera- 
phim,  i^c,  were  no  more,  than  what  he  had  feen  at  Shiloh  : 
But  fmce  the  Laws  of  God  condemn  [m)  the  making  Ima- 
ges of  any  Kind,  as  Objeds  of  Adoration  ;  the  fetting  up 
any  religious  Worfhip,  different  from  what  he  had  efta- 
blifti'd  ;  the  offering  Sacrifices,  or  {n)  performing  any  pub- 
lick  Service  any  where,  but  in  the  Tabernacle ;  and  the 
employing  any  Priefts  in  his  Worfhip  but  fuch,  as  were  of 
the  Race  of  Aaron  ;  'tis  certain  that  Micah  was  guilty  of  a 
Violation  of  all  thefe  Prohibitions,  and,  in  the  Matter  of 
thefe  graven  and  molten  Images,  cannot  be  excus'd  from  the 
Crime  of  Idolatry. 

And  indeed,  unlefs  he  intended  to  patronize  that^  what 
Reafon  could  he  have  to  make  any  Innovations  in  Religion, 
fince  (according  as  we  date  this  Adlion)  either  Phineas  or 
£■//■  were  then  in  the  High- Prieft's  Office,  at  Shiloh,  where 
the  publick  Worfhip  was  preferv'd  in  all  its  Formality,  and 
from  whence  Micah,  who  liv'd  in  the  Mountains  of  £- 
phraim,  was  not  fo  very  diftant,  but  that  he  might  have 
gone  thither,  upon  all  folemn  Occafions  ? 

The  Spirit  of  God  therefore,  in  repeating  \\\t  hdmom-l^be Anfwir 
tion,  that  in  thofe  Days,  there  was  no  King  in  Ifrael,  ^c.  Jf '^'Danites 
before  it  begins  to  relate  this  Story  of  Micah,  feems  to  infi-    ""*"' 

nuate, 

{I)  Caltnet's  Commentary.  {m)  Exod.  xx.  4.  and  xxxiv.  1 7. 
Deut.  iv.  I  fj ,  16.        {»)  Lev.  jjvii.  8.  andDegt,  xU.  14. 


«-54  ^^^  ^^V'iory   of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  nuate,  that  this  was  a  wicked  and  enormous  Pradlice  of  his ; 
>im''c^r[a. ''^^^  the  Worfliip,  he  inftituted,  was  idolatrous^  and  the 
1443,  feff.  Pricft,  he  had  procur'd  to  officiate,  a  Renegado  :  And  if  fo, 
Horn  Judges  the  Anfwer,  this  Prieft  receiv'd  in  Behalf  of  the  Dan'ttes^ 
of  Ruth.  2"^  wherein  he  promis'd  them  the  Succefs  they  met  with, 
imuft  have  proceeded  from  no  good  Principle,  unlefs  we 
fuppofe,  (what  feems  indeed  molt  reafonablc)  that  the  Le- 
vite  promis'd  them  Succefs,  (becaufe  he  was  minded  to 
pleafe  them)  merely  out  of  his  own  Head,  the',,  to  give  it  a 
better  Sandlion,  he  might  pretend  to  receive  it  from  this  fic- 
titious Oracle.  In  this  Cafe,  there  was  no  Occafion  of  hav- 
ing Recourfe  to  any  Oracle  whatever ;  becaufe  any  Man 
of  a  moderate  Forefight,  confidcring  the  undaunted  Courage 
^nd  Valour  of  the  Danites,  and  the  fupine  Negligence  and. 
Cowardice  of  the  People  of  Laijh,  (if  once  they  came  to 
Action)  might,  without  the  Spirit  of  Prophecy,  foretel  the 
Event. 

The  Direflions,  which  God  gave  Mofes  concerning  yo- 
Jhua's  confulting  the  divine  Oracle,  are  conceiv'd  in  thefc 

Words  ; [o]  He  JloallJIand  before 'EXczz^r  the  Priefi^ 

whojhall  ajk  Coiaifel  for  him,  after  the  "Judgment,  of  Urim, 
before  the  Lord ;  at  his  JVord  /hall  they  go  out,  and  at  his 
IVord /hall  they  come  in,  loth  he  and  all  the  Children  of  If- 
rael  with  him,  even  all  the  Congregation.  In  all  the  Book  of 
jfo/hua  indeed  we  do  not  find,  that  he  had  this  conftant  Re- 
courfe to  the  Oracle,  ( p)  and  from  hence,  fome  fewi/k 
Dodtors  conclude,  that  he  was  bound  to  do  this  only  at  the 
lirft  Entrance  upon  his  Office,  to  demonftrate  to  the  People 
that  he  was  Mofes's  Succeflbr ;  but  that  afterwards  the  Spirit 
of  Prophecy  refted  upon  him,  fo  that  he  knew  how  to  con- 
duit all  publick  Affairs  without  having  Occafion  for  this  ora-r 
cular  Advice.  Mofes  we  know  made  no  Ufe  of  the  Urim 
and  Thummimt  to  confult  God  by  the  Mediation  of  the 
High-Prieft  ;  he  went  immediately  and  diredtly  to  God 
himfelf :  But  we  do  not  read  that  Jo/hua  was  admitted  to 
fuch  Familiarity,  nor  liad  he  fuch  frequent  Revelations  from 
God,  as  his  Predece.Tor  had.  And  therefore,  as  God  was 
pleas'd,  in  Supply  of  that  Defe£t,  to  remit  him  to  this  Me- 
thod of  confulting  bim  ;  v,'e  cannot  but  think,  that,  upon 
every  momentous  Occafion,  efpecially  in  the  weighty  Af- 
fairs of  War,  he  was  always  careful  to  purfue  it :  And 
therefore  the  Words,  in  the  Beginning  of  Judges,  Now  af- 
ter 

(o)  Numb,  xx^ii.  21.  (/)  Vid.  P«/m/f's  Commentary  in 

Locum. 


Chap.  II.  /r<7W /^<?  Ifraelites  (•»/^n«^  Canaan,  ^c.        235 

ter  the  Death  of  Jofliua,  the  Children  of  Ifrael  ajked  of  the    A.  M. 
Lord,  faying,  tvbo  Jhall  go  up  for  m  againfl  the  Canaanites  ?  Ant!'chri(! 
do  not  import,  that  they  never  confulted  God  by  Way  of  1443  ©"f-* 
Vrim  and  Thummim,  during  the  Life  of  Jojhua,  but  rather,  f'o^  judges 
that  after  the  Death  of  fo  great  a  Commander,  they  were  oV  Ruth, 
at  a  Stand   what  to  do,  nor  would  they  adventure  to  pro- 
ceed in  the  War  of  Canaan^  without  following  the  fame 
DireiSions,  which  were  given  to  Jojhua,  and  which  he  had 
fo  long  purfu'd  with  fo  good  Succefs. 

Nay,  the  confulting  of  the  divine  Oracle,  efpecially  in 
Matters  of  War,  was  accounted  fo  very  neceflary,  in  or- 
der to  obtain  Succefs,  that  fome  Commentators  have  e- 
ileem'd  this  the  only  Reafon,  why  the  Ifraelites,  in  fo  juft 
a  Caufe  as  punifoing  the  Benjamites,  for  their  unheard-of 
Wickednefles,  were,  in  two  feveral  Battles,  defeated  ;  e- 
ven  becaufe  they  did  not  previoufly  apply  to  God,  as  they 
fhould  have  done,  {q)  They  fent  up  indeed  to  the  Houfe  of 
the  Lord,  and  aJked  Counfel  of  him,  and  [aid,  zvhich  of  us 
/hall go  up  firfi  to  the  Battle  againfi  the  Children  0/ Benjamin? 
i.  e.  which  of  their  Tribes  fhould  have  the  Honour  or  Ha- 
zard of  making  the  firfl  Attack :  (r)  But  it  is  obfervable* 
that  they  had  come  to  a  full  Refolution  of  making  War  a- 
gainft  the  Benjamites,  and,  to  that  Purpofe,  had  made 
Draughts  of  the  Men  that  were  to  be  employ'd  in  it,  with- 
out ever  confulting  God,  whether  an  Enterprife  of  this  Na- 
ture, wherein  there  was  likely  to  be  fuch  an  EfFufion  of  the 
Blood  of  their  Brethren,  would  be  pleafmg  to  him,  or  no. 
{s)  The  Truth  is,  they  never  queftion'd  his  Approbation  of 
what  they  accounted  fo  laudable :  They  prefum'd  upon  his 
Prote6lion  and  Afliftance  ;  and  the  vaft  Superiority  of  their 
Forces  made  them  confident  of  Succefs.  But  now,  in  a 
Matter  of  fuch  Moment  as  this,  to  overlook  the  divijie  O- 
racle,  and  be  determin'd  by  their  own  Counfels  only,  and 
to  march  againft  one  of  their  own  Tribes,  with  a  full  Purr 
pofe  of  deftroying  them  utterly,  before  they  knew  anyThing 
whether  God  had  decreed  their  Deftru6tion,  or  no,  was 
not  only  an  Inftance  of  their  Rafhnels  and  Prefumption,  but 
an  A61  likewife  of  Rebellion  againft  the  Majefty  of  God, 
who  was  the  King  of //r<7^/,  and,  upon  that  Account  alone, 
had  Right  to  declare,  whether  they  were  to  wage  War  a- 
gainft  their  Brethren  the  Benjamites^  or  no. 

But, 

(?)  Jiidg.  XX.  18.  {7)  Calrnet\  Commentary  fur  Jugcs,  c. 

XX.        (j)  SauriH%  Diff.  Vol.  IV.  Diflert.  i8. 


2j6  ne  Hijlory  of  the  "QlBl.  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.        But,  fuppofing,  that  the  Grounds  of  the  War  were 

A  t^'chrift  j'jftifi^'jJe,  and  God  confenting  to  it,  yet,  why  might  not 
1443,  &c.  he  take  the  Opportunity  of  punifhing  the  Ifr  a  elites  .^  by 
From  Judges  Means  of  the  BenjamiteSy  for  their  tame  Permiffion  of 
of  Ruth.  "^  Crimes  more  enormous,  than  what  they  had  now  taken  in- 
i_  -^-i^j*""  their  He^ds  to  chaftize  ;  {t)  for  (affcrlng/piritual  Adul- 
7^'hy  thei&z-  tcry  among  them,  even  while  they  were  fo  hot  upon  punifti- 
f^^J -^^ 'J' ing  carnal? 

the  Bcnja--  Th  e  I.aws,  which  God  gave  the  Ifraelites  againft  the 
mites.  Sin  of  Idolatry,  were  fo  very  fevere,  that,  whoever  did 
but  fo  much  as  entice  another  to  the  Commifiion  of  it,  was 
to  lofe  all  Title  to  Pity  and  Compaflion,  tho'  he  was  never 
fo  dear  a  Friend,  never  fo  near  a  Relation  :  («)  Thine  Eye 
Jhall  not  pity  hifHy  neither  Jhalt  thov  fpare,  neither  Jhalt  thou 
conceal  him,  but  thou fl)alt  fur ely  kill  him  j  thy  Hand  jhall  he 
firji  upon  him  to  put  him  to  Death,  and  afterwards  the 
Hands  of  all  the  People.  But  now,  in  the  Cafe  of  Micah, 
and  the  whole  Tribe  of  Dan,  who  had  notorioufly  fallen  in- 
to Idolatry,  the  Rulers  of  Ifrael  were  fo  far  from  putting 
this  Law  in  Execution,  that  they  conniv'd  at  their  Apofta- 
cy :  And  therefore  God  took  Occafion,  from  this  Quarrel 
between  the  other  Tribes  and  that  of  Benjamin.^  to  make 
ufe  of  the  latter,  as  Scourges  to  punifh  this  bafe  Conni- 
vance of  the  former;  and,  after  he  had  twice  employ 'd 
them  to  this  Purpofe,  he  inverted  the  Fate  of  the  War,  and, 
in  fo  doing,  made  the  confederate  Army  of  Ifrael  the  In- 
irruments  of  that  terrible  Vengeance,  which  he  took  upon 
the  Benjamiies,  in  the  Puniftiment  of  their  execrable  Lewd- 
nefs.  For  this  is  the  wonderful  Wifdom  of  God's  Provi- 
dence, to  employ  the  Paffions  of  Men  to  his  Purpofes,  and 
to  make  one  wicked  Set  of  People  the  Inftruments  of  his 
punifhing  another,  even  as  he  expreffes  himfelf  in  another 
Cafe,  that,  in  fome  Meafure,  is  not  incongruous  to  this : 

--—  (x)  Woe  unto  the  Aflyrian,  the  Rod  of  mine  Jnger, 

and  the  Statin  their  Hand,  is  mine  Indignation. Againfi 

the  People  of  my  Wrath  vjill  1  give  him  Charge  to  take  the 
Spoil,  and  to  take  the  Prey,  and  to  tread  them  down  like  the 
Mire  in  the  Streets. Howbeit  he  meaneth  not  fo,  nei- 
ther doth  his  Heart  think  fo  ;  but  it  is  in  his  Heart  to  defiroy, 

and  to  cut  off  Nations  not  a  few. Wherefore  it  Jhall 

come  to  pafs,  that  when  the  Lord  hath  performed  his  whole 
TVork  upon  Mount  Sion,  and  on  Jerufalem,  /  willpunifh  the 

Fruit 

[t]  Patrick^  Commentary  on  Judg.  xx.  (a)  Deut.  xm,  8, 

,9.        [x]  Ifaiah  x.  5,  &c. 


Chap.  II.     from  We  KraeWtQs  entering  Can^an^  ^c.       izy 

Fruit  of  thejiout  Heart  of  the  King  of  AflTyria,  and  the  Glory    A.  M. 
of  his  high  Looks ;  and,  in  like  Manner  here,  when,  by  tlie  Ant!'cMt. 
Hand  of  the  Benjamltes,  he  had  chaftiz'd  the  reft   of  the  1443,  &v. 
Ifraelites.  bv  the  Hand    of  the  Ifraelites,  he  punifli'd  the.f"'^°™J"<L§« 

•f,       .         .  'r  ,      .  r    t         •      •  I   •  r  ^      ,      .    I.  to  the  End 

Eenjamites  for   then- grols  impieties,  making  ufe   or  their  ofR„th. 
refpeitive  Paflions,  and  furious  Refentments,  to  accomplifh  u— v"— J 
his   Will ;    albeit  they  meant  it  not  fo^  neither  did  their 
Heart  think  fo  \  but  it  was  only /"«  their  Hearts  to  dejiroy^ 
and  cut  off  one  another. 

When  the  Heat  of  their  Fury  however  was  abated, 
and  the  Ifraelites  began  to  look  back  with  a  liitle  Coolnefs 
upon  what  they  had  done  ;  how  they  had  a!  mod-  totally  de- 
ftroy'd  one  Tribe  of  their  Brethren,  and  bound  themfelves 
by  an  Oath  never  to  marry  their  Daughters  to  any  of  the 
poor  Remains  of  it,  (which  could  not  but  prove  the  Extirpa- 
tion of  the  whole)  the  Joy  and  Triumph  of  their  late  Vic- 
tory was  turn'd  into  Mourning  and  bitter  Lamentation. 

Whether  this  Oath,  againft  contradling  any  Affinity  TZ.ft/«W>- 
with  the  Benjamites^  was  In  itfcif  la^vful,  and  obligatory,  A'"i/J  cf 
or  no,  {y)  fome  Interpreters,  without  any  Manner  of  Rea- '  '"^  ""'' 
fon,  as  I  think,  have  difputcd.  For,  whatever  was  atten- 
ded with  fuch  pernicious  Confequences,  as  to  oblige  their 
Brethren,  either  to  live  unmarry'd,  which  would  prove  the 
Extindion  of  their  Tribe,  or  to  marry  the  Daughters  of 
the  Heathens^  which  was  contrary  to  their  divine  Law, 
or  to  take  to  themfelves  Wives  wherever  they  could  find 
them  by  Force  and  Violence,  which  was  contrary  to  the 
univerfal  Law  of  Nations :  Whatever,  I  fav,  v/as  attended 
with  fuch  evil  Confequences  as  thefe,  could  not  be  lawful 
in  itfelf,  nor  of  any  Obligation  to  the  Confciences  of  thofe 
that  made  it ;  and  therefore  it  is  fomewhat  wonderful,  how 
the  Ifraelites,  when  they  found  themfelves  involv'd  in  fuch 
Difficulties,  (as  {%)  they  themfelves  teftify)  that,  for  the 
Prefervation  of  this  their  Oath,  they  were  forc'd  to  have 
Recourfe  to  A£ts  of  the  utmoft  Cruelty  and  Violence,  did 
not  perceive  the  Illegality  of  it,  and  themfelves,  confequent- 
ly,  abfolv'd  from  its  Obfervation. 

It  is  not  the  Intent  of  the  facred  Hlftorian  to  relate  Matters  The  harder 
ctherwife,  than  they  happen'd  ;   nor  is  it  any  Part  of  our  "^  f^^*  J^* 
Bufmefs,  to  apologize  for  Actions,  that  in  themfelves  are 
abominable,  and  will  admit  of  no  Excufe.     The  Maflacre 
of  the  People  of  Jabejh-gileady  without   ever  fending  to 

know 

{^ )  Vide  Calmet\  Commentary.         [%)  Judg.  xxi,  6,  &c. 


238  '^he  Hiflory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.     know  the  Reafon  of  their  abfenting  themfelves  from  the 
A  "t' cSfft  War,  was  a  cruel  Expedient  to  extricate  the  Ifraelites  from 
1443,  &c.  a  Difficulty,  in  which  their  fuperftitious  Obfervance  of  an 
Frpm  Judges  urjjawful  Oath  had  involv'd  them  ;  and  a  fad  Inftancc  it  is 
of^Ruth.      °^  "^^^  Iniquity  and  Barbarity  of  thefe  Times :    For,  how 
I  fevere  foever  the  Laws  of  military  Difcipline  may  be,  or 
with  [a)  what  Juftice  foever  Recufants^  as  well  as  Deferten 
in  War  may  be  deem'd  guilty,  and  the  Jabefhites  be  call'd 
pubhck  Enemies,  becaufe  they  did  not  obey  the  Order  of 
the  whole  Congregation ^  and  by  refufing  to  join  with  them 
againft  the  Benjam'ites,  made  themfelves  Partakers  of  their 
Crimes ;    yet,    certainly,    to  flay  the  Innocent  with  the 
Guilty,  and  to  put  Women  and  Children  to  Death,  who 
were  never  made  to  bear  Arms,  was  the  very  Height  of 
Jnjuftice  and  Barbarity.     If  it  be  faid,  that  the  Cherem^  or 
the  bentence  of  utter  Execration  was  pafs'd  upon   them, 
I  do  not  fee,  with  what  Juftice  the  Virgi  s  could  be  fpar'd, 
Cas  we  find    they  were  by  a  publick    Decree)  unlefs   we 
fuppofe,  that  God,  from  the  Tabernacle  \:X  Shiloh^   (before 
which  the  Ifraelites -wtxe.  nowaflembled)  fignify'd  his  Inten- 
tions of  d'tfpenfing  with  the  full  Execution  of  the  Sentence 
by  Reafon  of  the  publick  Neceffity. 
51«  Rape  of     And  indeed  the  publick  Ncceflity  is  the  onlv  good  Rea- 
the  Vtrgins  fon,  that  Can  be  given  for  that  other  A<3:  of  Violence,   the 
Mto  6e 'de- R^P^  ^^  '^^  Virgins  at  Shi'oh.     For,  whatever  may  be  faid 
feadtd.        in  Vindication  of  the  Benjamites,  viz.  that,  what  they  put 
in  Execution  was  by  Order  and  Advice  of  their  Superiors, 
and  that  their  Intent  in  doing  it  was  juft  and  honeft,  and 
devoid  of  that  brutal  Luft,  which  is  incident  to  common 
Ravijhers  ;    whatever  may  be  faid  in  Excufe  of  thefe,  the 
Elders  of  Ifraely  who  gave  them  this  Counfel  and  Autho- 
rity, had  certainly  no  Right  to  difpofe  of  other  People's 
Children  without  their  Parents  Confent  and  Approbation. 

*  The  Rape  of  the  Sabine  Virgins  is  ufuaily  produc'd 

as 

{a)  Ca/met^s  and  Pat  rick'' s  Commentaries. 

*  This  Piece  of  Hiilory  we  find  thus  related  :  "  Romulus,  per* 
"  ceiving  that  his  new  City  was  furrounded  by  feveral  very  pow- 
"  erful  and  warlike  Nations,  who  bore  them  no  Good- Will, 
"  form'd  a  Defign  to  make  them  his  Friends,  by  contrafting 
"  Marriages  with  them  :  But  confidering  with  himfelf,  that  thefe 
"  neighbouring  Nations  would  hardly  enter  into  that  Affinity  with 
"  a  People,  as  yet  famous  neither  for  their  Riches,  nor  great  Ex- 
"  ploits,  without  being  in  feme  Meafuie  compelPd  into  it ;  he 
"  was  refolved  to  put  in  Praftice  the  Stratagem  of  his  Uncle 

"  Numitor, 


Chap. II.    from  the IfnelitGS  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      239 

as  a  Piece  of  Hiftory  parallel  to  this ;  (b)  but  Romulus^  In     ^-  ^• 
whofe  Reign  it  happen'd,  was  one  of  thofe  Princes,  who  Ant!'chr[ft. 
accounted  every  Poinr,  that  contributed  to  the  Eftablifh    i443>  ^'■- 
ment  of  his  Dominion,  not  only  lawful,  but  glorious,  and  ^''^om  judges 

1  T-i  •  5  1  ^  r^  •  1  !,       1.  to  the  End 

that  every  1  hing  ceas  d  to  be  a  V-,nme,  when  once  it  be-  of  Ruth. 
came  neceflary  for  Reafons  of  State  :  But  the  Rulers  oi Ifraeh 
either  had,  or  (hould  have  had  different  Notions.  They 
were  govern'd  by  God,  whofe  Throne  is  ejlablijhedin  Righ- 
teoufnefs^  and  (hould  therefore,  one  would  think,  have 
contriv'd  fome  other  Means  of  re-eftabliftiing  a  diminifli'd 
Tribe,  than  thofe  violent  Ways  of  Rapes  and  fore'd  Mar- 
riages. But  the  facred  Hiftorian  has  ailign'd  a  Reafori  for 
thefe  unrighteous  Proceedings,  when  (in  {c)  four  different 
Places  in  the  Book  of  Judges)  he  tells  us,  that  in  thofe 
Days  there  was  no  King  in  Ifrael  \  and,  {d)  for  Want  of  fuch 
a  fupreme  Authority,  every  Tribe,  and  every  City,  nay^ 
which  is  more,  every  private  Man  committed  many  horrid 
Things,  which  were  not  pubhckly  allow'd.     This  {e)  was 

the 

*'  Numitor,  and  to  enter  into  this  Alliance  with  them  by  carrying 
**  ofF  their  Daughters.  This  Defign  he  communicated  to  the 
"  Senate  ;  and  having  obtain'd  their  Approbation  of  it,  he  pro- 
"  claim'd  a  publick  Feaji  to  be  celebrated  in  Honour  of  Neptune^ 
"  and  invited  all  the  neighbouring  Cities  to  the  many  Diverfions 
**  and  SpeSiacles,  which  he  then  intended  to  exhibit.  Crowds  of 
**  People,  with  their  Wives  and  Children,  flock'd  to  the  Feafl ; 
"  but,  on  the  laft  Day,  when  it  began  to  draw  to  a  Conclufion, 
**  Romulus  order'd  all  the  young  Men,  that,  upon  a  Signal  given, 
"  they  fhould  feize  and  carry  off  every  one  a  Virgin,  keep  tliem 
*'  all  Night,  without  offering  any  Rudenefs  to  them,  and  bring 
*'  them  the  next  Morning  before  him.  The  young  Men  took 
*  Care  to  execute  his  Orders :  For,  difperfing  themfelves  into 
"  fmall  Companies,  as  foon  as  they  faw  the  Sign,  they  feiz'd  on 
"  the  Damfels,  who,  upon  this  Occafion,  made  a  hideous  Oiit- 
"  cry,  as  expefting  much  worfe  Ufage  than  they  met  with.  The 
"  next  Day,  when  they  were  brought  before  Romulus,  he  fpoke 
"  very  courteoufly  to  them,  and  told  them.  That  it  was  to  do 
"  them  no  Dijhonour,  but  merely  to  procure  them  Hufbands,  that 
"  he  order'd  tiiat  Rape,  which  was  an  ancient  Cuftom  deriv'd  from 
"  the  Greeks,  and  the  moft  noble  and  gallant  Manner  of  contrac- 
*'  ting  Marriage.  He  therefore  intreated  them  to  be  well  afFec- 
"  ted  towards  thofe  Hufbands,  which  Fortune  had  given  them; 
*'  and  fo,  diflributing  the  young  Women,  which  were  fix  hun- 
*'  dred  and  eighty  three,  among  an  equal  Number  of  unmarry'd 
*'  Men,  he  difmifs'd  them."  Dionyf.  Halicarn.  Antiq.  Lib.  ii.  c.  2 1 .. 
[b]  Saurins  DifTert.  18,  Vol-.  IV.  (r)  Chap.  xvii.  6.  xviii. 
I.  xix.  i.and  xxi.  25.       (</!  P.^Z/vV/i's  Commentary.       (<-)  Ibid. 


k  r 


240  ^he  Hiliory  <?/  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    the  Caufe  of  Micah's  Idolatry,  as  we  noted  before  j    of 
Ant^'c^^  the  Benjamites  Filthinefs  and  abominable  Lufts ;  and  of  all 
1443,  Sff-  the  enormous  Things  done  by  the  main  Body  of  the  Ij- 
fiom  }MAgii  raelites  ',  their  killing  all  the  Benjamites  WixhontTii^mf^i- 
of  Ruth.      ^"  '  ^^^^''  t>i"ding  themfelves  by  rafh  and  unlawful  Oaths  ; 
Vi,»^^^-i»^  their  killing  all  the  Women  of  Jabejh-gilead,  who  were 
not  Virgins;  and  here,  their  permitting,  nay,  their  order- 
ing this  Rape  for  the  Prefervation  of  a  rafh  and  unjuflifia- 
bleOath:    And    this  fhould   teach  us  to  be  very  thankful 
for  the  Authority,  that  is  fet  over  us,  in  order  to  preferve 
us  from  the  Commiflions  of  fuch  like  Enormities ;    for 
which  End,  the  Cuflom  was,  among  the  antient  Perfjansy 
(as  our  learned  UJhcr  obferves)  to  let  the  People  loofe  to 
do  even  what   they  lifted,  for  five  Days  after   their  King 
died  ;  that,  by  the  Diforders,  which  were  then  committed, 
they  might  fee  the  Neceflity  of  having  a  King  to  govern 
them,  and,   when  one  was  fettled  in  the  Throne,  the  great 
Reafon  of  being  obedient  to  him. 
Heathen  TV"      Thus  we  have  endeavour'd  to  clear  up  moft  of  the 
ftimomet,  to  Paflagcs  in  the  Book  of  Judges^  which   feem  to  imply  any 
"^[°pl'^/i^j\ncor\{\Q.Qucyy  or  Incredibility,  during  this  Period:  And, 
ibeHiJioryi  if  any  Heathen  Teflimonies  may  be  thought  a  farther  Con- 
firmation of   their  Truth,  we  may  fay,  that  the  feeming 
Incongruity  of  Shamgar^s  flaying  fo  many  Philijiines  with 
an  Ox-Goad  is  mightily  abated,    by  what  is  told  of  Ly- 
curgus,  viz.  that  he  overthrew  the  Forces  of  Bacchus  with 
the  felf-fame  Weapon  ;  that  from  Deborah's  being  a  Pro- 
phetefs,  a  Governefs,    and  dwelling  upon   a  Mount,  the 
Story  of  the  Theban  Sphinx  {  as  fome  learned  Men  ima- 
gine) was  invented  by  the  Greeks  ;  that  their  Hercules  was 
certainly  the  Samfon  of  facred  Writ,  his  Orrphale  and  Da- 
lilah  the  fame,  and  that  his  Pillars  at  Cales  were  of  near 
Afiinity  with  thofe  of  Gaza ;  *  that  his  fatal  Locks  gave 

Rife 

*  The  Story  is  thus  told  by  O'viJ.  Nifus  was  befieg'd  by  Mi- 
nos in  hi"  capital  City  Megara.  The  Fate  of  that  City,  which 
was  the  Strength  of  his  Kingdom,  depended  upon  a  certain  Lock 
of  red  Hair,  which  was  conceal'd  under  the  reft.  The  Siege  had 
now  been  continu'd  for  fix  Months,  when  the  Daughter  of  Nifus, 
who  had  frequent  Opportunities  of  beholding  her  Father's  Enemy, 
Minos,  from  a  Tower,  that  look'd  into  his  Camp,  was  (o  taken 
with  his  goodly  Mein  and  Deportment,  that  (he  felldefperately  in 
Love  with  him.  Her  Love,  and  the  Occafion  of  it,  the  Poet  has 
thus  related. 

^Hac 


ri. 


Chap.  11.  from  the  Kr^dkes  enferwg  Can^an^  i^c.        241 

Rife  to  the  Fable  of  Nifus  King  of  Megara,  upon  whofe    A.  M, 
Hair  the  Fortune  of  his  Kingdom  depended ;  that  his  Foxes  ^^^^^^''^^^.f'j^ 
were  commemorated  at  Rome^  every  Return  of  their  Har-  1443,  ^'■- 
veft,  *  by  a  firailar  Ceremony  of  tying  them  Tail  to  Tail,  From  Judges 

'  ^  y      o  J  1.  to  the  End 

and  of  Ruth. 


Hac  judice  Minos, 


Seu  Caput  abdiderat  criftata  Caffide  pennis. 
In  Galea  formofus  erat ;  feu  fumferat  auro 
Fulgentem  Clypeum,  Clypeum  fumfifie  decebat,  i^c 
Cum  vero  Faciem  dempto  nudaverat  sere, 
Purpureufque  albi  ftratis  infignia  pidis 
Terga  premebat  Equi,  fpumantiaque  ora  regebat ; 
Vix  fua,  vix  fanse  virgo  Nifeia  compos 
Mentis  erat:  Felix  jaculum,  quod  tangeret  ille, 
Quaeque  manu  premeret,  felicia  fraena  vocabat. 

Metamor.  Lib.  viii. 
The  Refult  of  this  Paflion  was,  that  this  perfidious  Daughter  ftole 
into  the  Chamber,  while  her  Father  was  faft  aileep,  cut 
off  the  Lock,  whereon  the  Fate  of  his  Kingdom  depended,  and 
carry 'd  it  to  Minos,  as  an  undoubted  Pledge  of  her  Love.  But 
if  this  Fable  and  Sam/on  s  Hiftory  have  a  near  Refemblance  in 
fome  of  their  firft  Circumftances,  they  are  very  different  in  the 
Conclufion  :  For  Minos  rejefted  the  Prefent  with  Scorn,  and 
flighted  the  Woman,  becaufe  of  her  Perfidy ;  whereas  the  Prin- 
ces of  the  Philifiines  took  the  Advantage  againft  Sam/on,  which 
Dalilah'i  Treachery  gave  them.     Saurin,  Vol.  IV.  Differt.  17. 

*  There  was  anciently  a  Feaji  in  Rome,  called  Vulbinalia,  or 
the  Teaji  of  the  Foxes,  which  Ovid  makes  mention  of.  For  en- 
quiring into  the  Cuilom  of  tying  lighted  Torches  to  their 
Tails, 

Cur  igitur  miffae  vinftis  ardentia  tasdis 
Terga  ferant  vulpes,  caufa  docenda  mihi. 
he  refolves  the  Matter,    by  telling  us,   that  a  certain  Youth, 
having  caught  a  Fox,  which  had  deftroy'd  much  Poultry,  was 
going  to  burn  it.     His  Words  are  thefe : 

Captivam  ftipula  Foenoque  involvit,  &  ignes 

Admovet :  urentes  effugit  ilia  man  us. 
Qua  fugit,  incendit  veftitos  meffibus  agros, 

Damnolis  vires  ignibus  Auradabat. 
Faftum  abiit :  monumenta  manent :  nam  vivere  captam 

Nunc  quoque  Lex  vulpem  Carfeolana  vetat. 
Utque  luat  poenas  Gens  haec,  Cerealibus  ardet, 
Quoque  modo  Segetes  perdidit,  ipfa  perit. 

Faftorum,    Lib.  iv. 
But  Bochart  has  confuted  this  Notion  of  O-vid'%,  concerning 
the  Origin  of  this   Cuftom,  and  endeavours  to  refer  it  to  this 
Piece  of  Hiftory  iji  Sam/on  s  Life.     Sauri?:,  Vol.  IV.  Diiferi;.  1 7. 

Vol.  hi.  Q 


'242  "['he  mjiory  of  the  BIB  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  and  (o  letting  them  go  ;  and  (to  name  no  more  j  that  Jeph- 
An^''chr[ii  '^^'-''^  facrificing  his  Daughter  to  God  is  partly  adumbra- 
1443,  &r.  ted  by  Jgamemnon's  offering  his  Iphiginia  to  Diana ^  and 
From  Judge?  partly  by  Idotneneus's  promiling  to  make  a  Vidtim  to  Nep- 
of  Rufh.^''^^"''^  of  the  firft  Thing  he  ftiould  meet  on  Shore,  (if  he 
v— y-«i^efcap'd  the  prefent  Storm)  which  happen'd  to  be  his  own 
Son.  So  happily  do  many  Fi6lions  of  the  Poets  concur  to 
confirm  the  Truth  and  Authority  of  Holy  Writ. 

DISSERTATION    II. 

J  E  P  H  T  H  A  H*^     Raft)    Vow. 

T^/'T  °"^T^^"^^  Vow  of  7^/>M<7//s,  which  has  employed  the 
e^:jien.    ^     Thoughts  and  Pens  of  fo  many  learned   Men,  is 

conceiv'd  in  thefe  Words : And  Jephthah  vowed  a 

Vow  unto  the  Lord^  and  faidy  if  thou  (halt  without  fail 
deliver  the  Children  of  Ammon  into  my  Hands^  then  itjhall 
he,  that  whatfoever  cometh  forth  out  of  the  Door  of  my 
Houfe  to  meet  me,  when  I  return  in  Peace  from  the  Chil- 
dren of  Amnion,  (hall  fur ely  be  the  Lord's,  and  I  will  of" 
fer  it  up  for  a  Burnt-Offering.     And  the  Refult  of  this 

Vow  was, That  Jephthah  paffed  over  unto  the  Children 

.  of  Ammon  to  fight  againfl  them,  ond  the  Lord  delivered 
them  into  his  Hands  ;  whereupon  he  came  to  Mizpeh  unto 
his  Houfe,  and  behold  his  Daughter  came  out  to  meet  him, 
-with  Timbrels,  and  with  Dances,  andjhe  was  his  only  Child: 
heftde  her  he  had  neither  Son  nor  Daughter.  And  it  came 
to  pafs,  when  he  faw  her,  that  he  rent  his  Cloaths,  andfaid, 
Alas!  my  Daughter,  thou  hafi  brought  me  very  low,  and  thou 
art  one  of  them  that  trouble  me  \  for  1  have  opened  my  Mouth 
to  the  Lord,  and  I  cannot  go  back,  jind  Jhe  faid  unto  him. 
My  Father,  if  thou  hafl  opened  thy  Mouth  unto  the  Lord, 
do  to  me  according  to  that,  which  proceeded  out  of  thy  Mouth, 
f or  a f much  as  the  Lord  has  taken  Vengeance  for  thee  of  thine 
Enemies,  even  of  the  Children  of  Ammon  :  Only  let  me 
alone  ttvo  Months,  that  I  may  go  up  and  down  upon  the 
Mountains,  and  bewail  my  Virginity,  J,  and  my  Felloivs. 
Ar.d  he  faid,  go  ;  and  he  fent  her  away  for  two  Months, 
and  /he  went  with  her  Companions,  and  bewailed  her  Vir- 
ginity upon  the  Mountains.  And  it  ca?ne  to  pafs,  at  the  End 
of  tvjo  Months,  that  Jhe  returned  to  her  Father,  who  did 
with  her  according  to  his  Voiu,  which  he  had  vowed,  and 
(he  knevj  no  Man  :    And  it  was  a  Cuflom  in  Ifrael,  that 

the 


Chap.  II.    from  ihe  Kradkes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     243 

the  Daughters  of  Ifrael  went  yearly  to  lament  the  Daughter     A.  M, 
flf  Jephthah,  four  Days  in  a  Year.     I  fet  the  whole  Paf-Anr'chri^ii* 
fage  before  the  Reader,  that  he  may  the  better  judge  of  the  1443*  ^'■'^ 
depending  Controverfy  there  is  among  Commentators^  whe-  from  judges 
ther   this  Daughter  of  Jephthah's  was  really  facrific'd,  or  Jf  Ruth. 
no:    And   for  his  farther  Satisfaction  in  this  Point,  I  will U«*-y-«wJ 
fairly  ftate  the  Arguments  on  both  Sides  5  confider  a  little 
on  which  Side  they  preponderate  j    and   then   enquire,  in 
Cafe  he  did  facrifice  his  Daughter,  or  (as  others  will  have 
it)  devote  her  only  to  God's  Service  in  a  fingle  Life,  whe- 
ther the  Thing  was  lawful  for  him  to  do,  and  whi.it  might 
poflibly  be  the  Motive  of  his  doing  it. 

Those,  (f)  who  maintain  the  Negative,  ox  vnoxQ ratx- Argumerti 

ciful  Side  of  the  Queftion,  argue  in  this  Manner  ; forthei^e^ 

That  Jephihah  was  certainly  a  very  good  Man,  becaufe  ^''^'* 
we  find  him  rank'd  among  the  Worthies  of  old,  that  are 
commemorated  with  Honour  by  the  Author  of  the  He^ 
brews  ;  That  he  was  an  Ifraelite,  and,  as  fuch,  liv'd  un- 
der the  Law,  which  prohibited  human  Sacrifices  by  the 
fevereft  Penalties  j  That  had  the  Vow  been  intended  in  this 
Senfe,  God  would  never  have  vouchfaf 'd  Jephthab  fo  fig- 
nal  a  Victory,  as  he  did,  which  mufl  have  terminated  in 
the  Violation  of  his  own  Laws;  and  therefore  they  con- 
clude, that  fo  kind  and  tender  a  Father,  as  Jephthah  is 
reprefented,  would  never  have  facrific'd  an  innocent,  du- 
tiful, and  obedient  Child,  as  her  whole  Carriage  feems  to 
denote  her,  in  Difcharge  of  a  rafh  and  inconfiderate  Vow  ; 
efpecially,  when,  according  to  the  Prefcription  of  the  Law, 
he  might  have  redeemed  his  Daughter  at  a  Price  fo  incon- 
fiderable,  [g)  as  ten  Shekels  of  Silver. 

It  muft  be  fomething  elfe  therefore,  fay  they,  that 
fephthah  did  unto  his  Daughter,  and  that  ( according  to 
the  Import  of  the  Text)  was,  to  devote  her  to  a  State  of 
Celibacy,  or  that  Ihe  iViight  live  in  the  Manner  of  a  religi- 
ous Nun  all  the  Days  of  her  Life :  For  the  Particle  Vahy 
which  we  render  and  {it  Jhall  furely  he  the  Lord's,  and 
/  will  offer  it  up)  is  a  DisjunSiive  in  this  Place,  (as  it  is 
elfewherej  and  fignifies  or  ;  fo  that  the  true  Verfion  of 
the  Pafiage  fhould  be,  whatever  cometh  forth  to  meet  me 
Jhall  furely  be  the  Lord's,  OR  /  will  offer  it  up  for  a 
Burnt- Offering f  i.  e.  if  it  be  an  human  Creature,  I  will 

0^2  dedicate 

{/)  Patrick'' s  and  Le  Clerc's  Commentaries.  'Jenkins's  Rea- 
lonablenefs,  Vol.  IL  c.  i8.  Selden,  de  Jure  Nat.  &Gent.  lib.  iv, 
C  1 1.  Ho-ive/r^  Hiftory,  y<r.  {g)  Lev.  xxvij.  5. 


244  ^^  ^^fl^^  of  the  hi  BL  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.    dedicate  it  to  »he  Service  of  God  ;  if  a  Beaft,  of  any  Kind 
V^^'i^'a  proper  for  Sacrifice,  I  will  inftantly  offer  it  up  :    For  that 
;443,  ?c   in  this  Senfe  the  Vow  is  to  be  underflood,  is  evident,  from 
From  Judges  h^r   going   into   the  Mountains  to  bewail  her  Ftrgmty, 
'V Rl^h^"*^  which,  had  fhe  been  doom'd  to  be  facrific'd,  had  not  been 
^,"  -,   I  near  fo  proper,  as  to  bewail  her  untimely  End.     Nor  can 
we  think  that  Jephthah  would  have  ever  fufFer'd  her  to 
have  made  a  Circuit  of  two  Months  among  her  Compani- 
ons, for  fear  of  making  her  Efcape,  or  procuring  fome  of 
her  Friends  and  Acquaintance  either  to  refcue  her,  or  in- 
tercede for  her,  had  (he  been  deltin'd  to  fufFer  Death  upon 

her  Return.  , .       ,      r-    u  a 

On  the  contrary,  when  (he  return'd  to  her  Father,  and 
he  had  done  to  her  according  to  his  Vow,  it  immediately  fol- 
lows, that  Jhe  knew  not  Man,  which  (hews  that  the  Pur- 
pofe  of  his  Vow  was  anfwer'd  by  obliging  her  to  a  State 
of  perpetual  Virginity,  in  fome  retir'd  Place,  where  (he 
was  fecluded  from  all  Society,  except  that  the  Daughters 
ef  Ifrael  (thofe  efpecially  of  her  Acquaintance^  went  up, 
either  to  talk  and  converfe  with  her,  or  to  celebrate  her 
Praife,  or  to  comfort  her  concerning  her  folitary  Condition, 
(for  to  all  thefe  Senfes  may  the  Word  Letannoth  be  ap- 
ply'd)  four  Days  in  the  Year,  i.  e.  one  Day  every  Quarter. 
Upon  the  whole  therefore  they  infer,  that  Jephthah' s 
Daughter  did  not  fall  a  Sacrifice,  but  was  confecrated  to 
God°andhis  Service,  i.  e.  devoted  to  a  fingle  Life,  and 
to  remain  a  Rechife  all  her  Days ;  which  could  not  but 
occalion  Jephthah  no  fmall  Grief  and  Trouble,  becaufe  by 
this  Means  his  Family  became  extinft,  and  himfelf  deftitute 
of  Iffue  to  inherit  his  Eftate,  and  perpetuate  his  Name. 

These  are  fome  of  the  moft  plaufible  Arguments,  that 
are  generally  employ M  to  prove,  not  the  Sacrifice  of  Jeph- 
thah's  Daughter,  but  only  her  Obligation  to  a  perpetual 
Virginity  in  the  Worfhip  and  Service  of  God. 
^nd  for  the  Those,  (h)  that  maintain  the  Affirmative,  or  harfher 
Affirmative,  gije  of  the  Queftion,  viz.  that  Jephthah,  in  Purfuance  of 
his  Vow.  did  adually  facrifice  his  Daughter,  form  their 

Arguments  in  this  Manner : (i)  That  the  Times, 

wherein  Jephthah  liv'd,  were  fo  fadly  addided  to  Idolatry, 
that  (k)  to  burn  their  Sons  and  Daughters  in  the  Ftre  to 
their  Gods  was  a  common  Pra6lice  among  the  Ifraelites, 


(h)  Edtuardss  Enquiry  Into  fome  remarkable  Texts,     (i)  Dcut. 
xii.  31.         {k)  Sautin,  Vol.  III.  Differt.    15- 


Chap.  II.  from  /he Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  6?r.         245 

as  well  as  other  Nations ;  and  that  the  Manner,  (/)  in  which    ^  ^• 
he  liv'd,  (before  he  was  call'd  to  the  Afliftance  of  his  Coun- Ant.''chrfft, 
try)  which  was  chiefly  by  Plunder  and  Rapine,  and  Blood-  M43>  ^c- 
fhed,  might  make  him  not  incapable  of  vowing  to  Sacrifice j^'^^°"'^"^^" 
the  firft  of  his  Domejiicks,  that  fhould  meet  him  upon  his  of  Ruth, 
vidlorious  Return :    That  this  Vow  is  deliver'd  in  general^ 
and  indefinite  Terms,  viz.  that  what/oever  fhould  come  forth 
of  the  Doors  of  his  Houfe  to  meet  hiniy  That  fhould  furg- 
ly  be  the  Lord's^  and   it   (hould  be  the  Lord'j,    hy   being 
offered  up  for  a  Burnt-Offering  :    That  tho'   the   Particle 
Vah  be  fometimes   us'd  in  a  disjunSiive  Senfe,  yet  it  can 
only  be  fo,  where  Things  are  really  diftin£l  and  different 
from  each  other,  but  cannot  be  admitted,  where  the  one 
manifeflly  includes  the  other,  as  it  is  in  the  PafTage  before 
us ;    that  therefore  it  is  much  more  congruous  to  all  the 
Rules  of  good  Senfe  to  underfland  the  Words  of  fephthah 
fo,  as  that,  by  promlfing  whatfoever  he  nut  Jhould  be  the 
Lordly  he  oblig'd  himfelf  in  general  to  confecrate  it  to 
God,  and  that,  by  promifing  farther,  that  he  would  offer 
it  up  for  a  Burnt- Offerings  he  fpecify'd  the  Manner,  in 
which  he  intended  to  make  his  Confecration. 

Vows  of  perpetual  Virginity,  fay  they,  are  Inflitutions 
of  a  modern  Date :  The  Word  of  God  knows  nothing  of 
them ;  nor  has  this  pretended  Celibacy  of  fephthah' s  Daugh- 
ter any  Manner  of  Foundation  in  Scripture  j  and  there- 
fore, when  this  Circumftance  is  inferted,  that  ^e  knew  no 
Man.,  it  is  not  to  fignify,  that  fhe  liv'd  a  perpetual  Vir- 
gin, but  only,  that  fhe  was  fo  unhappy,  as  to  leave  the 
World  in  her  Youth,  and  before  (he  had  the  Knowledge 
of  a  Man. 

Had  Jephthah  meant  no  more,  fay  they.,  by  perfor- 
ming his  Vow,  than  confecrating  his  Daughter,  as  a  per- 
petual Virgin,  to  the  Service  of  God,  what  Caufe  was  there 
for  renting  his  Cloaths^  and  bemoaning  himfelf,  as  we  find 
he  did  ?  Had  Jephthah  made  only  a  Vow  of  Celibacy  for 
his  Daughter,  whereby  fhe  was  bound  to  nothing  more 
painful,  than  to  lead  a  fingle  Life,  what  Reafon  was  there 
for  bewailing  this.,  as  a  grievous  Calamity,  which  fome 
Men  account  a  Thing  fo  eminently  glorious  and  honoura- 
ble ?  Is  the  being  fhut  up  as  a  Reclufe,  and  enter'd  into 
the  Lifl  of  perpetual  Virgins,  a  Matter  of  fuch  bitter  Com- 
plaint and  Lamentation  ?  Was  this  fo  fore  an  Evil,  an  Af- 
Q_  3  flidion 

(I)  Grotius  in  Locum,  Calmet's  Diffcrt.  fur  le  Voeu  de  Japhet, 
fisC  Saun'n,  dc  eodem,  i^c. 


a46  7he  mjlory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

^-  ^*    fliftion  fo  extraordinary,  that,  not  only  before  flie  under- 
Ant.  ^Chrift  ^^"'  'f 5  ^^  ^"^  ^^^  Companions  fhould,  for  two  Months 
*445>  &c.  together,  be  allow'd  to  bewail  it ;   but  that,  after  (he  had 
j^'^"^'"  J^'JS"  undergone  it,  the  Daughters  of  Ifrael  fhould  be  requir'd  to 
of  Ruth,     lenient  it  four  Times  a  Tear  f  (m)  If  Ihe  was  actually  put 
<  i— ^^ii»^to  Death,  in  Execution  of  her  Father's  Vow,  it  is  eafy 
then   to  underftand,  why  the  particular  Circumflance  of 
her  dying  without  IlTue  (when  Jhe  was  the  only  Daughter 
cf  her  Father^  and  had  no  other  Profpedt  of  Poftcrity  to 
keep  up  his  Family)  fhould  be  reprefented  as  a  fore  Aggra- 
vation of  her  violent  and  untimely  Death :    But  it  feems 
very  difficult  to  account  for  that  bitter  Lamentation,  made 
by  her  Father,  by  herfelf,    by  her  CoiDpanions,  and  by  all 
the  Daughters  of  Jfrael  in  fucceeding  Times,  if  fhe  fufFer'd 
no  other,  no  feverer  Punifhment,  than  that  of  being  devo- 
ted to  a  fingle  Life. 

These  are  fome  of  the  mofl  prevailing  Arguments  on 
the  affirmative  Side  5  and,  for  the  Confirmation  of  them, 
it  is  farther  alledg'd,  that   both  Jofephus,  and  the  Chaldee 
Paraphrafl  teftify  the  fame  Thing;  that  the  Antient  Doctors, 
both  of  the  Jeivijh  and  Chrifiian  Church,  were  of  the  fame 
Opinion ;  and  that,  as  to  the  Subflance  of  the  Faft,  the 
Compilers  of  the  Homilies  of  our  Church  do  perfe£l]y  agree 
with  thefe  ancient  Writers :    So  that,  how  defirous  foever 
We  may  be  to  clear  Jephthah  from  the  Imputation  of  fo 
cruel,  fo  impious,  fo  unnatural  an  Adl,  as  that  of  mur- 
thering  his  own  Daughter ;  yet,  if  we  will  adhere  to  the 
more  eafy  and  obvious  Conftru^tion  of  the  Words,  and  as 
they  appear  to  us  at  firfl  View  ;    or  if  we  retain  any  juft 
Efleem  and  Veneration   for  the  Senfe  of  Antiquity,  we 
mufl  necefTarily  conclude,  that,  when   it  is  faid  of  him, 
that  he  did  with  his  Daughter  according  to  the  Vow^  which 
he  had  votved,  the  Meaning  can  be  no  lefs,  than   that  he 
did  really  put  her  to  Death  :  But  whether  he  a6ted  well  or 
ill  in  fo  doing,  is  another  Enquiry  we  are  now  to  purfue. 
Jtphthnh'i        The  hzw  of  Cher  em,  (as  the //-j^r^tcj  call  it)  which  is 
fa.nfdng    ^  L^^  ^f  ^  peculiar  Nature,  is  deliver'd  in  thefe  Words  ; 
ill,  agfeat  (")  ^^  devoted  Thing,  which  a  Man  Jhall  devote  to  the 
Lriwiti         Lord^  of  all  that  he  hath,  both  of  Man  and  Beaft,  and  if 
the  Field  vf  his  PoffeJJion,  Jhall  be  fold,  or  redeemed ;  eve- 
ry devoted  Thing  is  mofl  holy   to  ihe  Lord.      None  devoted, 
which  Jhall  be  devoted  by  li^en,  Jhall  be  redeemed,  but  fljall 

furely 

(%)  BilTiop  Smalridge^  Sermons.        («)  Levit.  xxvii.  28,  ?9 


Chap.  II.    from  the  If r&d'ites  enUrifig  C^nsLzn^  (j'c.        247 

furely  be  put  to  Death.     Of  this  Sort  a  very  learned  (0)     A,  M. 
Commentator  fuppofes  this  Vow  of  Jephthah's  to  have  been,  Ant."  ciiiift. 
and  that  therefore  he  could  not  redeem   his  Daughter,  but  1443,  Gfr. 
was  neceflitated  to  put  her  to  Death.     It  is  to  be  obferv'd^'""!  Judges 

,  ,         ,    ^   i-,j  /     1  •   1    •      1       /-r-"  1  -    1.  to  the  End 

however,  that  [p]  Cherem  (which  is  the   1  erm  here  madeof  R^th. 
ufe  of  j  fignifies  either  Perfons  devoted  to  Slaughter  f or  ^.--.-^^-i!,.^ 
their  execrable  Impieties,  (as  were  the  Jmaleiites,  and  other 
Nations,  whom  God  commanded  the  Ifraelites   to  extir- 
pate) or  Things  deftin'd    to  Deftru£tion  (as  were  Jericho 
and  Ai)  for  the  Wickednefs  of  thofe  to  whom  they  apper- 
tain'd  :    So  that  the  Law  of  Cherem  related  only   to  fuch 
Perfons  or  Things,  as,  by  an"  irrevocable  Vow,  were  de- 
ftin'd to  utter  Deflruflion  for  their  horrid  Crimes,  and  be- 
caufe  indeed  there   was  particular  Command   from  God^. 
both  for  the  making,  or  putting   fuch  a  Vow  in  Executi- 
on :  But  it  can  by  no  Means  be  pretended,  either  that  Jeph- 
thah's  Daughter  merited    fuch  a  Punifhment,  or   that  her 
Father  had  any  Order  or  Commilfion  from  God  to  inflidi 
it.     On  the  contrary,  all  human  Sacrifices  are  exprefsly 
forbidden,  as  odious  and  deteftable  to  God  :  {q)  TJoouJhalt 
not  do  fo  to  the  Lord  thy  God;  thou  Jhalt  not  hum  thy  Sons^ 
and  thy  Daughters  in  the  Fire,  as  the  Heathens  us'd  to  do 
to  their  Gods ;  for  every  Abomination  to  the  Lord,  ivhich  he, 
hateth,  have  they  done. 

There  is  one  Law  indeed,  which  feems  to  be  of  fome 

Moment  in  the  Cafe  before  us,  and  that  is  this : (r)  If 

a  Man  vow  a  Vow  unto  the  Lo'd,  or  fwear  an  Oath  to  hind 
his  Sou!  with  a  Bond^  he  Jhall  not  break  his  JVord^  he  /hall 
do  according  to  all  that  proceedeth  out  of  his  Mouth.  But 
then  all  fobcr  Cafuifts  are  agreed,  that  a  Vow  has  only  a 
ron/lruSftve,  not  a  de/iruSi,ve  Force,  /.  e.  that  it  can  only 
Jay  a  new  Obligation,  where  there  is  none,  or  where 
there  is  one,  Jirengthen  it;  but  that  it  cannot  cancel 
a  former  Obligation,  or  fuperinduce  one,  that  is  repug- 
nant to  it.  Now  all  our  Obligations  to  Obedience  pro- 
ceed from  God.  [s)  He  has  an  uncontroulable  Right  to 
give  Laws  to  his  Creatures :  But  if  Men,  by  entering  in- 
to Vows,  could  free  themi elves  from  the  Obligation  of  lois 
Laws,  they  might  then,  whenever  they  pleas'd,  by  their 
own  Kdi  defeat  his  Authority.  Whatever  therefore  is  in 
itfelf  forbidden  by  God,  and  for  that  Re<ifon  unlawful ; 
whatever  is  againfl  any  Precept  of  natural  or  reveaPd'Rc' 
0.4  I'gion » 

[o]  hud.  Cappel.  Diatr.  de  Veto  Jepths.  [p)  Edv.-ards^^ 

Knquiry  into  feveral  Texts.  (^)  Deut.  xii.   31.  (r)  Nnnib 

->"i.  2.  (.f^   Bifhop  Sma/ridge'^s  Sermons. 


248  The  Hiflory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

a  ^1  ^c   ''2'^"  '  whatever  is  inconfiftent  with  thofe  relative  Duties, 

Ant.  chrift.  whjch  Men  owe  to  one  another  ;   whatever,  in  fhort,  is, 

1445,  feff.  in  any  Refpe<5t,    finful,  cannot,  by  being  made  the  Matter 

TtTtheS^^  a  Vow,  become  juftifiable.    So  that  he,  who  hath  vowed 

of  Ruth,      to  do  what  cannot  be  done  without  Sin,  is  fo  far  from  be- 

c.»v— — >ifig  oblig'd  to  perform  his  Vow,  that  he  is,  notwithftand- 

ing  his  Vow,  oblig'd  not  to  perform  it ;  becaufe  there  is 

not  only  great  Obliquity  in  making  fuch  an  unlawful  Vow, 

but  this  Obliquity  is  fo   far   from  being  lefTen'd,  that  it  is 

aggravated  by  keeping  it. 

f/j  Since  therefore  the  Thing  vow'd  by  Jephthah  feems 
to  have  been  in  itfelt  unlawful ;  fince  his  Daughter  was  in- 
nocent, and  had  done  nothing  to  deferve  Death  j  fince  the 
running  out   to  meet  her  Father,  with  Joy  and  Congratu- 
lation, Was  an  Adl  of  Piety,  which  feem'd  to  entitle  her 
to  his  Love  and  Favour ;  fince  the  natural  AfFedlion  of  a 
Father  towards  his  Child  ought  to  be   ftifled,  before  he 
could  give  Way  to  the  Execution  of  the  Sentence  of  Death 
upon  her  ;    fince  the  Ctcriiicing  of  Children  to  their  Gods 
was  a  Crime,  for  which  the  heathen  Nations  were  juflly 
detefted,  and  punifh'd  by  God  ;  fince  Jephthah'i  offering 
his  Daughter  as  a  Viclim  to   the   Lord,  might  refledl  a 
Diftionour  upon  the  true  God,  as  if  he  alfo  delighted  in 
fuch   Sacrifices ;    fince    thefe,    I   fay,    and    feveral  other 
Things,  might  be  urg'd  in  Aggravation  of  this  Action,   we 
may  fafely  and  confidently  aver,  («)  with  the  Jewijh  Hif- 
torian,  that  the  Sacrifice  which  Jephthah  offered  was  nei' 
iher   lawful,  nor  acceptable  to  God,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
a  very    in^.pious    A6t,  and   an  abominable  Crime,  tho'  it 
might  poflibly  proceed  from  a  miftaken  Principle  of  Re- 
ligion. 
But  f'cm         The  religious  Obfervation  of  Oaths  and  Vows  has,  at 
^^"'^^'^zW  Times,  been  efteem'd  a  Duty  incumbent  on  thofc  that 
tl^nk  bimjfi/^^^^  them ;  infomuch  that,  even  when  they  have  been 
cbtig'd  to  do  procur'd  by  Grale,  they  have  not  been  thought  deftitute  of 
"•  their  Obligation.     The  Gibeonites  certainly  impos'd  upon 

the  Children  of  Ifrael,  when  they  obtain'd  from  them  a 
League  of  Amity  and  Friendftiip  ;  and  vet  we  may  obferve 
what  Notions  the  Jfraelites  had  of  this  Kind  of  Obligation, 
when,  in  their  publick  Confultations,  they  fay,  (x)  We 
have  fworn  unto  them  by  the  Lord  God  ^Ifrael;  now  there- 
fore we  may  not  touch  them.     This  was  a  remarkable  In- 

ilance 

(t)  Ibid.  (u)  jo/epbus's  Antic^.Vih.  v.  c.  9.     (jr)  Joft. 

iy.  J  9. 


Chap.  II.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  t^c.      24$ 

ftance  before  JephthaFs   Days,  and   'tis  not  improbable    A.  M. 
that  he  might  have  it  in  his  Remembrance,  and  impru- 5^j''(.j,^{J^ 
dently  make  ufe  of  it,  as  a  Precedent  of  the  Irreverfible-  1443,  &c. 
nefsof  Oaths,  and  of  the  inviolable  Tye  he  was  under  byf'^°""  J^l^" 
Reafon  of  his  Vov/ ;    But,  m  fucceedmg  Times,  there  is  of  Ruth. 
a  Paflage  in  Scripture,  which  comes  nearer  to   the  Cafe ' 
now  before  us.     Saul^  in  the  Day  of  Battle,  perceiving 
his  Enemies  to  give  Ground,  out  of  the  Abundance  of  his 
Zeal  made  a  Vow  to  God,  that  whoever  would  tafte  any 
Food   before  the  Purfuit   was  over,  fhould  certainly  die ; 
and,  upon  this  Occafion,  his  own  Son  Jonathan  had  like 
to  have  been  made  a  Sacrifice,  merely  becaufe  his  Father 
would  have  been  thought  religious  and  auftere  to  the  Ob- 
fervation  of  his  Oath  ;  notwithftanding  he  was  plainly  ex- 
cus'd   from   the  Obligation  of  it  as  to  his  Son,  who  was 
both  in  another  Place,  and  ignorant  of  his  Father's  Will, 
and  under  Neceflity  of  taking  feme  fmall  Refrefhment, 
when  he  was  fo  faint  and  hungry.     What  Wonder   then 
if  Jephthah^    who,    we  have  Reafon  to  believe,  was  a 
Perlon  much   more  religioufly  inclin'd  than  Sauly  (hould 
think  himfelf  under  an  Obligation  to  obferve  his  Vow,  even 
the*  it  was  to  the  Deftrudion  of  his  own  and  only  Daugh- 
ter. 

What  the  Acceptablenefs  of  Abraham's  offering  hi» 
Son  Ifaac  was,  he  had  read  in  the  Book  of  Mofes ;  and  this 
might  poflibly  leffen  the  Horror  of  the  Faft  he  was  going  to 
commit.  For,  tho'  Abraham  had  the  pofitive  Command 
of  God  for  what  he  did,  which  Jephthah  could  not  pre- 
tend to,  fo  that  there  was  a  great  Difparity  between  their 
two  Cafes ;  yet  it  was  plain,  from  the  Acceptablenefs  of 
Abraham's  Offering,  and  the  great  Reward  beftow'd  on 
him  for  his  intended  Oblation,  that  the  facrificing  a  belov- 
ed Child  was  not,  in  all  Cafes,  and  under  all  Circumftances, 
finful,  but  might  be  fo  circum/fantiated,  as  to  be  an  A61  of 
Piety,  and  approv'd  in  the  Sight  of  God  :  And  when  this 
Example  prov'd  fuch  an  Action  (as  to  the  Matter  and 
Subftanceof  it)  not  only  lawful,  but  commendable,  Jepb' 
thah  might  from  hence  be  led  into  an  Opinion,  that  the 
Difference  between  his  Cafe,  and  that  of  Abraham .^  was 
not  fo  great,  as  that  what  was  laudable  and  almoft  merito- 
rious in  the  one,  fhould  be  imputed  as  an  unpardonable 
Crime  to  the  other. 
He  had   read  likewife  in  the  Law,  that  (yj  when  thou 

Jhalt 

{j)  Deut.  xxiii.   21. 


9SO  The  Hipry  c/  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

-  ■^'  ^'  A^^'  'tJO'W  a  Vow  unto  the  Lord,  thou  (halt  not  he  Jlack  to 
Ant.''chd(t./"'J  ^'  i  ^nd  was  fenfiblc,  that  a  wilful  Negleft  of  this  was 
1443,  &c.  an  heinous  Crime,  (z)  a  Mocking  of  God,  a  Diflembling 
fTthcaS^'^^  Heaven,  and  an  Ad  of  Injuftice  and  Unfaithfulnefs 
of  Ruth,  towards  him,  who  is  a  fevere  ExaSior  of  Vows,  and  is 
'  wont  to  avenge  the  Breach  of  them  by  the  Inflidtion  of  the 
foreft  Punifliments;  and  upon  thefe  Premifes  he  might 
poflibly  argue  with  himfelf  in  this  Manner.  "  Tho'  I 
^■^  know  that  the  Performance  of  my  Vow  will  be  accom- 
*'  pany'd  with  Murther,  yet  I  confider  likewife,  that  my 
'*  not  performing  it  will  be  attended  with  downright  Per^ 
"  y«'>  Seeing  then  there  is  aNeceflity  of  finning  one 
*'  Way  or  other,  I  am  refolv'd  to  chufe  the  former ;  for 
**  tho'  that  be  an  Injury  to  my  Daughter,  yet  the  other  is 
•'  an  Affrgnt  to  God,  My  Child  is  dear  to  me  indeed, 
**  but  my  God,  my  Father,  is  much  more  fo,  'Tis  bet- 
**  ter  therefore  to  be  cruel,  ihzn  tmpious  •,  to  be  guilty  of 
**  Bloodflied,  than  to  be  perjur'd,  and  falfe  to  the  Lord 
*'  of  Heaven  and  Earth.  /  have  opened  my  Mouth  unto 
''  the  Lord,  and  1  cannot  go  back.  I  muft  not  reverfe,  I 
"  dare  not  revoke  the  facred  Promife,  which  I  have  made 
*'  to  the  Almighty  ;  but  my  firm  and  unfhaken  Purpofe  is 
**  to  perform  it."  Thus  the  miftaken  Senfe  of  the  indif- 
jToluble  Obligation,  which  his  Vow  had  laid  upon  him, 
blinded  his  Eyes,  and  ran  him  upon  this  fatal  Rock. 
,  He  could  not  but  know,  (had  he  confider 'd  at  all)  that 
no  Vow  is  obligatory^  where  the  Matter  of  it  is  unlawful  ; 
or  that,  what  is  unlawful  in  itielf,  cannot  poHibly  be  made 
othcrwife  by  thelnterpofition  of  a  Vow.  Nay,  he  could 
not  but  know,  that  to  a£l  unlawfully,  in  Virtue  of  a 
Vow,  was  a  double  Sin,  fince  not  only  the  Vow  itfelf  was 
finful,  but  the  Aft,  confequcnt  thereupon,  was  finfullike- 
wife  ;  and  yet  fo  blind  fometimes  is  the  Zeal  of  an  errone- 
«wj  Confcience,  that  it  vvjll  not  fuffer  Men  to  perceive,  at 
leaft  to  be  govem'd  by  the  moft  rational  and  felf-evident 
Principles. 

Upon  the  whole  therefore  we  may  conclude,  that, 
how  great  foever  this  Sin  of  Jcphthah^s  was,  yet  f  properly 
fpeaking)  it  was  the  Sin  of  Ignorance,  and  the  Effeft  of  ^a 
mifguided  Confcience.  By  the  bitter  Complaint,  which 
he  utter'd  upon  the  firft  Sight  of  his  Daughter  coming  out 
to  meet  him,  it  is  evident,  that  he  was  under  great  Trou- 
ble and  Perplexity  j  and,  as  (he  had  done  nothing  to  alienate 

his 

(x)  Edwards^s  Enquiry  into  feveral  Texts. 


Chap.  II.  from  the  Ifraelltes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      251 

'his  AfFeclions  from  her,  but,  in  this  very  Aft  of  meeting    A.  M.^ 
him,  had  done  fomething  to  engage  his  Affections  niore|^^„J'(.j^'j^^ 
ftrongly  towards  her,  the  Bowels  of  a  Father  muft  necefla-  1443,  er^c. 
rily  yearn  tofave  the  Life  of  a  loving  and  a  beloved  Child. F"f°"'J"^g" 
The  generous  Offer  which  fhe  made  him,  that  he  might  of  Ruth. 
do  to   her  what  he  pleas'd,  according  to  his  Pow,,  tho'  it' 
made  the  doing  of  it  lefs  unjujl,  could  not  but  add  a  frcfti 
Sting  to  his  Grief,  and,  if  he  had  any  Generofity  in  his 
Breaft,  make   him  do  it  with  more  Reluftancy.     No  one, 
who  is  a  Parent ;  no  one,  who  has  felt  the  Workings  of 
Nature  towards  his  own  IlTue  ;  no  one,  who  hath  fuffer'd, 
or  who  hath  fear'd  the  Lofs  of  an  only  Child,  but  muft  be 
fenfible,  of  what  Pangs  of  Sorrow,  what  Meltings  of  Com- 
paffion,  what  Agonies  of  Grief  muft  pierce  the  Soul  of 
Jephthah,  when  he  imagin'd  himfelf  under  the  fad  Necef- 
lity  of  facrificing  his  own,  his  only,  his  Virgin- Daughter, 
whom  he  could  not  offer  up  for  a  Burnt- Offering,  without 
facrificing,  at  the  fame  Time,  all  the  Propenfions  of  Nature, 
all  the  Eafe  and  Pleafure  of  his  Life,  all  the  Profpefl:   of 
keeping  up  his  Family.     Nothing  lefs  than  a  miftaken  Opi- 
nion of  the  indifpenfable  Obligation  of  his  Vow  could  pre- 
vail with  him,  thus  to  over- rule  the  ftrong  Motives  of  In- 
tereft  and  Inclination  ;  and  a  Miftake,  which  took  its  Rife 
from  fo  good  a  Principle,  muft,  without  Queftion,  atleaft 
extenuate  the  Guilt,  in  the  Judgment  both  of  goodnatur'd 
Men,  and  of  an  All-merciful  God. 

We  cannot  however  part  with  this  remarkable  Piece  of 
Hiftory,  without  making  one  Inference ;  viz.  that  we 
fliould  be  firiftly  careful  how  we  engage  ourfelves  in  any 
rafti  and  indeliberate  Vows ;  becaufe,  as  a  Vow  is  confef- 
fedly  an  A£l  of  Religion,  when  once  we  have  opened  our 
Mouths  unto  the  Lord,  we  cannot,  without  manifeft  Preva- 
rication and  Contempt  of  God's  Authority,  go  hack.  And 
therefore,  (to  conclude  in  the  Words  of  a  great  {a)  Divine 
already  quoted  upon  this  Subjedl)  "  as  in  civil  Life,  Men 
"of  the  beft  Chara£ter  for  Integrity,  and  fuch  as  are  moft 
**  punctual  in  keeping  their  Words,  are  obferv'd  to  be 
**  very  fparing  in  making  Promifes ;  fo  in  Religion,  the  beft 
**  Way  we  can  take  to  obferve  the  Precept  given  us  by  So- 
"  lomon^  [b)  that  when  we  vow  a  Vow  unto  God,  we  Jhould 
"  not  defer  to  pay  it,  will  be  in  the  firft  Place  to  obferve 
*'  another  Precept,  which  he  lays  down  before  this,  viz. 

"  that 

(u)  Smalridge\StrxciQn%.         {b)  Ecclef.  v.  4. 


252  '^e  Hifiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  ML    (c  ti^^t  ^^^  ^g  Jhould  not  be  rajh  with  our  Mouths,  nor  Ut 

Ant.''chi?rt."  0^^  Hearts  be  hajiy  to  utter  any  Thing  before  God,"" 
1443,  arc. 

From  Judges  /^      U       A       P  ITT 

i.  tothcEad  ^^      n      /\      i  ,        111, 

«f  Ruth. 

*— ^v^^  From  the  Birth   of  Samuel  to  the  Death  of 

Saul. 

I'he    History. 

A.  M.  Tpv  U  R  I N  G  the  Time  of  Samfon's  great  Exploits, 
j^t\^M  JLJ  ^°^^  *^^  ^''^^^  ^"^  Ecclefwjiical  Adminiftration 
1116,  fefr.  feems  to  have  been  in  the  Hands  of  Eli  the  High-Prieft, 
From  I  Sam,  jn  the  Beginning  of  whofe  Government  Samuel  was  born. 
tlli^l^'^^  was  the  Son  of  Elkanah,  a  LevUe  who  dwelt  in  Ramah, 
fiamuerj     +  *  City  belonging  to  the  Tribe  of  Ephrainif  and  (as  the 

Biftb  and  CuftoiU 

f»entagt. 

[e)  Ecclef.  vcr.  2. 

-f  Ramah  fignifies  an  Eminetice,  or  high  Situation,  and  is 
Acrefore  an  Appellation  given  to  feveral  Places,  that  are  built 
jn  this  Manner.  This  is  faid  to  have  ftood  upon  Mount  Ephraintf 
thereby  to  diilinguifh  it  from  other  Towns,  in  different  Tribes, 
of  the  fame  Denomination;  and  the  Reafon  why  it  is  here 
called  Ramathaim,  in  the  Dual  Number,  is,  (as  fome  imagine) 
becaufe  it  was  built  upon  two  Hills,  which  made  it  appear  as  a 
double  City,  and,  becaufe  it  was  fituated  on  high,  and  had  a 
Watch-Tower  built  in  it,  it  therefore  had  the  Title  of  Zophim 
added  to  it.  It  ftood  upon  the  Road,  that  led  from  Samaria,  to 
Jerufalem ;  and,  for  this  Reafon,  as  well  as  its  advantageous 
Situation,  Bao.Jha,  King  of  Ifrael,  caus'd  it  to  be  fortify'd,  that 
there  might  be  no  Paffage  out  of  the  Land  of  Judah  into  that 
oi  Ifrael,  ,1  King's  xv.  17.  and  2  Chron.  xvi.  i.)  but  in  St. 
Jeroms  Days,  it  was  no  more  than  a  fmall  Village.  Here  it  was 
that  Samuel  pafs'd  a  great  Part  of  his  Time ;  for  his  Mother's 
Dedication  of  him  to  the  Service  of  God  did  not  confine  him 
to  Shiloh,  after  that  God  had  called  him  out  to  a  publick  Employ, 
and  appointed  him  his  Refidence  in  a  Place,  more  convenient  for 
the  Execution  of  it.  The  Truth  is,  after  the  Captivity  of  the 
,  Ark,  and  the  Death  of  Eli,  all  rtJigious  Ceremonies  feem  to 

have  ceas'd  at  Shiloh ;  for  which  Reafon  it  is  faid,  that  Samuel 
built  an  Altar  at  Ramah,  the  Place  of  his  Refidence,  to  the 
Iiltent  that  the  People  might  refort  to  him,  either  to  receive  Judg- 
ment, or  to  offer  Sacrifices,  which,  tho'  it  was  contrary  to  the 
Law  of  Mofes,  feem'd  to  be  a  Cafe  of  Necef/ity  ;  becaufe  the  Jrk 
being  at  one  Place,  and  the  Tabernacle  at  another,  neither  of 
them  could  properly  be  reforted  to,  either  for  facrificing,  or  any 
other  Part  of  Publick  Worfhip.  Patricks,  Le  Clens,  and 
Calmei^s  Commentaries,  and  Univerfal  Hiftory. 


Chap.  III.   from  the  IfracJites  entering  Canaan,  t^c.      253 

Cuftom  of  thofe   Times  was)    had  two  Wives,  whofe    A.  M. 

Names  were  Hannah^    and   Peninnah.     *  Thrice  every  ^^^'^jj^^ 

Year  he  us'd  to  go  to  Shilohy  thereto  offer  up  his  ufual  Sa-  mfi,  &c. 

crificc,  and,  as  he  was  a  pious  and  religious  Man,  he  gC"-^'°\'^* 

nerally  took  his   two  Wives  with  him,  that  they  in  like  1* 

Manner  might  make  their  Oblations.     Now  Hannah,  tho' 

fhe  had  no  Children,  was  his  favourite  Wife,  and  therefore, 

SLt  f  every  Feaft  upon    the  Peace-Offering,  he  ufually  fent 

her  a   feparate  Mefs,  and   of  the  choiceft  of  the  Meat  5 

which  the  other  perceiving,  was  wont  to  f  upbraid  her 

with  her  Sterility,  or  Want  of  Children.     Hannah  took 

this  fo  fore  to  Heart,  that  all  the  kind  Things  which  her 

Hufband   faid  to  her,  could   not  afluage  or   comfort  her ; 

but,  as  foon  as  fhe  rofe  from  Table,  away  (he  haftens  to 

the    Tabernacle,    and    there  pours   out  her  Soul    before 

God,  defiring  of   him  to  blefs   her   with   a   Son,    which 

Favour  if  he  would  grant  her,  fhe  promis'd  to  make  him 

a  Nazarite,  and,  all  the  Days  of  his  Life,  devote  him  to 

his  Service. 

Her  Prayers  were  heard,  and,  in  a  proper  Time,  fhe 
conceiv'd,  and  brought  forth  a  Son,  whom  fhe  called  6"^- 
muel,  even  becaufe  fhe  had  ajked  him  of  the  Lord,  (for  fo 
his  Name  imports)  and,  after  he  was  grown  to  a  competent 
Age,  fhe  brought  him  to  Shiloh,  and,  in  a  very  joyful  and 
thankful  Manner,  prefented  him  to  £//,  who  gladly  re- 

ceiv'd 

*  The  Precept  is  exaftly  thus,  •«  Three  Times  in  the  Year 

all  thy  Males  pall  appear  before  the  Lord  thy  God,  (Exod.  xxiii- 
17.)  which  were  at  the  Feaft  of  the  Paflbver,  the  Pentecoft, 
and  that  of  the  Tabernacles ;  but  Women  were  exempted 
from  this  Attendance,  and  therefore  it  was  an  Extraordinary 
Aft  of  Piety  for  Elkanah  to  take  his  two  Wives  with  him. 

f  The  Blood  of  this  Peace-OfFering  was  flied  at  the  Foot  of 
the  Altar,  the  Fat  was  burnt,  the  Breaft  and  right  Shoulder  was 
the  Prieft's  Perquifte,  and  all  the  reft  belong'd  to  the  Perfon, 
who  brought  the  Viftim.  With  this  he  made  a  Feafi  of  Charity, 
to  which  he  called  his  Friends  and  Relations,  and,  in  feveral 
Places  of  Scripture,  God  reminds  him  to  invite  the  Le-vite,  the 
Poor,  the  Fatherlefs,  and  the  Widow.     Calmeth  Commentary. 

-f-  Sterility  was  look'd  upon  among  the  Jeius  as  one  of  the 
greateft  Misfortunes,  that  could  befal  any  Woman  ;  infomuch 
that  to  have  a  Child,  tho'  the  Mother  immediately  died  there- 
upon, was  accounted  a  lefs  Affliftion,  than  to  have  none  at  all. 
And  to  this  Purpofe  we  may  obferve^  that  the  Midwife  com- 
forts Rachel  in  her  Labour,  even  tho'  Ihe  knew  her  to  lie  at  the 
Point  of  Death,  in  thefe  Terms,  Fear  not,  for  thou  /halt  ha've 
this  Son  alfo.  Gen.  xxxv.  17.  Saurin,  in  Vol.  IV,  DiiTert.  17. 


254-  ^^^  ^^P^y  of  the  BIB  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  ceiv'd  him,  and  immediately  cloath'd  him  with  a  proper 
^^tf'ch^.  Habit,  even  with  a  Linen  *  Epbod,  that  he  might  attend 
1116,  &c.  on  the  Service  of  the  Tabernacle. 

From  I  Sam.  £ [^  /  himfelf  was  a  very  good  Man,  but  by  much  too  in- 
^^^J_"jdulgent  to  his  Children.  He  had  two  Sons,  Hophni  and 
Eli'i  remift  PhineaSf  who  were  mere  Libertines.  They  domineer'd 
Gcvernment.  over  thc  Men,  and  debauch'd  the  Women  at  their  Devoti- 
l         [  "•' ons :  and  (o  far  were  they  from  beinp;  content  with  the  Por- 

pis   two   OOfJSy      ,  ,  y^  T-\      - 

Bimfdf,  and  tioH,  which  God  had  allotted   them  as  Priefts,  that  they 

Daughter. ins  ^Qxc'd  from  the  People  (even  before  they  had  made  their  Ob' 

"'"''         lations)  what  Part  of  the  Sacrifice  they  pleas'd  ;  which  gave 

fo  general  a  Difgufl,  that  Religion  grew  into  Contempt, 

and  the  Worfhip  of  God  came  to  be  difus'd. 

ELI  was  not  unacquainted  with  his  Sons  ill  Conduct ; 
but,  inftead  of  chaflizing  them  as  his  Authority  requir'd,  he 
contented  himfelf  with  reproving  them  now  and  then,  but 
that,  in  fuch  gentle  and  mild  Terms,  as  rather  encourag'd 
than  deterr'd  them  from  proceeding  in  their  wicked  Pradli- 
ces ;  till  at  length,  God,  being  provok'd  with  this  his  Re- 
mijfnefsf  +  fent  a  Prophet  to  threaten  him,  and  his  Family 
with  utter  DeftrutSion ;  to  upbraid  him  with  his  Ingratitude, 
in  flighting  the  jacerdotal  Honour,  which  he  had  conferred 
on  him ;  to  foretel  the  Death  of  his  two  Sons  both  in  one 
Day,  t  the  Removal  of  his  Prieflhood  into  another  and  bet- 
ter 

*  The  Ephod  which  the  High-Prieft  wore  (as  we  have  defcrib'd 
it  elfewhere,  Vol.  II.  page  479.)  was  a  very  rich  Habit  indeed, 
Exod.  xxviii.  6.  but  there  were  other  Kinds  of  Ephods,  which 
not  only  Priefts  and  Le-'vites,  but  even  Laymen,  upon  fome  Oc- 
cafions,  wore,  as  we  find  in  the  Inftance  of  Danjid,  2  Sam.  vi, 
14.  which  was  not  a  yarrfrt'',  but  an  honorary  Garment,  (as  we 
may  call  it)  and  fuch  as  the  High-Prieft  might  order  Samuel  to 
wear,  to  diftinguifti  him  from  fome  other  inferior  Officers  be- 
longing to  the  Tabernacle.     Patrick\  Commentary. 

f  Who  this  Prophet  was.  Commentators  are  at  a  Lofs  to 
know.  Some  imagine,  that  it  was  Phineas,  the  Son  of  Elea- 
nor ;  but  Phitieas  very  probably  was  dead  long  before  this  Time. 
Others  therefore  will  needs  have  it  to  have  been  Elkanah,  Samu- 
el's Father  ;  and  fome  5«»2«f/ himfelf :  But  we  no  where  read, 
that  the  Father  was  endu'd  with  the  Spirit  of  Prophecy,  and  the 
Son  was  certainly  then  too  young,  and  unacquainted  with  the 
Voice  of  God.  The  fafeft  Way  therefore  is ,  to  own  our  Igno- 
rance of  what  the  facred  Hiftorian  hath  not  thought  proper  to 
difcover  to  us.     Calmet's  Commentary. 

f  The  High-Priefthood  was  originally  fettled  upon  Eleazar, 
the  Son  of  Jarou,  by  a  Divine  Decree  ;   but  that  Decree  being 

con- 


Chap. III.    from  the l(ra,t\\te5 entering  Ca.n^3.n^  ^c.      jrr 

ter  Family,  and  the  extreme  Poverty,  which  his  Pofterity    A.m. 
would  fall  into,  upon  their  Ejedion  from  xhQ  facer  dotal  Oi-'^l^^' ^^' 
fice  :  Nor  was  it  long  before  God  difcover'd  the  fame  heavy  nie,  &r:' 
Judgments  to  Samuel,  which  was  the  lirft  Revelation  he f "^"i^  '  Sam. 
made  to  this  young  Prophet,  and  which  Eli  (when  he  was '' " '"^^  ^""^* 
told  it)  receiv'd  with  a  Mind  fully  refign'd  to  the  divine 
Pleafure  ;  (a)  It  is  the  Lard,  let  him  do  what  feemeth  him 
good. 

In  thefe  Days  f  there  were  but  few  Prophets,  and  Rive^ 
lations  were  very  fcarce  ;  and  therefore,  when  the  Ifraelites 
perceiv'd,  by  the  Truth  of  his  Predictions,  that  God  had  ap- 
pointed Samuel  to  the  prophetick  Office,  they  were  not  a 
little  rejoic'd  :  And  it  was  from  the  great  Expedations,  they, 
had  of  God's  Favour  in  renewing  this  Order  of  Men  among 
them,  that  they  took  up  Arms,  in  order  to  refcue  them- 
felves  from  the  Philiflines  Yoke.  The  Army  of  the  Ifrae- 
lites encamp'd  at  a  Place,  which  was  afterwards  called  *  E-r- 
b'en-ezer,  and  that  of  the  PhiVjiines  at  Aphek-^  a  City  of 
"fudah ;  but  when  they  came  to  join  Battle,  the  ifraelites 
were  defeated  with  the  Lofs  of  four  Thoufand  Men. 

The 

tonditional  only,  'tis  reafonable  to  prefume,  that  there  was  feme 
great  Offence  or  other  in  Ehazars  Family,  (tho'  not  recorded  in 
Scripture)  which  provok'd  God  to  remove  it  into  the  Family  of 
Ithamar,  who  was  Aaron  s  youngeft  Son,  and  from  whom  Eli 
defcended  ;  and  here,  for  the  abominable  Pradlices  of  his  Sons, 
which  he  was  too  negligent  to  reftrain,  God  threatens  to  tranflate 
the  Priefthood  back  again,  from  the  Family  of  Ithamar,  to 
tliat  of  Eleazar,  which  accordingly  happen 'd  in  the  Reign  of 
King  Solomon,  who  depos'd  Abiathar,  the  laft  of  Eli\  Line, 
from  the  Pontificate,  and  fet  up  Zadock  in  his  Stead.  Pools 
Annotations. 

[a)   I  Sam.  iii.    i8. 

•f  Whatever  Revelations  God  might  impart  to  fome  pious 
Perfons  privately,  there  was  at  this  Time  none  publickly  acknow- 
ledg'd  for  a  Prophet,  unto  whom  the  People  might  refort  to 
know  the  Mind  of  God;  nay,  fo  little  acquainted  were  thefe 
Ages  with  the  prophetick  Spirit,  that  we  read  of  no  more  than 
two  Prophets,  jfudg.  iv.  4.  and  vi.  8.  in  all  the  Days  of  the 
Judges.     Patricks  Commentary. 

*  This  Place  is  here  mentioned  prophetically  ;  for  it  had  not 
-.this  Name  till  about  twenty  Years  after,  i  Sam.  iv.  i.  when 
Samuel  fought  with  the  PhilijVmcs,  and  gave  them  a  total  Over- 
throw, and  fet  up  a  Monument  of  his  Vidlory  (for  the  proper 
Name  fignifies  the  Stom;  of  Help)  in  the  Field  of  Battle,  which 
lay  on  the  North  Border  of  Judah,  not  far  from  Mizpch;  and 
Jphtk,  where  the  PhiUllines  encamp'd,  muil  not  be  far  diftant 
from  it,     f/V///s  Geography  of  the  Old  Teltament,  VoL     lU. 


256  The  Hifiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A-  Mp  The  Reafon  of  this  Defeat  was  imputed  by  fome  to  their 
Ant.'chrift.^^"*  of  the  Ark  in  the  Army,  which,  as  the  Symbol  of 
1 1 16,  &c.  God's  Prefence,  would  be  a  fure  Means  of  Succefs  ;  and 
From  1  Sam.  jj^gjgfQj.g  (j^gy  j-g„(  jq  J^opjjni  and  Phineas  to  bring  it  with 
j.totheEnd.  ,  ,     •'    ,        .  •   ,  •    •       1      ,".  •    ,r  • 

Y  -        tthem.  and,  when  it  arnv  d  m  the  Lamp,  receiv  d  it  with 

many  a  joyful  Acclamation.     The  Philijiines^  at  firft,  were 
difpirited  at  the  News,  as  much  as  their  Enemies  were  ani- 
mated :  But,  at  length  taking  Heart,  and  exhorting  one 
another  to  a£t  courageoufly,  they   repuls'd  the  Ifraelites^ 
when  they  came  to  attack  them ;  and,  having  flain  thirty 
Thoufand  of  their  Foot,  (among  whom  were  Hophni  and 
Phineas)  they  routed  the  reft,  and  put  them  all  to  Flight, 
■  fo  that  the  Ark  of  the  Lord  fell  into  their  Hands. 
The  Captivi-     This  ill  News  a  Soldier  of  the  Tribe  of  Benjamin,  ef- 
2,/,^t'^j!caping  from  the  Field  of  Battle,  brought  to  Shiloh  that  very 
dtfsit  did    Day,  with  the  ufual  Emblems  of  extreme  Sorrow,  *  his 
until  it  wat  Clothes  rent,  and  Earth  upon  his  Head  ;  and   then  there 
jnt  omt.     ^^g  ^^  ^^^jj  Outcry  and  Lamentation  in  the  City.     Eli, 
enquiring  the  Caufe  of  it,  had  the  Soldier  brought  before 
him,  who  gave  him  an  Account,  *  that  the  Ifraelites  were 

routed, 

■*  If  we  confult  Jolh.  vli.  6.  Job  ii.  12.  and  Ezek.  xxvH. 
39.  we  ftiall  find,  that  this  was  the  Manner  of  Men's  exprefling 
their  deep  Sorrow  for  any  great  Calamity  that  had  befallen  them. 
And,  accordingly,  we  find  Firgil  reprefenting  Latinus  rending 
his  Cloaths,  and  throwing  Dull  upon  his  grey  Hairs,  when  he 
laments  his  private  and  publick  Calamities  : 
—It  fcifsa  vefte  Latinus 

Canitiem  immundo  perfufam  pulvere  turpans.         ^neid  1 2. 

*  Who  this  Benjamite  was,  that  brought  the  ill  News  to 
Shiloh  of  the  Lofs  of  the  Battle,  the  Hiftory  is  filent,  and  the 
Conjefture  of  fome  Jenjos,  that  it  probably  was  Saul,  is  very 
uncertain  and  precarious  :  But  there  is  fomething  very  remark- 
able in  the  Account  which  he  gives  of  the  Aftion.  The  Words 
are  thefe :  ■  And  Eli  faid  to  the  Benjamite,  What  h  there 
done  in  the  Battle,  my  Son  F  And  the  Mejfenger  anfwerd  and  faid, 
Ifrael  is  Jled  before  the  Philiftines,  and  there  hath  been  alfo  a  great 
Slaughter  among  the  People,  and  thy  tivo  Sons,  Hophni  and  Phi- 
neas, are  dead,  and  the  Ark  of  God  is  taken,  l  Sam.  iv.  16,  1 7. 
Madam  Dacier  highly  commends  the  Manner,  wherein  the 
facred  Hiftorian  makes  his  Meffenger  fpeak,  and  compares  thefe 
Words,  Hophni  and  Phineas  are  dead,  and  the  Ark  of  the  Lord 
is  taken,  with  thofe  of  Antilochus  to  Achilles,  when  he  tells  him  the 
fad  News.-" 

T»\lmh'  arap  rx  ye  rejxs*  'ix^'  Mfiv^c.lof^oi;  EnTosf.        Iliad.    1  8. 

Whereupon  Ihe  quotes  the  Gloilary,  which  Eujiathius  has  upon 

this 


Chap.  Ill,    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        157 

Toutedl  his  two  Sons  flain,  and  the  Ark  taken.     Eli  heard     A-  ^- 
the  Defeat  of  the  Army,  and  the  Death  of  his  Sons  withA„c.  chrift' 
Courage  and  Unconcern  enough;  but,  when  he  came  to  1116,  ^c. 
underftand,  that  the  Ark  of  the  Lord  was  fallen  into  the  E-f7o"theSd' 
nemy's  Hand,  his   Spirits  forfook  him,    and,  being  bothi' 
heavy  and  aged,  he  fell  from  his  Seat,  and  broke  his  Neck 
and  died,  after  he  had  been  the  fupreme  Magiftrate  in  If- 
rael  *  for  the  Space  of  forty  Years  :  And  (what  was  a  far- 
ther Family- Misfortune)  his  Son  Phtneas  had  a  Wife,  then 
big  with  Child   and  near  her  Time,  who,  hearing  of  her 
Father's  andHufband's  Death,  and  (what  was  the  worflof 
all)  of  the  Captivity  of  the  Ark,  fell  in  Labour  at  the  News, 
and  being  deliver'd  of  a  Son,  had  juft  Strength  to  name  him 
1-chabod^  (i.  e.  no  Glory)  before  (he  died  ;  becaufe  the  Arky 
which  was  the  Glory  of  Ifrael,  (as  (he  affigns  the  Reafon) 
luai  departed  from  them. 

The  Phili/iines^  having  thus  got  Pofleflion  of  the  Ark, 
*  carry'd  it  in  Triumph  to  one  of  their  principal  Cities, 

nam'd 

this  Paflage  in  Homer.  This  Speech  of  Antilochus  (fays  that  ex- 
cellent Critick)  affords  us  a  Pattern,  'with  lohat  Brevity  fuch 
melancholy  NeiJus  Jhould  he  related :  For,  in  tnvo  Verfes,  it  com- 
frifes  every  Thing  that  happen  d,  the  Death  of  Patroclus,  the 
Perfon  njoho  fenu  him,  the  Encounter  about  his  Body,  and  his  Arms 
in  the  PoffeJJion  of  his  Enemy.  The  Greek  Tragick  Poets  ha've  not 
been  fo  n/jife  as  to  imitate  this ;  and,  of  all  others,  Euripides, 
nuho,  upon  the  moji  doleful  Occafion,  is  fo  apt  to  make  long  Recitals^ 
is  moft  egregioujly  defe^i've  herein.  Homer  is  the  only  Author , 
that  defer'ves  to  be  follo'w'd.  Nothing  is  more  ridiculous,  than  to 
hear  a  Meffenger,  <when  he  is  to  report  fome  'very  had  Ne^vs,  run- 
ning into  tedious  Circumfances,  and  pathetick  ExpreJJions .  All  he 
talks  is  not  minded :  For  he,  ta  •vjhom  he  addreffes  himfelf,  cannot 
attend  to  <vohat  he  fays  ;  the  firji  Word  that  acquaints  him  'with  the 
Misfortune^  makes  him  deaf  to  enjery  Thing  elfe,  Saurin,  Vol, 
IV.  Diflert.  23. 

*  The  Septuagint,  and  fome  antient  Manufcripts,  make  the  Term 
of  £/r's  Magiftracy  to  be  no  more  than  twenty  Years;  and,  to  re- 
concile this  with  the  Hcbre'vo  Text,  fome  fuppofe,  either  that  he 
had  Samfon  join'd  in  the  Government  with  him  for  the  firft  twenty 
Years  of  his  Adminiftration,  or  his  Sons,  for  the  lall ;  but  there 
is  no  Reafon  for  the  Solution  of  a  Difficult}%  which  arifes  from 
nothing  elfe,  but  a  Fault  in  the  Text  of  the  Septuagint.  Calmet\ 
Commentary. 

*  It  was  a  Cuftom  among  the  Heathens,  to  carry  in  Triumph 
the  Images  of  the  Gods  of  fuch  Nations,  as  they  hadvanquifh'd. 
Ifaiah  prophefies  of  C-jrus,  that  in  this  Manner  he  would  treat  the 

Gods 

Vol.  in.  R 


25^  ^e  Hiftory  of  //&tf  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

388^8  &c.  ^'^^'^  4/hdodt  and  there  plac'd  it  in  the  Temple  of  their 
Ant.  Chrift.God  Dagon  hard  by  his  Image.  The  next  Morning  the 
iii5,  fife.  People  of  *  Jjhdod,  going  into  the  Temple,  found  Dagon 
i.  to  the  End!  fallen 

Gods  of  Babylon':  ———Bel  hoijoeth d(nvH,  Nebo  Jioopethi 
their  Idols  ■were  upon  the  Beafts,  and  upon  the  Cattle,  —  and  them- 
fehes  are  gone  into  Capti'vity,  Kaiah  xlvi.  l.  2.  Daniel  foietdi 
of  Ptolemy  Euergetes,  that  he  would  carry  capti'ue  into  Egypt  the 
Gods  of  the  Syrians,  ivith  their  Princes,  Dan  xi.  8.  And  the 
like  Prediftions  are  to  be  met  with  in  Jeremiah,  xlviii,  7.  and 
in  Jmos  i.  15.  We  need  lefs  wonder  therefore,  that  we  find 
Plutarch,  in  the  Life  of  Marcellus,  telling  us,  that  he  took 
away,  out  of  the  Temples  of  Syracuje,  the  moft  beautiful 
Pidlures  and  Statues  of  their  Gods;  and  that,  afterwards,  it  be- 
came a  Reproach  to  Marcellus,  and  rais'd  the  Indignation  of 
other  Nations  againft  Rome,  "  That  he  carry 'd  along  with  him, 
*'  not  Men  only,  but  the  very  Gods  captive,  and  in  Triumph." 
Seurin,  Vol.  IV.  Diflert.  24. 

*  The  Philijiines  were  Defcendants  from  Mizraim,  the  Father 
of  the  Egyptians,  and  fo,  in  all  Probability,  having  their  firft 
Settlement  in  Egypt,  or  the  Parts  adjoining,  lay  to  the  South- 
Weft  of  the  Land  of  Canaan.  In  Procels  of  Time  however, 
they  made  Inroads  upon  Canaan,  and,  in  Abraham'^  Days,  had 
got  Poffeffion  of  a  good  Part  of  the  Territories,  which  lay  along 
the  njcejiern  Coajis  of  the  Mediterranean-Sea.  This  T'rad  of 
Ground  was  divided  into  five  Principalities,  or  little  Kingdoms, 
niiz.  Gaza,  JJkelon,  Jljhdod,  Gath,  and  Akron ;  which,  tor  the 
better  underftanding  of  fome  Particulars  related  of  the  Ark, 
during  its  Stay  in  this  Country,  it  will  not  be  improper  to  de- 
fcribe  all  together.  The  City  of  Gaza  (from  which  the  Ter- 
ritory took  it6  Name)  flood,  as  it  were,  on  the  very  South-WeJI 
Angle,  or  Corner  of  the  Land  of  Canaan ;  but  of  this  Place  we 
have  fpoken  before.  To  the  North  of  Gaza-  lay  next  the  City  of 
JJkelon,  called,  by  the  Greeks,  Afcalon,  and  of  great  Note 
among  the  Gentiles  for  a  Temple  dedicated  to  Dirceto, 
the  Mother  of  Semiramis,  who  was  here  worlhipped  in  the 
Form  of  a  Mermaid.  To  the  North  of  Afcalon  lay  A/hdod, 
called,  by  the  Greeks,  Azotus,  and  famous  for  the  Temple  of  the 
God  Dagon,  whereof  we  have  taken  Notice  before.  Still 
more  to  the  North  lay  Gath,  memorable  for  being  the  Birth- 
Place  of  the  Giant  Goliah,  whom  Da^id  Hew,  and  of  feveral 
others  of  the  fame  gigantick  Race.  It  was  difmantled  by  Ozias, 
King  offudah,  and  finally  laid  wafte  by  Hazad,  King  oi  Syria: 
However  it  recovered  itfelf,  and  retain'd  its  old  Name,  in  the 
Days  of  Eufebius,  and  St.  Jerom,  who  place  it  about  four  Miles 
from  Eleutkeropolis,  in  the  Way  to  Lidda.  The  moft  Northern 
of  thefe  Cities,  ftill  upon  the  Coaft  of  the  Mediterranean-Sea, 
was  Ekrai,  called,  by  the  Greeks,  Accaron,  a  Place  of  great 
Wealth  and  Power,  and  famous  for  the  idolatrous  Worftiip  of 

Beelzebub^ 


Chap.UI.  from  the IfratVites entering  Cznunn,  i^c.        259 

fallen  down  upon  his  Face  before  the  Ark ;  but,  fuppofing    A.  M. 
this  to  be  an  Accident,  they  fet  him  up  again,  and  again,  ^^^j.  '^.j^-'^^ 
next  Morning,  found   him   not  only  fallen  down,  but  his  iii5.  £iff. 
Head  and  the  Palms  of  his  Hands  broken  off,  and  lying  up- ^'""l^"^^' 
on  the  Threfhold  ;  whence  there  arofe  a  fuperftitious  Ufe,' 
among  the  Pbili/iines,  that  neither  Prieft  nor  People  would 
ever  f  tread  upon  his  Threlhold. 

By  this  Means  the  People  of  JJhdod  could  not  but  per- 
ceive, that  their  Dagon  was  far  inferior  to  the  God  of  Ifrael^ 
who,  to  make  them  ftill  more  fenfible  of  this,  fmote  them, 
and  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Places  adjacent,  wirh  Emerodsy 
and  deftroy'd  the  Fruits  of  their  Grounds  with  Swarms  of 
Mice-y  fo  that  (to  redrefs  their  Complaints)  the  Princes  of 
the  Phllijiines  order 'd  the  Ark  to  beremov'd  to  Gath^  where 
the  fame  Judgments  befel  the  People  of  that  Place  ;  and, 
when  from  thence  it  was  carry'd  to  Ekron,  not  only  the 
■f  Plague  of  the  Emer(tds,  but  a  wafting  Peftilence  likewife, 
R  2  went 

Beelzebub,  who  had  here  a  celebrated  Temple  and  Oracle. 
But  of  this  Idol  we  (hall  have  occafion  to  fay  more,  when  \vc 
come  to  the  Reign  of  Ahaziah,  King  of  Ju'dah,  who  fcnt  in 
his  Illnefs  to  confult  him.  Wells  %  Geography  of  the  Old  Te- 
Hament,  Vol.  II. 

f  It  is  fomewhat  ft'ange,  that  when  the  Philijiines  faw  their 
Dagon  call  down  before  the  Ark  of  God,  with  his  Head  and 
Hends  broken  off,  they  fhould  not  thence  infer,  that  he  was  no 
more  than  a  vain  Idol :  But  inftead  of  that,  we  find  them  hon- 
ouring the  very  Threfliold,  whereby  he  receiv'd  thefe  Maims,  as 
if  they  had  been  confecrated,  or  fome  Divinity  infus'd  into 
them,  from  the  mere  Touch  of  this  Idol.  This  is  a  fore  Inftance 
of  Blindnefs  and  Infatuation ;  but  it  is  no  more,  than  what 
other  Heathen  Nations  fell  into.  For,  whether  the  Cuflom 
took  its  firft  Rife  from  this  Pra£lice  of  the  Philijiines,  or  no, 
'tis  certain,  that  among  the  Romans  the  Threfhold  was  confecrated 
to  the  Goddefs  Vejia,  and  thofe,  which  belonged  to  Temples, 
were  always  held  in  the  higheft  Veneration,  as  appears  from 
Jwvenal.  ■ 

■ '   '       Tarpe'i'um  Limen  adora.  Sat.  6. 

and  that  other  Pafiage  in  Tibullus, 

Non  ego,  fi  merui,  dubitem  procumbere  Templis, 

Et  dare  Sacratis  Ofcula  Liminibus.  Lib,  i.  Eleg.  5, 

Nay,  at  this  very  Day,  there  are  fome  Mofques  in  Perfja,  whole 
Threfholds  are  cover'd  over  with  Plates  of  Silver,  and  which  the 
People  are  not  allow'd  to  tread  on ;  for  that  is  a  Crime,  which 
cannot  be  expiated  without  undergoing  very  fevere  Pains  and 
Penalties.     Calmeth  Commentary. 

•j-  The  Word  A^holim,  which  only  occur.;  here,  and  In  the 

xxviiith 


iSo  the  Hijiory  0/  /)&tf  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  ^ent  along  with  it ;  fo  that  the  People  were  refolv'd  to  fend 
Aift!'chr[ft.it  away,  and  to  that  purpofe,  call'd  their  Priefts  together  to 
7 1 16,  &c.  advife  with  them  in  what  Manner  they  might  beft  do  it. 
f''°"'  'Sam.  Xhe  Priefts  advis'd  them  to  provide  a  new  Cart,  and  to 
"  I  yoke  to  it  two  milch  Kine,  that  had  never  drawn  before, 
but  to  keep  up  their  Calves  confin'd.  In  this  Cart  they  or- 
der'd  them  to  place  the  Jrk,  and  (becaufe  it  was  proper  to 
makefome  Trcfpafs-Offering  to  the  God  of  Ifrael)  to  have 
five  *  golden  Emerods,  and  as  many  golden  Mice  (accord- 
ing to  the  Number  of  the  principal  Cities  of  the  Philijiines) 
made,  and  put  in  a  Coffer  by  the  Side  of  the  Ark.  But, 
above  all,  they  caution'd  them  to  take  Notice,  which  Way 

the 

xxviiith  Chapter  of  Deuteronomy,  is,  by  different  Interpreters, 
fuppos'd  to  fignify  different  Things.  Some  take  it  fora  Dyfentery, 
others  for  what  they  call  Procidentia  Ani ;  feme  for  a  Cancer^ 
and  others  for  fomething  Venereal  in  that  Part.  The  Scripture 
tells  us  exprefsly,  that  God  ftnote  his  Enemies  in  the  hinder  Parts, 
Pfal.  Ixxviii.  66.  And  therefore  our  Tranflation  is  not  amifs, 
which  fuppofes  their  Malady  to  have  been  fuch  painful  Tumours 
in  the  Fundament,  as  very  frequently  turn  into  Ulcers.  Patrick^ 
and  Calmefs  Commentaries. 

*  It  was  a  prevailing  Opinion  among  the  Heathens,  that 
the  only  Way  to  appeafe  their  Gods,  when  offended  at  them, 
was  to  offer  them  Prefents ; 

Munera,  crede  mihi,  capiunt  hominefque  Deofque, 

Placatur  Denis  ^a/zV^r  ipfe  datis.  Ovid,  de  Arte,  Lib.  iii. 
and  therefore  no  Wonder  that  the  Philijiines  Priefls  hit  upon 
this  Thought ;  And  why  they  fent,  along  with  the  Ark,  the  Ima- 
ges of  the  Parts,  which  were  afflified  with  this  fore  Difeafe, 
might  proceed  from  a  common  Cuftom  likewife  among  the 
Heathens,  of  confecrating  to  their  Gods  fuch  Monuments  of 
their  Deliverance,  as  reprefented  the  Evils  from  whence  they  had 
efcaped,  or  the  Members,  which  had  been  diforder'd.  Thus 
the  People  of  Athe7is,  having  been  afHifted  with  a  (hameful  Dif- 
eafe for  not  receiving  the  Myfteries  of  Bacchus  with  a  proper 
Reverence,  and  confulting  the  Oracle  what  they  were  to  do,  in 
order  to  have  it  remov'd,  were  direfted  to  make  Figures  of  the 
Part  affeded,  and  prefent  them  to  the  God,  which  gave  them 
this  Counfel  :  And  accordingly  the  Philijiines,  hoping  fhortly  to 
be  deliver'd  from  the  Emerods  and  Mice,  wherewith  they  were 
forely  infefled,  took  the  fame  Method  to  get  quit  of  them.  Nor 
is  the  Praftice  ceas'd  among  the  Indians  (as  Tanjernier  relates  in 
his  Travels,  Page  92.)  when  any  Pilgrim  goes  to  a  Paged  for 
the  Cure  ^  of  any  Difeafe,  for  him  to  bring  the  Figure  of  the 
Member  afflidted,  either  in  Gold,  Silver,  or  Copper,  according  to 
his  Quality,  and  to  ofFer  it  to  the  Idol  in  a  moll  fubmiffive  Man- 
ner,    Calmefi  and  Patrick\  Commentaries. 

*  It 


Chap.  III.    from  ibe Umdkcs  eniering  Can^zn,  C^c.      261 

the  *  Kine  went;  for,  if  they  took  towards  'Judea^  they   ^'  ^' 
might  conclude  that  thefe  Judgments  were  of  the  God  of  If-  Ant.  'chrift. 
raeV%  Inflidion,  if  any  other  Way,  they  might  look  upon  "16.  Sfo 
them  only  as  common  Occidents.  ?'^°'" '  ^""J* 

•WIT  11    1  •  1  II      XT'  t     '•totncEiid. 

When  all  thmgs  were  thus  got  ready,  the  Kme  were  ip<-.,  -,  -  _f 
go  ;  and  taking  the  Road  which  led  to  Beth/hemeth^  in  the 
Way  to  fudea^  they  went  lowing  along  until  they  came  to 
the  Field  of  one  jojhua,  and  there  flood  ftill  by  a  great 
Stone.  Bethjhemeth  was  one  of  the  Cities  belonging  to  the 
Levites,  and  therefore,  when  Word  was  brought  them  of 
the  Arrival  of  the  Ark,  they  went  and  took  it  down,  and 
the  CofFer  with  it ;  and,  cleaving  the  Wood  of  the  Cart  for 
a  Fire,  facrific'd  the  two  Kine  for  a  Burnt-Offering  to  the 
Lord.  But,  whether  out  of  Joy  or  Curiolity,  fo  it  was, 
that  fome  of  the  Bethjhemites  adventuring  to  look  into  the 
Ark  (which  was  exprefsly  againft  the  divine  Command)  were 
immediately  (lain  to  the  Number  of  feventy,  which  fo  ter- 
rify'd  the  reft,  that  they  fent  to  the  People  of  Kirjath-Jearim, 
acquainting  them  that  the  Philijiines  had  brought  back  the 
Ark,  and  defiring  them  to  come  and  fetch  it,  which  accor- 
dingly they  did,  and  plac'd  it  in  the  Houfe  of  one  Jbinadab, 
(whofe  Son  was  confecrated  to  keep  it)  and  there  it  conti- 
nu'd  for  the  Space  of  twenty  Years. 

Upon  the  Death  of  Eli^  Samuel  fucceeded  to  the  Go-SamueViCo- 
vernment ;  and  having  called  the  People  together,  very  pro'^^J^'^gw 
bably  upon  the  Occafion  of  removing  the  Ark  from  Beth- Male  Admi- 
(hemeth  to  Kirjath-jearitny  *  he  exhorted  them  very  earneftly  niftmiion. 

R  3  to 

*  It  was  no  bad  Policy  in  the  PhHiJiines  to  take  milch  Kine, 
that  had  never  been  yok'd  before,  to  draw  the  Cart,  in  order  to 
know,  whether  there  was  the  Hand  of  God  in  what  had  befallen 
them.  As  thefe  Creatures  were  unacquainted  with  the  Yoke,  it 
would  be  a  wonder  if  they  fhould  go  jointly  together,  and  not 
thwart,  or  draw  counter  to  each  other  ;  it  would  be  a  Wonder 
if  their  natural  Affedlion  would  not  incline  them  to  return  to 
their  Calves,  which  were  left  behind  ;  and  it  would  ftill  be  a 
greater  Wonder,  if,  when  there  were  fo  many  different  Ways  to 
take,  they  fhould  go  direftly  forward  to  judea,  without  any 
Manner  of  Deviation.  It  was  therefore  a  Matter  of  no  fmall 
Sagacity,  for  them  to  make  this  Experiment :  To  fay  nothing, 
that  it  was  a  receiv'd  Opinion  among  the  Heathens,  that,  in  the 
Motions  of  an  Heifer,  or  Cow  that  was  never  yok'd,  there  was 
fomething  ominous,  and  declarative  of  the  Divine  Will. 

Bos  tibi,  Phoebus  ait,  folis  occurret  in  Arvis, 

Nullum  paffa  jugum,  curvique  immunis  Aratri ; 

Hac  Ducecarpevias.  Ovid.  Metam.  lib.  iii. 

*  The  Speech,  which,  according  to  Jofephus,  Samuel  makes 

to 


2^2  rhe  Hijicry  <(f  the   BIBLE,     Book  V. 

&^b  ^'^  *°  renounce  their  idolatrous  Pra£^ices,  and  to  devote  them- 
Ant  Chrift.felves  entirely  to  the  Worfhip  of  God,  and  then  they  need 
XI 16,  &c.  not  doubt  butthathe  would  deliver  them  from  all  their  Ene- 
f\7jj^'^|^^;mies.  This  the  People  promis'd  him  faithfully  to  do;  fo 
;that  5i7rt?/^/difmifs'd  them  for  the  prefent,  but  order'd  them- 
to  meet  him  again,  within  a  certain  Time,  at  f  Mizpeh. 

Here  they  held  a  fnlemn  Faft  and  Humiliation  to  the 
Lord.  They  wept,  and  pray'd,  confefs'd  their  Sins,  of« 
fer'd  Sacrifices,  and  X  made  Libations  j  and  Samuel  took 

this 

to  the  People,  upon  this  Occafion,  is  to  this  EfFeft  :  "  Ye 

"  Men  oflfrael,  fmce  ye  find  by  Experience,  that  the  Malice 
"  of  your  Enemies  is  implacable,  and  that  your  earneft  Suppli- 
"  cations  to  God  for  Relief  are  gracioufly  receiv'd  ;  you  fhould 
"  do  well  to  confider,  that  your  Wiftiing  for  the  Freedom  you 
*•  want  will  never  do  the  Bufmefs,  without  exerting  your  Power 
••  to  the  uttermoft,  upon  the  proper  Means  of  procuring  it :  For 
*'  to  do  otherwife,  is  but  praying  one  Way  and  afting  another. 
"  Wherefore,  in  the  firft  Place,  be  careful  not  to  bring  Scandal 
"  upon  your  Profeffion  by  ill  Manners,  but  turn  yourfelves  to 
**  the  Love  and  Praftice  of  Juftice,  without  Partiality,  or  Cor- 
**  ruption.  Purge  your  Minds  of  all  grofs  AfFeftions.  Turn  to 
"  God,  call  upon  him,  adore  him,  and  honour  him  in  your 
"  Lives  and  Converfations,  as  well  as  with  your  Lips.  Do 
"  good  Things,  and  Good  will  come  on  it,  /.  e.  Liberty  and 
*'  Viflory  ;  for  thele  are  Bleffings  not  to  be  obtain'd  by  Force 
*'  of  Men,  Strength  of  Body,  or  Bands"  of  Soldiers,  but  God, 
*'  who  is  Truth  itfelE  has  promis'd  them,  as  the  Rewards  of 
"  Probity  and  Righteoufnefs,  and  you  may  depend  upon  it,  he 
f  will  never  difappoint  you."     ytnvijh  Antiq.  lib.  vi.  c.  2. 

+  The  Mizpeh  here  mention'd  (as  appears  from  the  Circum- 
ilances  of  the  Story)  muft  be  different  from  that  which  is  rc- 
jnark'd  in  the  Hiftory  oi  Jephthah.  There  is  indeed  another 
Mizpeh  menticn'd  among  the  Cities  of  "Judah  (Jolh.  xv,  38.) 
and  a  third,  among  thofe  of  Betrjamin  (Jo(h.  xviii.  26.)  Some 
are  of  Opinion,  that  thefe  two  Cities  are  one  and  the  fame,  and 
are  only  fuppos'd  to  be  two,  becaufe  they  lie  in  the  Confines  of 
each  7ribe  ;  but,  if  they  are  not  the  fame,  it  feems  moft  pro- 
bable, that  the  Mizpeh  in  the  Tribe  of  Betijamin  was  the  City, 
which  is  here  fpoken  of.  And  we  may  obferve  farther,  that,  as 
Mizpeh  is  fajd  to  be  fituated  not  far  from  Ebetr-ezer,  and  pro- 
bably on  the  Eaji,  or  North  Side  ;  fo  Shen  (if  it  be  the  Name  of 
a  Place,  and  not  rather  of  {omc  Jharp  Rock  thereabouts)  was 
fituated  not  far  from  it,  on  the  oppofite,  i.  e.  on  the  Weji,  or 
South-nveft  Side,  to  which  Bethear  muft  needs  be  contiguous. 
^#r///s  Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  III.  c.   i. 

%  The  Words  in  our  Tranflation  run  thus:-'     '      Andthej 
go.tijered  to  Mizpeh,    and  drenv  Water,  and  poured  it  out  before 

the 


Chap.  III.    from  the  IfmeJites  entering  Canaan,  ^c,    263 

this  Opportunity  to  adminifter  Juftice  among  them.     The    A.  M. 
Phi  It/fines  hearing  of  this  their  Aflembly,  took  the  Alarm,  Ant. 'chiift. 
and,  coming  upon  them  unawares,  put  them  into  no  fmall  1116,  ©•<•. 
Confternation.     Upon   Samuel's  Sacrifice  and  Interceffion ?'°^  *  ^" 
however,  God  declar'd  himfelf  manifeftly  in  Favour  of  the ,' 
Jfraelites :  For,  as  foon  as  the  Fight  began,  there  was  heard 
*  fuch  a  dreadful  Peal  of  Thunder,  as  ftruck  Terror  and 
Amazement  into  the  Enemy,  fo  that  they  betook  themfelves 
inftantly  to  Flight,  and  were  purfu'd  by  the  J/raelita  as  far 

R  4  as 

fie  Lord,  i  Sam.  vii.  6  ;  but  what  we  are  to  underftand  by  this 
Water,  the  Conjeftures  of  Commentators  have  been  very  vari- 
ous.    Some  take  thefe  Words  in  a  metaphorical  Senfe,  to  denote 
thofe  Tears  of  Contrition,   which  were  drawn,  as  it  were,  from 
the  Bottom  of  their  Hearts,  and  fell  from  their  Eyes  before  the 
Lord.     Others  think,  that  with  this  Water  they  walh'd  their 
Bodies,  (as  they  are  fuppos'd  to  have  done  upon  another  Occa- 
fion,  Exod.  xix.   lo.)  to  fignify  the  Purification  of  their   Souls 
from  the  Pollution  of  Sin.     Others,  that  they  made  ufe  of  it  to 
cleanfe  the  Ground  where  Samuel  was  to  ereft  an  Altar,    that  it 
might  not  ftand  upon  an  impure  Place.     Some  fuppofe  that  it 
was  employed  as  an  Emblem  of  Humiliation,    of  Prayer,  of 
Expiation,  of  Execration,  and  I  know  not  what  befides.     But 
the  moft  probable  Opinion  is,   that  this  Water  was,  upon  this 
Occafion,  poured  out,  by  Way  of  Libation,  before  God :    And, 
for  the  Support  of  this,  it  is  commonly  alledg'd,  that  Libations 
of  this  Kind  were  very  cuftomary  in  antient  Times  ;  that  Theo- 
phrajius,    as   he  is  cited  by  Porphyry,  (de  Abftin.  Lib.  ii.)  tells 
us,  that  the  earlieft  Libations  were  of  Water,  though  afterwards 
Honey  and  Wine  came  into  Requeft  :    that   Virgil  (.^neidiv.) 
mentions   the  Praftice  of  fprinkling   the  Water   of  the  Lake 
Anjernus  ;  and  that  Homer  (Odyff.    i2.)  remarks,  that,  for  Want 
of  Wine,    the  Companions   of  UlyJJes  pour'd  out  Water  in  a 
Sacrifice,  which  they  olFer'd  to  the  Gods.     'Tis  certain,  that 
David  poured  out  unto  the   Lord  the  Water,   which  the  three 
gallant  Men  in  his  Army  brought  hipi  from  the  Well  of  Bethle- 
hem,  at  the  Hazard  of  their   Lives,    2  Sam.  xxiii.   16.  and 
therefore,    though  the  Law  does  riot  enjoin  any  fuch  Libations 
of  Water:  yet,    fmce  there  is  no  pofitive  Prohibition  of  them, 
why  may  we  not  fuppofe,  that,  upon  this  extraordinary  Occalion, 
fomething  Angular  and  extraordinary  might  have  been  done  ? 
Patrick's  and  Calmet\  Commentaries. 

*  Jofephus  gives  us  this  Account  of  the  whole  Tranfadion  :— 
— — "  In  fomc  Places  God  fhook  the  Foundations  of  the  Earth 
**  under  the  Feet  of  the  Philijlines,  fp  that  they  could  not  ftand 
*'  without  ftaggering  :  In  others,  it  open'd,  and  fwallow'd  them 
*'  up  alive,  before  they  knew  where  they  were  j  while  the  Claps 
"  of  Thunder,  and  Flafhes  of  Fire  were  fo  violent,  that  their 
?'  very  Eyes  and  Limbs  were  fcorch'd  to  fuch  a  Degree,  that 

'♦  they 


a  64  The  Hijlory  of  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

2888.  ^f  ^^  Bethcar.  The  Truth  is,  this  was  fo  fignal  a  Viftory, 
Ant.  Chrill.  ^^^^t,  for  a  long  Time,  the  Philijiines  durft  not  appear  upon 
1 116,  ^«.  the  Frontiers  of //rflf/,  but  were  forc'd  to  reftore  the  Cities, 
i.'tTthcEn'd'  ^'hich  they  had  taken  from  them  ;  fo  that  Samuel  had  good 
iReafon  to  fet  up  a  Monument  (which  he  did  between  MtTi- 
peh  and  Shen^  calh'ng  it  Eben-ezer^  i.  e.  the  Stone  of  Help) 
in  Memory  of  fo  great  a  Deliverance. 

After  this  Adion,  the  moft  Part  of  Samuel's  Govern- 
ment was  employ'd  in  a  peaceable  Adminiftration  of  Ju- 
ftice.  For  which  Purpofe  he  took  a  Circuit  every  Year 
round  a  great  Tra£l  of  the  Country  :  But,  as  he  grew  in 
Years,  he  appointed  his  two  Sons,  y^^/and  Jbiah,  to  the 
Execution  of  that  Office,  who,  degenerating  *  from  their 
Father's  Example,  became  fuch  mercenary  and  corrupt 
yudges,  that  the  Elders  of'  Jfra el czme  in  a  Body  to  Samuel, 
complain'd  of  the  Grievances  they  lay  under,  by  Reafon  of 
his  Infirmity,  and  his  Sons  Male- Adminiftration,  and  there- 
upon demanded  to  have  the  Form  'of  their  Government 
chang'd,  and  a  King  inftituted  among  them,  as  there  was 
in  other  Nations. 

This  Demand  was  far  from  being  agreeable  to  Samuel i 
iwever  he  confulted  God  upon  it,  who  gave  him  Anfwer, 
It  he  fhould  comply  with  the  People  in  what  they  defir'd, 
notwithftanding  the  Affront  did  terminate  not  fo  much  up- 
on Samuel  as  himfelf :  But,  before  they  proceeded  to  the 
Clioice  of  a  King,  he  ordcr'd  him  to  acquaint  them  with 
what  his  Prerogatives  were,  and  what  Rights  they  might 
expedl  that  he  would  demand  from  them  ;  and  withal,  to 
inform  them,  f  that  Slavery  to  them  and  their  Children, 
Subjcdlion  to  the  meaneft  Offices,  Lofs  of  Liberty,  heavy 

Taxes, 

"  they  could  neither  fee  their  Way  before  them,  nor  handle  their 
*'  Arms."     Jewilh  Antiq.  lib.  vi.  c.   z. 

*  It  may  poffibly  be  made  a  Queftion,  why  God  did  not 
-paniih^muel,  as  he  did  E/i,  for  the  Wickednefs  of  his  Sons .? 
But  to  tnis  it  may  be  anfvvered.  That  SamucPs  Sons  were  not  fo 
bad  as  thofe  of  Eli  ;  fmce  taking  Bribes  privately  was  not  like 
openly  profaning  the  Tabernacle,  and  making  the  Worfhip  of  4 
God  contemptible.  And,  befides  this,  it  is  poffible,  that  Samuel 
might  be  ignorant  of  the  Corruption  of  his  Sons  ;  fince  he  liv'd 
at  Ramah,  ?in^^zy  :iX.  Beerjheba.     Patrici'sJ2ommenta.ry: 

f  The  Rules  of  Conduft,  which  Q'o^  prefcrlbes  to  the  Perfon, 
that  fhould  at  any  Time  be  conftituted  King  over  Ifrael,  are  of 
a  quite  different  Sort  to  thefe  Praftices.  ife  Jha^l  not  multiply 
Horjcs  to  himfelf,  neither Jhall  he  ?nultiply  Winjes  to  hitftfelf,  neither 
Jhall  he  greatly   multiply  to   himfelf  S^her   or  Gala.     He  fhall 

ivrite 


tit 


Chap.  IIT.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      165 

Taxes,  conftant  War,  and  many  other  Inconveniencies,  ^.  M. 
would  be  the  Confequence  of  a  kingly  Power.     But  f  all^nt.  chnft. 
thefe  Remonftrances  avail'd  nothing  :  The  People perfift  innKJ,  &c. 
their  Defire  of  a  King,  and  God  tells  Samuel,  that  he  will  j^'^°'5^'^|^™- 
not  fail  to  give  them  one.  :    -^    j 

The  Appearance  of  Providence  in  theEle£lion  of  their  Saui  is  ap~ 
King  was  indeed  very  remarkable.  Saul,  the  Son  of  Ki/h,P'''"'^'{^'"S 
of  the  Tribe  of  Benjamin,    was  a  very  tall,    handfome  """"^  "^ ' 
Youth  ;  and  it  fo  happening  at  this  Time,  that  fome  of  his 
Father's  Afles  being  gone  aftray,  he,  and  a  Servant  along 
with  him,  were  fent  to  look  for  them.     They  wander'd 
about  a  great  Way  without  gaining  any  Intelligence,  till 

coming 

•write  him  a  Copy  of  the  Lanu  iti  a  Book,  and  he  JJsall  read  therein 
all  the  Days  of"  his  Life,  that  he  may  learn  to  fear  the  Lord  his 
God,  and  to  keep  all  the  Words  of  this  La<zv,  and  thefe  Statutes,  to 
do  them,  that  his  Heart  be  not  lifted  up  abo<ve  his  Brethren,  and 
that  he  turn  not  afidefrom  the  Commandments,  to  the  Right-Hand, 
or  to  the  Left,  Deut.  xvii.  1 6,  i^c.  So  that  Samuel  does  not» 
in  the  Words  before  us,  define  what  are  the  juft  Rights  of  Kings, 
but  defcribes  only  fuch  Pradtices,  as  the  Kings  of  the  Eajl, 
who  were  defpotick  Princes,  and  look'd  upon  their  Subjeds  as  fo 
many  Slaves,  were  generally  accuftom'd  to  :  And  the  Prophet 
had  fome  Reafon  to  draw  a  King  in  thofe  black  Colours,  becaufe 
the  Ifraelites  defir'd  fuch  a  one  as  their  Neighbours  had,  who 
were  all  under  the  abfolute  Dominion  of  their  Princes.  Le 
Clercs  and   Calmet^s  Commentaries. 

-f-  It  is  generally  fuppos'd,  that  what  made  the  Ifraelites  fo 
urgent  at  this  Time  for  a  King,  was  a  prefent  Streight,  they 
thought  themfelves  in,  for  Want  of  an  able  Leader  :  7ov  Nahajh^ 
the  King  of  the  Amtrites,  coming  up  to  Jabejh-Gilead,  and  en- 
camping before  it,  had  put  the  Inhabitants  into  fuch  a  Fright, 
that,  without  more  to  do,  they  offer 'd  to  furrender  upon  Terms, 
telling  him,  that  they  nvould  become  Subjects  to  him,  if  he  ^would 
make  a  League  •with  them,  i  Sam.  xiy  I .  But  the  haughty 
Amorite,  in  Contempt  of  Ifrael,  let  them  know,  that,  if  he 
made  a  League  with  them,  the  Condition  thereof  fhould  be,  that 
they  Jhould  come  out  to  him,  and  let  him  thruji  out  all  their  right 
Eyes,  and  lay  it  for  a  Reproach  upon  all  Ifrael.  The  Elders  of 
Jabelh,  in  this  fad  Circumftance,  demanded  feven  Days  Refpite, 
that  they  might  fend  Meflengers  into  all  the  Coafts  of  Ifrael, 
and  if  in  that  Time  no  Succours  arriv'd,  they  would  fubmit. 
This,  it  is  thought,  was  the  Reafon  for  their  prefling  fo  hard 
upon  Samuel  at  this  Time  for  a  King ;  whereas  their  Duty  was, 
to  have  enquir'd  of  the  Lord  (as  they  had  done  at  other  Times) 
who  it  was,  that  he  would  be  pleas'd  to  conftitute  the  General  in 
this  Exigence,  ^  to  lead  out  their  Forces  againft  their  Enemies. 
HonvelPs  Hiftory,  in  the  Notes. 


266  The  Uiftory  c/  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  coming  to  Ramah,  the  Place  of  Samuel's  Refidence,  at  his 
Am^  C^Ift  Servant's  Inftigation,  he  went  to  advife  with  him  concer- 
1116,  &'<-.  ning  the  Afles.  God  had  appriz'd  Samuel  with  the  Com- 
From  I  Sam.  jj^g  of  the  Perfon  that  Day,  who  was  to  be  appointed  King; 
t.  to  the  En  .^^^^  therefore  Samuel,  when  he  faw  him,  (hew'd  him  all  the 
Refpedt,  that  was  due  to  his  future  Character.  He  took 
him  with  him  f  to  the  High- Place,  where  he  was  going 
to  facrifice ;  he  invited  him  to  feaft  with  him  upon  the 
Sacrifices,  that  were  to  be  ofFer'd  ;  and  had  invited  thirty 
Guefts  more  to  bear  him  Company.  He  feated  him  in  the 
]3igheft  Place,  and  diftinguifh'd  him  likewife  by  ordering 
the  choiceft  Dilhes  to  be  ferv'd  up  to  him.  That  Even- 
ing he  had  a  long  Conference  with  him  in  private,  and  the 
next  Morning,  as  he  was  waiting  on  him  out  of  Town, 
be  order'd  f  the  Servant  to  be  fent  before,  that  he  might 
acquaint  him  with  God's  Purpofe  of  exalting  him  to  the 
regal  Dignity;  and,  having  f  anointed  him  to  be  King  of 

Ifraely 

•f  In  feveral  Places  of  Scripture,  the  Canaanites  are  faid  to 
have  had  their  High- Places,  whereon  they  worftiipp'd  their 
Idols,  but  this  is  the  firft  Inftance  of  any  belonging  to  the  People 
of  God  ;  and  it  is  the  Opinion  of  fome  learned  Men,  that  this  i^- 
pointment  of  a  pri'vate  or  inferior  P  lace  of  Worfhip  (even  while 
the  Ark  and  Tabernacle  were  in  Being)  by  fo  great  an  Authority, 
as  that  of  Samuel,  gave  Rife  to  the  Inftitution  oi  Synagogues,  and 
Prcfcuchas  in  fo  many  Places  of  the  Kingdom  afterward^. 
Patrick'?'  Gommentary. 

f  This  was  with  Defign  to  let  Saul  underftand,  that  what  he 
was  going  to  do  was  by  the  Divine  Order  and  Appointment ;  an4 
that,  when  it  Hiould  come  to  the  calling  of  Lots,  (as  it  did  after- 
wards, I  Sa7n.  X.  20.)  he  might  perceive,  that  he  was  not  chofen 
King  by  Chance  of  a  Lot.  There  might  be  likewife  this  further 
Realon  for  SamueT^  bidding  Saul  to  fend  away  his  Servant,  viz. 
left  the  People,fufpefting  Samuel  to  dp  this  by  his  own  Will,  more 
than  by  God's  Appointment,  might  be  inclinable  to  mutiny. 
Since  this  royal  Undtion  then  was  only  defign'd  for  Saufs  private 
Satisfaftion,  it  was  necelTary  not  to  have  it  publifli'd,  before  the 
People  had  proceeded  to  a  publjckEleftion  of  their  King.  Ho^eirs 
Hiftory,  in  the  Notes.  5 

-f-  We  read  of  no  exprefs  Command  for  the  anointing  of  Kings, ' 
and  yet  it  is  plain,  from  the  Parable  oljotham,  Judg.  ix.  8.  that 
this  was  a  Cullom  two  hundred  Years  before  this  Time.  Why 
Oil,  rather  than  any  other  Liquid,  was  the  Symbol  of  convey- 
ing a  regal  Authority,  we  are  no  where  inform'd.  'Tis  true, 
that  God  direded  Mofes  to  confecrate  Aaron  to  the  High-Prieft's 
Office,  by  anointing  his  Head  with  Oil,  £aW.  xxix.  7.  But  the 
anointing  of  Kings,    v,c  may  prdume,  was  of  a  prior  Date. 

Vnciion 


Chap. III.  from  theUraeVites  enienng  Canaan,  ^c.        iSy 

Ifrael,  he  foretold  him  feveral  f  Events,  which  Ihould  be-  ^-  ^* 
fal  him,  in  his  Return  home,  in  Token  of  the  Truth  of  Ant. 'chrUt. 
his  Defignation  to  that  Office.  mfi,  epc 
Thus  Saul  wzs  appointed  King,  but  then  it  was  only?'|.°™j^'g£^* 
between  Samuel  and  himfelf.     To  make  his  Choice  and  In-  (' 
auguration  therefore  more  pubHck,  5^»Jtt^/ called  an  AfTem- 
bly  of  the  People  together  at  Mizpehy  to  which  Place  the 
Ark  of  the  Lord  was  brought,  that  they  might  with  more 
Solemnity  proceed  to  the  Election  of  a  King.     The  Me- 
thod of  their  elefting  was  this : Firft,  the  Lot  was 

caft  for  every  Tribe  feparately,  to  know  out  of  which  the 
King  was  to  be  chofen,  and  the  Lot  fell  upon  that  of  jB#«- 
jamin  :  Next,  it  was  caft  for  all  the  Families  of  this  Tribe, 
and  fell  upon  that  of  Matri :  And  laftly,  it  was  caft  for 
all  the  Perfons  of  this  Family,  and  fell  upon  Saul,  the  Son 
of  Kijht  who,  when  he  came  into  the  Affembly,  (for  he 

chofe 

VnS'ton  indeed,  in  the  Days  of  Jacob,  was  the  common  Method 
of  fetting  apart  from  common  Ufe  even  Things  inanimate,  Gtn. 
xxviii.  1 8.  and  therefore  it  may  well  be  fuppos'd,  that  Perfons 
of  fuch  Defignation,  as  Kings  were,  were  all  along  admitted  by 
the  fame  Ceremony,  which  might  be  of  Divine  Appointment, 
perhaps  at  the  firft  Inftitution  of  Government,  in  the  Antedilwvi- 
an  World,  and  thence  handed  down,  by  a  long  Tradition,  to  fu- 
ture Generatiojis.  This  Rite  of  Undlion,  in  fhorti  waa  fo  much 
the  Divine  Care,  that  we  find  God  giving  Mofes  a  Prefcription 
how  to  make  the  confecrating  Oil,  Exod.  xxx.  23.  But  tho' 
Solomon  was  anointed  with  Oil  taken  from  the  Tabernacle,  yet 
fmce  Satmtel  was  no  Prieft,  and  could  not  therefore  have  Accefs 
to  the  Tabernacle,  which  at  this  Time  was  at  fome  Diftance  from 
him,  it  is  more  reafonable  to  think  (tho'  fome  Jenui/h  Doftors 
will  have  it  otherwiie)  that  what  he  made  ufe  of,  upon  this  Occa^ 
fion,  was  no  more  than  common  Oil.     Patriek's  Commentary. 

-f-  The  Events,  which  Samuel  told  Saul  he  fhould  meet  with 
in  his  Return  home,  were  thefe  :  That,  near  RachePs  Tomb, 
he  fhould  meet  two  Men,  who  (hould  inform  him,  that  his  Fa- 
ther's Affes  were  found  again ;  that,  departing  thence,  he  would 
meet  three  Men  going  to  Bethel,  one  of  them  carrying  three 
Kids,  another  three  Cakes  of  Bread,  and  the  third  a  Bottle  of 
Wine,  and  that  they  (hould  give  him  two  Parts  thereof;  and 
that,  when  he  came  to  Geba,  (which  was  commonly  called  the 
Hill  of  God)  where  there  was  a  Garrifon  of  the  Fhiliftines,  he 
IhouM  meet  a  Company  of  Prophets  going  into  the  City,  where 
the  Spirit  of  God  IhouId  fall  upon  him,  and  he  (to  the  Wonder 
of  all,  that  Ihould  hear  him)  fhould  begin  to  prophefy  among 
them  :  All  which  Signs  happen'd  exaftly  as  Samml  had  foretold 
them,   I  Sam.  x,  2,  (^c, 


j^ 


268  Thi  Hijiory  of  the  BllM.  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.    chofe  to  be  abfent  at  the  Time  of  the  Ele<£lion)  and  had 

Ant  'chrUt.  ^^^^  recommended  by  Samuel  in  a  fhort  Speech  upon  that 

1116,  &c.  Occafion,  appear'd  fo  portly,  and  with  fo  much  Majefty, 

FrpmiSam.jj^j.  }^g  gain'd  the  Affedions  and  good  Wiflies  of  all,  ex- 

V_°_     "jccpt  fome  iQVf  diforderly  Perfons,  who  difapprov'd  of  the 

Choice,  and  (in  pure  Contempt)  refus'd  to  f  make  him 

the  ufual  Prefents ;    which  Saul  could  not  but  perceive, 

tho',  in  Point  of  Prudence,  he  thought  proper,  at  that 

Time,  f  to  overlook  it. 

Andconquert      S  JUL  had  not  been  many  Days  upon  the  Throne,  be- 

ih(  crueiKingioxe  there  happen'd  a  fit  Occafion  for  him  to  exert  himfelf. 

moSe^""'  ^ahajb^  King  of  the  Ammonites,  laid  Siege  to  f  Jabejh- 

G'tlead 

f  It  was  a  conftant  Cuftom  among  the  eajiern  Nations,  and 
is  even  to  this  Day,  whenever  they  approach'd  the  Prince,  to 
prefent  him  with  fomething  :  But  here,  in  the  Cafe  of  Saul,  at 
his  firft  Acceffion  to  the  Throne,  it  was  the  proper  Method  of 
recognizing  him.  The  Chaldee  Paraphrafe  fays,  that  they  did  not 
come  tofalutehhn,  or  njoijh  him  an  happy  Reign  :  But  this  is  the  fame 
Thing,  becaufe  the  firft  Salutation  ofFer'd  to  a  King,  was  always 
attended  with  Prefents,  which  carry'd  with  them  a  Sign  of  Peace 
and  Friendfhip,  of  Congratulation  and  Joy,  and  of  Subjeftion 
and  Obedience.     Calmet\  Commentary. 

f  In  this  Saul  afted  a  very  wife  and  politick  Part,  as  being 
unwilling  to  begin  his  Reign  with  any  Diforder  or  Tumult,  which 
his  juft  Refentment  of  fuch  an  Affront  might  perhaps  have  occa- 
iioned.  Thefe  Sons  ofBdial  (as  they  are  termed)  were,  very  like- 
ly, Perfons  of  fome  Rank  and  Quality,  and  therefore  they  def- 
pifed  Saul,  for  his  having  been  related  to  a  fmall  Tribe,  and 
fprung  from  an  obfcure  Family.  If  then  he  had  taken  Notice  of 
this  Affront,  and  not  reveng'd  it,  he  had  fhewn  himfelf  ?nean- 
fpirited;  and  if  he  had  refented  it  as  it  deferv'd,  he  might  both 
have  provok'd  a  Party  againft  him,  and,  at  his  firft  fetting  out, 
incurr'd  the  Ceiifure  of  Raflinefs  and  Cruelty :  A  Prejudice, 
which,  in  the  future  Courfe  of  his  Reign,  would  have  been  far 
from  doing  him  any  good.     Ho^veirs  Hiftory,  in  the  Notes. 

-f  This  Town  lay  on  the  Eaft-Side  of  "Jordan,  and  not  far  dif- 
tant  from  the  J?nfnoniUs,  who  befieg'd  it.  It  was  in  Being  in  the 
Times  of  Eufcbius  and  St.  Jerom,  and  was  fituate  upon  a  Hill 
about  fix  Miles  diftant  fiom  Pella,  as  one  goes  to  Gerafa.  It  is 
fometimes  in  Scripture  fimply  called  Jabejh,  and  what  the  Inha- 
bitants thereof  are  farther  remarkable  for,  is their  grate- 
ful Remembrance  of  the  Benefits  they  had  received  from  Sauly 
when,  after  his  Death,  having  heard,  that  the  Philijlines  hadfaf- 
tened  his  Body  to  the  Wall  of  Bethlhan,  ihey  ijoent  all  Night,  and 
took  the  Body  of  Saul,  a7id  the  Bodies  of  his  Sons  from  the  Wall, 
andjame  to  Jabefh,  and  burnt  them  there,  and  took  their  Bones  and 

buried 


Chap.  III.    from  the  UvsieVites  entering  Canazn,  ^c.       w.Sg 

Gilead  on  the  other  Side  of  Jordan,  and  had   fo  clofely  ^  ^-  ^ 
begirt  it,  that  the  People  ofFer'd  to  capitulate;    but  on  no ^n^ . 'cbnft. 
better  Conditions  would  he  permit  them,  than  that  each  m^,  Sfc, 
Man  ftiould  have  f  his  Right  Eye  put  out.     Hereupon  they  J^^JJ^^'^^^^^* 
fent  to  Gibeah  to  demand  Aid  of  King  Saul  f  in  the  Space  ( 
of  feven  Days,  (for  that  was  all  the  Time  allow 'd  them) 
and  he,  having  fummon'd  all  Ifrael  to  come  to  their  Af- 
fiftance  upon  Pain  of  Death,  in  a  very  Ihort  Time  had  an 
Army  of  three  hundred  Thoufand  Ifraelitss,  befides  thirty 
Thoufand  of  the  Tribe  of  Judah^  and  with  thefe  he  pro- 
mis'd  to  relieve  the  Befiegd  the  very  next  Day.     Nor  was 
he  worfe  than  his  Word:  For,  dividing  his  Army  into  three 
Parts,  and  falling  upon  the  Befiegers  about  Break  of  Day, 
he  fo  totally  routed  and  difpers'd  them,  that  fcarce  two  of 
them  were  left  together. 

This 


Buried  them  under  a  Tree  at  Jabcih,  and  fajled  fen)en  Days  ;  for 
which  they  were  highly  commended  by  Da'vid,  2  Sam.  ii.  5. 
Welhh  Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  III. 

+  The  Reafon  vi^hy  Nahajh  was  for  having  their  right  Eye  put 
out,  was  not  only  to  bring  a  Reproach  upon  Ifrael,  as  himfelf  de- 
clares, but  to  difable  them  likewife  from  ferving  in  War;  for,  as 
-  the  Manner  of  fighting  in  thofe  Days  was  chiefly  with  Bow  and 
Arrow,  Sword  and  Shield,  the  Lofs  of  tlie  Right-Eye  made  them 
incapable  of  cither  ;  becaufe,  in  Combat,  the  left  Eye  is  cover'd 
with  the  Shield,  and  in  fhooting  with  the  Bow,  'tis  ufual  to  wink 
with  it,  fo  that  depriving  them  of  their  Right  Eye  made  them 
ufelefs  in  War :  And  yet  this  barbarous  King  thought  it  not  pro- 
per to  put  out  both  their  Eyes ;  for  then  he  would  have  made  theiu 
utterly  incapable  of  doing  him  the  Service,  or  acquiring  the  Tri- 
bute for  him,  which  he  expefted  from  them.  Calmet\  Com- 
mentary. 

f  It  may  feem  a  little  ftrange,  that  this  barbarous  Prince  fliould 
be  willing  to  allow  the  Jahe/hitts  the  Refpite  of  feven  Days,  but 
Jofephus  affigns  this  Reafon  for  it,  'viz.  that  he  had  fo  mean  an 
Opinion  of  the  People,  that  he  made  no  Difficulty  to  comply 
with  their  Requelt.  Saul  indeed  had  been  appointed  King,  but 
having  not  as  yet  taken  upon  him  the  Government,  he  liv'd,  jult 
as  he  did  before,  in  a  private  Condition,  i  Sam.  xi.  5.  So  that 
had  he,  upon  this  Notice,  endeavour'd  to  levy  an  Army,  he  could 
fcarce  think  it  poffible  to  be  done,  in  fo  (hort  a  Space  as  feven 
Days ;  and  therefore  he  thought  he  might  grant  them  thefe  Con- 
ditions v/ithout  any  Danger,  and  without  driving  them  to  Defpc- 
ration,  as  he  might  have  done,  had  lie  denied  them  their  Requcil. 
Patrick^  Commentary. 


270  *The  Hifiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.        This  Victory,  t  and  the  Deliverance  which  it  procur'd 
Ant\h°iift.  ^'■***^  ^  barbarous  and  infulting  Enemy,  rais'd  their  new 
1116,  &f.  King's  Fame  to  fuch  a  Degree,  that  fome,    remembring 
From  iSam.  ^q  Indignities  that  were  put  upon  him  at  his  Coronation^ 
*''°^  _    ;  were  (in  the  Height  of  their  Zeal)  for  having  them  now 
^'    punifti'd  with  Death  j  but  Saul  very  prudently  oppos'd  the 
Motion,  and  exprefs'd  his  Averfion  to  have  the  Glories 
of  that  Day  fully'd  with  the  Blood  of  any  of  his  Subjects. 
From  this  Viftory  however  Samuel  took  Occafion  to 
give  thofe,  who  had  hitherto  refus'd  their  Allegiance,  an 
Opportunity  of  coming  in,  and  recognizing  the  King ;  and 
for  that  Purpofe  order'd  a  general  Meeting  at  Gtlgal  to 
confirm  Saul's  Election }  which  accordingly  was  celebra- 
ted with  Mirth  and  Joy  between  both  King  and  People, 
as  well  as  with  Sacrifices  and  Thankfgivings  to  God,  as  the 
Author  of  all  their  Succefles. 
Samuel'i  SAMUEL  was,  at  this  Time,  to  refign  the  Govern- 

Sfeecb  up»n  jnent  entirely  into  the  Hands  of  Saul ;  and  therefore  ia 
\iL oftb'  the  Speech,  which  he  made  upon  this  Occafion,  he  infift- 
CovtrnniintieA  not  z  little  upon  the  Vindication  of  his  own  Admini- 
ftration.  He  reminded  them  of  the  great  Tranfgreflions, 
which  they  and  their  Forefathers  had  committed  ;  he  feC 
before  them  the  Bleffings  consequent  upon  their  Obedience, 
and  the  Judgments,  which  would  certainly  attend  their 
Difobedience  to  the  Laws  of  God  ;  he  gave  them  to  un- 
derftand,  that  they  had  been  *  far  from  doing  an  accepta^ 

ble 

•j-  Jofephus  acquaints  us,  that  Saul  did  not  content  himfelf 
with  barely  relieving  Jabejh,  but  carry'd  on  a  War  againft  the 
Ammonites,  flew  their  King,  laid  wafte  their  Country,  cnrich'd 
his  Army  with  Spoils,  and  brought  the  People  fafe  and  viftorious 
to  their  Homes  again,     Jeivijh  Antiq.  lib.  vi.  c.  6. 

*  That  Part  of  the  Speech,  which  Jofephus  introduces  Samuel, 
as  making  to  the  People,  and  complaining  of  their  Importunity 
for  a  Change  of  Government,  is  conceiv'd  in  thefe  Terms :  ■  ■ 
"  What  fhould  you  chufe  another  King  for,  after  the  Experience 
*•  of  fo  many  fignal  Mercies,  and  miraculous  Deliverances,  while 
"  you  were  under  God's  Proteftion,  and  own'd  him  for  your 
"  Governor  ?  You  have  forgotten  the  Story  of  your  Forefather 
"  Jacoh\  coming  into  Egypt  with  only  feventy  Men  in  his  Train, 
"  and  purely  for  want  of  Bread;  how  God  provided  for  them, 
*'  and,  by  his  Bleffing,  how  they  increas'd  and  multiply 'd.  You 
"  have  forgotten  the  Slavery  and  Oppreffion  they  groaned  under, 
"  till,  upon  their  Cries  and  Supplications  for  Relief,  God  refcu'd 
"  them  himfelf,   without  the  Help  of  Kings,    by  tlx  Hands  of 

«  Moftt 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Undkes  eniering  Canaan,  &c.     271 

ble  Thing  to  God,  in  rejecting  his  Government,  and  de-    A  M. 
firing  a  King;    and  (that  they  might  not  think,  that  he  ^^j^ /thrift, 
mention'd  this  out  of  any  Prejudice,  or  indeed  without  a  1116,  &r-c. 

divine  Diredion)  he  gave  them  this  Sign  : That  God  f '^"'J^^l'^^ 

would  immediately  fend  a  Storm  of  Thunder  and  Rain, .  -.^.^f 
which,  in  the  fTime  of  Wheat  Harveji  (as  it  was  then) 
Was  a  Thing  very  unufual ;  and  this  coming  to  pafs  ac- 
cording to  his  Predidion,  fo  terrify'd  the  People,  that 
they  acknowledg'd  their  Offence,  and  intreated  Samuel  to 
intercede  for  them  ;  which  he  not  only  promised  them  to 
do,  but  to  affift  them  likewife  with  his  beft  Inflrudions, 
fo  long  as  they  adher'd  to  the  Obfervation  of  God's  Laws; 
but  if  they  defpis'd  them,  they  were  to  expe6l  to  be  de- 
ftroy'd,  both  they  and  their  King. 

After  this  Vidtory  over  the  Ammonites ^  Saul,  in  the  Saul's  r;ao- 
fecond  Year  of  his  Reign,  difbanded  all  his  Army,  except  J'j^jJJ'^'*^ 
three  Thoufand  Men,  two  of  which  he  kept  for  his  Body- 
Guard,  and  the  other  Thoufand  were  to  attend  his  Son 
Jonathan ;    who,  being  a  Prince  of  great  Bravery,    had 

taken 

MofeszxA  Aaron,  who  brought  them  out  o?  Egypt  into  the  I  and 
you  are  now  pofTefs'd  of.  How  can  you  then  be  ib  ungrateivil 
now,  after  fo  many  Bleffings  and  Benefits  receiv'd,  as  to  de- 
part from  the  Reverence  and  Allegiance,  you  owe  to  fo  pow- 
erful and  fo  merciful  a  Proteftor  ?  How  often  have  you  been 
deliver'd  up  into  the  Hands  of  your  Enemies  for  your  Apofta- 
cyand  Difobedience,  and  as  often  afterward  reftor'd  to  God's 
Favour,  and  your  Liberty,  upon  your  Humiliation  and  Re- 
pentance? Who  was  it  but  God,  that  gave  you  Viflory  firil 
over  the  AJfyrians,  then  over  the  Ammonites,  and  then  over  the 
Moabites,  and  laft  of  all  over  the  Fhilijlines,  not  by  the  Influ- 
ence and  Direftion  of  Kings,  but  under  the  Condudt  of  Jeph- 
thah  and  Gideon  ?  What  Madnefs  has  poflefs'd  you  then,  to 
abandon  an  heavenly  Governor  for  an  earthly,  &c."  Jeivijh 
"  Antiq.  Hb.  vi.  c.  6 

-f-  It  is  an  Obfervation  of  St.  Jerom,  that  this  Harveft  in  Ju" 
dea  began  about  the  End  of  Jtme,  or  the  Beginning  of  July,  m 
which  Seafon  Thunder  and  Rain  was  never  known,  but  only  in 
the  Spring  and  Autumn  the  one  called  the  former,  and  the  other 
the  latter  Rain  ;  and  tlierefore  Samuel  by  this  Preamble,  h  it  not 
IVheat  Harveji  to  Day?  Chap.  xii.  17.  meant  to  fignify  the 
Greatnefs  of  the  Miracle,  God  was  going  to  work ;  that  he 
could,  in  an  Inftant,  and  in  a  Time,  when  they  leafl:  of  all  expec- 
ted it,  deprive  them  of  all  the  Comforts  of  Life,  as  they  jullly 
deferv'd,  for  their  rejecting  him  and  his  Prophet,  who  was  fo 
powerful  with  him,  as,  by  his  Prayers,  to  produce  fuch  Wonderf-. 
Patrick's,  Cal/ngfi,  and  Lc  Clcrc's  Commentaries. 


272  The  Hillory  of  the  ^  I  "^^  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  taken  an  Opportunity,  and  cut  off  a  Garrifon  of  the  Phi- 
Aut^  Chiift  ^yi^nes  in  f  Geba^  which  in  EfFed  was  a  Declaration  of 
1116,  ere.  War. 

From  iSam.      Xhe  Philijllnes^  upon  this  Occafion,  rais'd  a  very  pow- 
i.  totheEnd.  ^^^^j  ^^^^^  ^^^^^  confifted  of  X  three  Thoufand  Chariots, 
fix  Thoufand  Horfe,  and  a  Multitude  of  Foot  almoft  innu- 
merable, and  came  and  encamp'd  at  %  Michmajh.     The 

Ifraelitijh 

•f-  Among  the  Cities  of  Benjamin,  mentioned  in  Jojhua  xviii. 
24,  ^c.  we  read  of  Gaba,  Gibeah,  and  Gibeon  ;  and  in 
Jofiua  xxi.  17.  we  read,  that  the  two  Cities,  given  to  the  Chil- 
dren of  Aaron,  Out  of  the  Tribe  of  Benjamin,  were  Gibeon  and 
Geba',  whence  it  is  not  to  be  doubted,  but  that  Gaba,  mention'd 
in  the  xviiith  Chapter,  was  the  fame  with  Geba,  that  we  read  of 
in  Chap.  xxi.  But  then  it  will  no  ways  follow,  that  this  Geba,  or 
Gaba,  is  the  fame  with  Gibeah,  becaufe  this  Gibeah  was  the 
royal  City  where  Saul  dwelt,  and  is  therefore  exprefsly  called 
Gibeah  of  Saul ;  and  for  that  Reafon  it  cannot  be  fuppos'd,  that 
the  Fhilijiines,  at  this  Time,  had  a  Garrifon  there.  Wells's  Geo- 
graphy of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  III. 

X  The  Words  in  the  Original,  and  in  our  Tranflation,  arc 
thirty  Thoufand;  but  the  Syriack  and  Arabic k  Verlions  (which 
we  have  thought  proper  to  follow)  make  them  no  more  than  three 
thoufand:  And  indeed  whoever  confiders,  that  Pharaoh,  King  of 
Egypt,  when  he  had  mufter'd  all  his  Forces  together,  could  bring 
no  more  than  fix  hundred  of  thefe  Chariots  into  the  Field,  and 
all  the  other  Princes,  whofe  Equipages  are  related  in  Scripture, 
much  fewer,  muft  needs  think  it  a  Thing  incredible,  that  the  Phi- 
lijiines,  out  of  their  fmall  Territories,  which  extended  no  farther 
than  the  two  Tribes  of  Simeon  and  Dan,  along  the  Coafts  of  the 
Mediterranean-Sea,  could  ever  be  able  to  raife  fo  vaft  an  Arma- 
ment ;  no,  nor  all  the  Nations,  that  they  could  poffibly  call  in  to 
their  Affiftance.  For  befides  that,  in  the  Account  of  all  Armies, 
the  Ca<valry  is  always  more  numerous  than  the  Chariots  of  War, 
^which  is  different  here)  the  largeft  Armies,  that  we  ever  read  of, 
were  able  to  compafs  a  very  few  of  thefe  Chariots,  in  Compari- 
fon  of  the  Number  here  fpecify'd.  Mithridates,  in  his  vaft  Army, 
had  but  Si  hundred ;  Darius  but /if  0;  and  Antiocbus  Epiphanes 
(2  Mac.  xiii.  2.)  but  three.  So  that  we  muft  either  fay,  that  the 
Tranfcribers  made  a  Miftake  in  the  Hebrenjj  Copy,  or  (with  fome 
other  Commentators)  fuppofe,  that  this  thirty  Thoufand  Chariots, 
were  not  Chariots  of  War,  but  moft  of  them  Carriages  only,  for 
the  Conveyance  of  the  Baggage  belonging  to  fuch  a  vaft  Multitude 
of  Men,  or  for  the  Deportation  of  the  Plunder,  they  hop'd  to 
be  Mafters  of  by  having  conquer'd  the  Country.  Le  Clerc's 
Commentary,  and  Univerfal  Hiftory. 

X  Eufebius  and  St.  Jcrom  inform  us,  that,  in  their  Time,  there 
was  a  large  Town  of  this  Name,   lying  about  nine  Miles  from 

JerufaUm, 


Chap.  in.    from  the  \(rzt\itt^enkringQ2inzdiX\^&c.        271 

Ifraelitijh  Army,  which  was  to  rendezvouz  at  Gilgal^  came    A.  M. 
in  but  very  flowly,  and  of  thofe  that  did,  feveral  were  fo^nf  qj^jJ^, 
faint-hearted,  as  to  hide  themfelves  in  the  Rocks  and  Caves;  n  16,  fife 
and  others,  thinking  themfelves  never  fafe  enough,   retir'd.^^""!'^- 
even  beyond  the  Jordan.     The  Truth  is,  that  both  Prince  ( 
and  People  were  fadly  intimidated,  bccaufe  Samuel^  whofe 
Company  at  this  Juncture  was  impatiently  expciled,  was 
not  yet  come  j    fo  that  the  King,   fearing  that   the  Enemy 
would  fall  upon  him  before  he  had  made  his  Addreflei  to 
Ood  for  Succefs,  order'd  Sacrifices  to  be  made ;    and   the 
Burnt-Offering  was  juft  finilh'd,  when  News  was  brought 
him,  (hat  Samuel  was  arriv'd. 

SAMUEL  had  told  him  beforehand,  that,  by  the  Fx- 
piration  of  feven  Days,  he  would  not  fail  to  meet  him  at 
Gilgal ;  and  therefore,  being  ofFended  at  his  Diffidence  and 
Impatience,  he  not  only  fharply  rebuk'd  him,  but  declar'd 
Jikewife  that  God,  by  this  Way  of  Proceeding,  would  in 
Time  be  provok'd  to  remove  the  Kingdom  from  him  and 
his  Pofterity,  and  give  it  to  another,  that  better  deferv'd 
jt ;  and  fo,  having  left  GilgaL  he  went  to  Gibeah  ;  whi- 
ther Saul  and  his  Son  Jonathan  follow'd  him,  with  a  fmall 
Army  of  about  fix  Thoufand,  and  hefe  fo  badly  provided 
for  Adtion,  that  they  had  no  Manner  of  Weapons,  but 
what  they  could  make  out  of  their  working  Tools.,  becaufe 
the  Philijfiines  would  not,  at  that  Time,  *  permit  fo  much 
as  a  Smith  to  live  among  them. 

Whilk 

Jerufalem,  near  Ramah ;  and  the  Text  tells  us,  that  it  was 
eajinuard from  Beth-aven.  Now  Beth-a^ven,  which  fignifies  the 
Houfe'of  Ifiiquiiy,  is  fuppos'dto  be  the  fame  with  Bethel,  and  was 
fo  called,  after  that  Jeroboam,  the  Son  of  Nebat,  had  fet  up  his 
golden  Calves  to  be  worihipp'd  here  :  But,  as  Bethel  lay  to  the 
Eaft  of  Michmajh,  and  not  Michmajh  to  the  Eaft  of  Bethel,  as 
the  Text  feems  to  fay,  the  Tranflation  fhould  be,  that  they  en- 
camped at  Michmajh,  ha'ving  Beth-aven  on  the  Eaji,  i.  e.  they 
feiz'd  on  that  Poll,  which  Saul  had  before  in  Mich?noJh,  on  Mount 
Bethel,  Ver.  2.  Calmeis  Commentary. 

*  The  Precaution  which  the  Philijiines  took  to  hinder  the 
Ifraelites  from  providing  themfelves  with  Weapons,  is  no  more 
than  what  other  Conquerors  have  done  to  the  Nations  they  have 
vanquifh'd.  Porfenna,  when  he  made  Peace  with  the  Romans,  re- 
ftrain'd  them  from  the  Ufe  of  all  Iron,  but  wliat  was  neceffary  in 
the  Tillage  of  their  Ground.  Cyrus,  when  he  fubdu'd  the  Lydi- 
ans,  for  Fear  of  a  Revolt,  took  from  them  the  Ufe  of  Arms,  and, 
inftead  of  a  laboridus  Life  Ipent  in  War,  fufterUtheni  to  fmk  in- 
to 

Vol.  III.  S 


274  'The  Hiftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V» 

A.  M.  While  the  Phllijllne  Army  lay  at  Mlchmajhy  they  fent 
Ant  'chtift.  o^^  Parties  feveral  Ways  to  ravage  the  Country,  and  met 
1116,  &c.  with  no  Manner  of  Oppofition  ;  till  Jonathan,  accompa- 
From  iSam.  py'j  ^\^\^  ^  Yi[^  Armour-Bearcr  only,  found  Means  to  af- 
■  °  '  "^  I  cend  a  fteep  Rock,  where  the  Enemy  leaft  of  all  expected 
an  Invafion,  and  fo  falling  upon  them  unawares  in  a  fhort 

Time 


to  Softnefs  and  Luxury,  fo  that  they  foon  loft  their  antient  Va- 
lour :  And  (to  inftance  in  one  Prince  more)  Nebuchadnezzary 
when  he  had  made  himfelf  Matter  of  Judea,  took  along  with 
him  into  Babylon  all  the  Craft/men  and  Smiths,  that  the  pooreji  of 
the  People,  nuhichhe  left  behind,  might  be  in  no  Condition  to  rebel, 
2  Kings  xxiv.  1 4  The  only  Wonder  is,  why  the  Ifraelites,  after 
they  had  regained  their  Liberty,  under  the  Government  of  Samuely 
and  given  the  P hi li dines  fo  total  an  Overthrow  at  Eben-eiter,  did 
not  reftore  thefe  Artificers,  and  fo  provide  themfelves  with  pro- 
per Arms  againft  the  next  Occafion  ?  But,  befides  the  extream 
Sloth  and  Negligence,  which  appears  in  the  Ifraehtes  whole  Con- 
duct during  this  Period,  it  was  not  fo  eafy  a  Matter,  in  fo  fhort 
a  Time,  to  recover  a  Trade  that  was  loft ;  efpecially  among 
a  People,  that  had  no  Iron  Mines,  and  were  fo  wholly  addided 
to  the  Feeding  of  Cattle,  that  they  made  no  Account  of  any 
mechanical  Arts.  In  the  famous  Viftory,  which  they  gain'd  over 
Sifera,  we  are  told ,  that  there  ivas  not  a  Shield  or  Spear  feen 
among  ffty  Thcufand  Men  of  Ifrael,  Judg.  v.  8.  but,  notwith- 
ftanding  this,  they  had  Bows  and  Arrows,  and  Slings,  which  the 
Men  oi  Gtbeah  could  manage  to  a  wonderful  Advantage,  Judg. 
XX.  16.  And  befides  thefe,  the  Ifraelites,  upon  this  Occafion, 
might  convert  their  Inftruments  of  Hufbandry,  their  Hatchets, 
their  Spades,  their  Forks,  their  Mattocks,  iffc.  into  Inftruments 
of  War  ;  a  much  better  Shift  than  what  we  read  of  fome,  who, 
in  antient  Times,  had  no  other  Arms  than  Clubs,  and  fharpened 
Stakes  harden'd  in  the  Fire. 

——-Non  jam  certamine  agrefti 
Stipitibus  duris  agitur,  Sudibufque  praeuftis. 

Virgil,  ^neid  7. 
■\  This  Aftion  of  Jonathans,  confider'd  in  itfelf,  was  doubt- 
lefs  a  very  rafh  Attempt,  and  contrary  to  the  Laws  of  War,  which 
prohibit  all  under  Command  (as  he  was)  from  engaging  the  Ene- 
my, or  entring  upon  any  Enterprize  without  the  GeneraPa  Order ; 
but  what  may  very  juftly  be  faid  in  Excufe  of  it  is,— ——That  he 
had  a  Divine  Incitation  to  it,  which  he  might  probably  feel  upon 
the  Sight  of  the  Philiftines  appearing  as  if  they  intended  to  af- 
fault  Gibeah,  and  upon  the  Information,  which  he  might  receive, 
of  the  great  Spoil  which  the  three  Parties  made  of  the  poor  Peo- 
ple in  the  Country.    Patrick^  Commentary. 


Chap.  III.  frofnihe  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.         275 

Time  killed  about  twenty  of  them ;    which  put  the  reft  f   ^-  M. 
into  fuch  a  Confternation,    that,  miftrufting  Friends  for  \^^_  ^c^x'ii 


Foes,    they  began  to  flaughter  and   deftroy  one  another.  iii5,  g^c 
Saul  had  foon  Intelligence  of  this  Diforder  in  the  Enemy's  ^"'"*^^^- 
Camp,  and  therefore,  willing  to  make  the  moft  of  fuch  an 
Opportunity,  he  got  together  what  Forces  he  could,  and 
fell  upon  the  Philijiines  with  fuch  Fury,    that  he  totally 
routed  and  defeated  them. 

In  the  Heat  of  the  Chace,  he  caus'd  Proclamation  to 
be  made,  that  (upon  Pain  of  Death)  none  fhould  dare  to 
eat  any  Thing  until  it  was  Night,  that  the  Slaughter  of 
the  Enemy  might  not  be  retarded.  But  herein  he  defea- 
ted his  own  Purpofe  j  for  the  People,  for  Want  of  Re- 
frefliment,  grew  faint  in  the  Purfuit,  fo  that  the  Enemy 
efcap'd  into  their  own  Country  :  And  (what  was  another 
grievous  Confequence  of  this  InterdiSf)  his  Son  Jonathan^ 
who  had  been  abfent  when  the  Proclamation  was  made, 
had  like  to  have  fallen  a  Sacrifice  to  his  Father's  rafl}  Vow^^ 
merely  for  eating  a  little  Honey,  when  he  was  ready  to 

S  2  die 

•f-  How  two  Men  could  put  the  whole  Army  into  fuch  a  Con- 
fternation, may  feem  fomewhat  extraordinary  ;    but  it  Ihould  be 
coniider'd,  that  Jonathan  and  his  Armour-bearer,  climbing  up  a 
Way,  that  was  never  attempted  before,  might  come  upon  them 
Unawares,  and  furprize  them ;   that  this  Aftion  might  happen  (as 
Joftphus  thinks)  early  in  the  Morning,  when  a  great  Part  of  the 
jPhiliJiines  Army  was  afleep  ;  that  even,  had  they  been  all  awake, 
yonathan  niight  have  fo  polled  himfelf,  (  as   Horatius  Codes  did 
on  a  Bridge)  as  to  be  able  to  maintain  his  Pafs  againft  all  the  Force 
of  the  Enemy  ;  that  thofe,  who  made  at  hiin,  (as  only  one  per- 
haps could  at  a  Time)  he  with  one  Stroke  might  lay  flat  on  the 
Ground,  and  his  Armour-bearer  immediately  difpatch  them ;  that 
the  reft,  feeing  them  aft  thus  intrepidly,  might  take  them  for  two 
Scouts,  or  Vancurriers  only  of  a  great  Army,    that  was  coming 
up,   and  ready  to  fall  upon  them ;    that  the  Army  of  the  Philif- 
tines,  being  made  up  of  different  Nations,  might  be  in  the  greater 
Confufion,  as  either  not  underftanding,  or  elfe  fufpefting  one 
another;  and  (whatmight  compleat  their  Confternation)  that  God 
at  this  Time  might  {end  3.  panici  Fear  upon  them,  which,  when- 
ever he  does  it,  (even  in  the  Opinion  of  Heathens  th(pmfelves)  is 
enough  to  make  the  Stouteft  tremble,  and  the  moft  heroick  Spi- 
rits betake  themfelves  to  Fhght.  ' 
Ev  yxp   ZuifjLovi'oiat  (^6e:)tq 

ilfeoyovlM  x,',  TctiSe^  Qemv.  P  I  N  n .    Nemea  9. 

*  When  Sau/  told  his  Son  Jonathan,  that,  for  eating  this 
Honey,  contrary  to  his  Interdift,  he  Ihould  furely  die,  becaufs 
the  Reiierence,  luhicb  he  had  for  his  Few,  luas  mors  to  him  thm, 

all 


276  7he  Eiftory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

8^8  ^  ^'^  ^'^^  Hunger,  had  not  the  People  interpos'd,  and  plea- 
Ant.  Chrift  ^^^  *^^  Merit  of  that  young  Prince  to  whom  the  Honour 
II i6,  &>c,  of  the  Day  was  chiefly  owing. 

^"TeS'      After  this  Victory,  ^aul\\A'6.  the  Kingdom  with  an 
^  -       _i  higher  Hand,  and  repuls'd  his  Enemies  wherever  they  af- 
fail'd  him.     He  had  indeed  a  very  large  and  flourifhing  Fa- 
mily.    Ahinoam^  the  Daughter  of  Jhimaazi  was  his  Wife ; 
'Jonathan^  Ifhui,  and  Melchijhua  were  his   Sons ;    Michal 
and  Merab  his  Daughters ;  Abner^  his  Coufin-german,  was 
General  of  his  forces  ;    and,    as  himfelf  was  a   warlike 
Prince,  God  made  choice  of  him  to  put  in  Execution  a 
Sentence,  {b)  which,  many  Years   before,  he  had  decreed 
againft  the  Amalekites^  for  their   oppofmg  the  Ifraeiites  in 
their  PafTage  out  of  the  Land  of  Egypt, 
jind  ever  the     His  Commiffion  was  utterly  to  deftroy  the  Amalekites^ 
Amalekites3Men,  Women,  and  Children,  and  to  leave  not  fo  much  as 
iuitisDif-  Qne  Creature  of  any  Kind  alive:  But,  inftead  of  executing 
*^^  j'T '"„- this  according  to  the  Letter  of  the  Precept,  *  hefav'd  Agag 
then  all.      their   King,  and  the   befl  of  the  Cattle  alive  j  and  when 

Samvel 

all  the  Kindred  and  Tendernefs  of  Nature,  yofephus  introduces  the 
Son  making  his  Father  an  Anfvver,  not  unlike  that  which  Jeph- 
thah\  Daughter,  upon  a  like  Occafion,  return'd  to  him  :  "  That 
"  Death,  fays  he,  fhall  be  welcome  to  me,  which  acquits  my 
"  Father  of  the  Obligation  of  a  religious  Vow,  and  only  befals 
*'  me,  in  Coiifequence  of  fo  glorious  a  Vidlory  to  him,  that  gave 
"  me  Being.  I  have  liv'd  long  enough,  fmce  I  have  liv'd  to  fee 
"  the  Pride  and  Infolence  of  the  Philijlines  brought  down  by  the 
"  Hebrenxis,  which  will  ferve  me  for  a  Confolation  in  all  my  other 
"  Sufferings."  And  the  HiftOrian  tells  us  farther,  that  the  whole 
Multitude  was  fo  charm'd  with  the  Piety  and  Bravery  of  the 
young  Man,  that,  in  an  Extafy  of  Tendernefs  and  Compaffion, 
they  took  him  away  out  of  the  Hands  of  his  incens'd  Father, 
with  an  Oath,  that  they  nxiould  not  fuffer  an  Hair  of  that  Perfoti's 
Head  to  be  touched,  njoho  had  beenfo  injirumental  in  a  ViSlory,  that 
tended  to  the  Prefervation  of  thetn  all.     Antiq.  lib.  vi.  c.  7. 

{b)  Vid.  Exod.  xvii.  8,  &€.  and  Deut.  xxv.  17,  ^c. 

*  Jofephus  feems  to  hint,  that  Saul  fav'd  this  Amalekite  King 
alive,  becaufe  he  was  taken  with  the  Comelinefs  and  Majefty  of 
his  Perfon  ;  but  others  rather  think,  that  he  intended  him  to  de- 
corate his  Triumph.  For  when  it  is  faid  of  Saul,  that  he  came 
to  G<jr/«f/ after  this  Vidlory,  2.tA  fet  hi}n  up  a  Place,  \  Sam.  xv. 
1 2.  the  Word  Jab,  they  fay,  will  fignify  an  Arch,  as  well  as  any 
Thing  elfe  ;  and  thence  tliey  conclude,  that  Saul\  Purpofe  was 
to  ereft  a  triumphal  Arch,  in  Memory  of  his  Defeat  of  the 
Amalckitcs  ;  and  that  he  kept  their  King  alive  to  be  led  captive  in 
that  magnificent  Proceffion,  wherein  he  was  to  make  aDifplay  of 
his  Viftory.     Calmefi  Commentary. 


Chap.  III.    from  the  Urzt\itt%  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     277 

Samuel  came  to  expoftulate  the  Matter  with  him,  his  Pre-    A.  m. 
tpnce  was,  that  what  he  had  fpar'd  was  in  pure  Refpcft  to  ^^^^  'chrift. 
God,  in  order  to  have  them  offer'd  to  him  in  Sacrifice.  1 116   &c. 
But  Samuel^  who  knew  very  well,  that  this  Referve  was  .^^°™ '  ^^'"• 
made  out  of  a  Principle  of  Avarice,  more  than  Devotion,  i_  —  — "j 
lirft  laid  before  him  the  Iniquity  of  his  Condudl,  and  then 
declar'd  to  him  God's  immoveable  Purpofe  of  alienating  the 
Kingdom   from  his  Family  ;  which  made  fo  deep  an  Im- 
preffion  upon   him,  that  he  acknowledg'd  his  Fault,  in- 
treated  the  Prophet  (who  was  going  abruptly  to  leave  him^ 
to  ftay,  and  make  Interceffion   for  him,  and  fo  far  to  ho- 
nour him  before  the  People,  (from  whom  he  apprehended 
a  Revolt)  as  to  join  with  him  in  Worfhip  to  God,  which 
Samuel  confented    to  do ;    But,  before   he  departed,  he 
order'd  j^gag  (who  by  this  Time  began  to  hope  for  Mercy) 
to  be  brought   forth  to  him,  and  himfelf,  with  his  own 
Hands,  fell  upon  him,  and  flew  him. 

This  was  the  laft  Interview,  which  Samuel  had  with  David  ;'» ««, 
Saul\  for,  after  this  Adion,  he  retir'd  to  his  Houfe  at*'""f^/^"J 
Ramah,  where  (tho'  he  vifited  Saul  no  more)  he  ceas'd'" 
not  to  lament  the  fad  Condition,  into  which  he  was  fal- 
len. It  was  not  long  however  before  God  awoke  him 
out  of  his  penfive  Mood,  and  fent  him  to  Bethlehem,  un- 
der Colour  of  facrificing  there,  to  anoint  David,  the  Son 
of  fefje.  King  and  Succeflbr  to  Saul.  Jejfe  had  eight 
Sons,  and,  when  5^7Wtt^/ came  to  his  Houfe,  feven  of  them 
were  brought  before  him.  Eliab,  the  eldeft,  was  a  goodly 
Perfonage,  and  him  the  Prophet  fuppos'd  at  firft  Sight  to 
have  been  the  Perfon,  whom  God  had  pitch'd  upon  to  fuc- 
ceed  Saul;  but  being  inftru6led  otherwife,  and,  upon  En- 
quiry, finding  that  Jcjfe  had  another  Son,  who,  at  that 
Time,  was  in  the  Fields  keeping  the  Sheep,  he  order'd 
him  to  be  fent  for  ;  and,  as  he  was  a  very  fair  and  beauti- 
ful Youth,  immediately  upon  his  entering  the  Room,  he 
perceiv'd  that  he  was  the  Perfon,  whom  God  had  made 
Clioice  of ;  and  accordingly  he  took  an  Opportunity,  and 
%  fingling  him  out  from  the  reft  of  his  Brethren,  pour'd 

S3  Oil 

X  Our  Tranflation  fays,  that  Samuel  anointed  him  in  the  Midji 
of  his  Brethren,  and  for  this  it  is  pretended,  that,  as  this  Unftion 
was  a  folemn  Aft,  and  the  only  Title  which  Dai>id  had  to  the 
Kingdom,  it  was  neceflary  to  have  it  done  in  the  Prefence  of 
fome  Witnefles,  for  which  Purpofe  none  were  more  proper,  than 
thofe  of  his  own  Family.     But  it  is  plain,  from  his  Brother 

Eliah\ 


27^  "The  Hifhry  of  the  BIB  L  E,    Book  V: 

888  ^f  ^^  °"  ^'^  Head,  and  anointed  him  King.  Nor  was  the 
Ant. 'ckift.^^''^"^°"y  "^"^'^^^  '  fo*"*  from  that  Time  forward,  David 
1116,  sc.  found  himfelf  inwardly  poffefs'd  with  a  Spirit  of  Wifdom, 
FromiSam.^  J  Prudence,  and  Courage,  and  other  Qualifications  both 

I.  to  the  End.    ^„,  .i^/r-i       ,         °  -r       ■        Ti  •         * 

it__        ,__^ot  Jtsody  and  M\nd,  that  are  requilite  m  a  rrince  *. 
Saul  frcwi       SMIL,,  in  the  mean  Time,  declin'd  more  and  more  in 
*^'''A7^d^f  *^^  Favour  of  God  ;  and,  as  he  was  naturally  of  a  timorous 
^,,-(j",' /^!^and  fufpicious  Temper,  an  unhappy  Turn  of  Mind  grew 
to  him,       upon   him,  and  fettled  at  laft  in  a  confirm'd  Melancholy ^ 
but  fuch  an  one,  as  was  frequently  attended  with  violent 
Perturbations,  and  fometimes  with  direft  Frenzy.     In  this 
Condition,  fome  of  his  Courtiers  advis'd  him  to  Muftck, 
which  would  be  of  fome  Ufe  to  lull  his  difturb'd  Mind  to 
♦     Reft  ;  and  accordingly  recommended  David,  not  only  as 
an  excellent  Mafter  this  Way,  but   a  Man  of  other  rare 
Qualifications,    both  internal  and  external,  enough  to  en- 
gage h's  Favour. 

Upon  this  Recommendation  he  was  fent  for  to  Court,, 
where  Saul  was  greatly  taken  with  the  Beauty  of  his  Fer- 

fon; 

EliaFz  treating  him  after  this,  (i  Sam.  xvii.  28.)  that  he  was  not 
privy  to  his  being  anointed  King  eleSl  over  God's  People;  and^ 
therefore,  fince   the  Words  will  equally  bear  the  Senfe  of  from 
the  Midft,  as  well  as  in  the  Midft  of  his  Brethren,   it  is  more 
reafonable  to  fuppofe,  that,  as  this  was  the  Cfr^wo^y  of  his  De- 
fignaticn  to  the  Kingdom  only,  few  or  none  (except  his  Father 
perhaps)   were  admitted  to  it.     And  there  was  the  lefs  Reafon 
for  Witneffes  upon   this  Occafion,    becaufe  Da'vid  never  laid 
claim  to  the  Crown  till  after  SauPs  Deceafe,  and  was  then,    at 
two  feveral  Times,    ift,    when  he  was  made   King  over  the 
Tribe  of  Ja^rt^,  and  2d,  when  made  King  over  all  the  Tribe^ 
of  J/me/,  anointed  publickly .     Calmet\  and  Patrick's  Commen- 
taries, and  Ho^e/rs  Hiftory,  in  the  Notes. 

*  They,  who  credit  the  Scripture-Hiftory  in  this  Affair,  will 
eafily  account  for  thefe  extraordinary  Accomplilhments  and  Im- 
provements ;    for  That  afTures  us,  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord, 
came  upon  David  from  that  Day  forivard,   I  Sam.  xvi.  1 5.   and 
I  {hould  be  glad  to  learn  from  thofe,  who  do  not  credit  this 
Circumftance  of  the  Hiftory   in  the  ftrift  Senfe  of  the  Text, 
how  otherwife  they  can  account  for  thefe  extraordinary  EffedU 
and  Endowments,  which  immediately  enfu'd  DasvieC-^  Defigna- 
tion  to  the  Throne;  how  a  Defignation  to  Empire,  I  fay.,  which, 
in  its  ordinary  Courfe,  is  too  apt  to  corrupt,  debafe,  and  over- 
fet  with  Vanity,  fhould  raife  an  obfcure  Youth,  uneducated,  an^ 
little  accounted  of  even  in  the  Efteem  of  a  Parent's  Partiality, 
in  an  obfcure  Age  and  Coantrj^  without  the  Advantage  either 
of  Inftrudion  or  Example,  into  the  greateft  ilf/^a«7z,  thenobleft 
P«*/,  and  the  moft  confummate  Hero  of  all  Antiquity.    The  Life 
of  Ba'vidt  by  the  Author  of  Revelation  examined. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        279 

fon  J  but,  when  he  heard  him  exercife  his  Skill  upon  the     ^'  M* 
Harpy  he  was  pleas'd  above  meafure,  and  quite  tranfported  Ant.  c^ft. 
from  all  uneafy  and  melancholick  Thoughts.     Saul,    in  ms,  fiff. ' 


fliort,    concelv'd   fuch    a  Kindnefs  for  David  for  having  ■^'^°'"J  ^*™- 
cur'd  him  of  his  Malady,  that  he  made  him  one  of  his  ^  " '  ^ 
jirmour- bearers^  tho'  David ^  when  he  found  the  King  bet- 
ter, returned  to  his  Father's  Houfe  again. 

The  Philijiines  not  long  before  had  receiv'd  a  remarka-  ^a^id  Jlayt 
ble  Defeat  from  Saul;  but,  having  now  recruited  ^^^'n 'qJ^^I'"^'"" 
Forces,  they  came  and  encamp'd  between  f  Succoth  and 
yizekah,  while  Saul^  with  his  Army,  took  Ground  upon 
the  Hill,  that  is  above  the  Valley  of  Elah^  which  fepara- 
ted  the  two  Camps.  While  the  Armies  lay  thus  facing 
each  other,  a  Champion  nam'd  Goliahy  of  a  prodigious 
gigantick  Stature,  *  being  full  ten  Feet  high,  with  Arms, 

S  4  and 

•f-  Succoth  and  Azehah  lay  to  the  South  of  ferufalem,  and  the 
Eaji  of  Bethlehem,  about  four  Leagues  from  the  former,  and 
five  from  the  latter;  and  the  antient  Valley  of  Elah  muft  conle^ 
quently  lie  not  far  diftant  fropi  them,  though  later  Travellers 
place  it  at  no  more  than  a  League's  Diftance  from  Jeru/alem. 
Calmet\  Commentary. 

*  The  Words  in  the  Text  are,  ■  Whofe  Height  nvasjix 

Cubits  and  a  Span ;  fo  that,  taking  a  Cuhit  to  be  twenty  Inches 
and  a  half,  and  a  Span  to  be  three  Inches,  and  a  little  more,  the 
whole  will  amount  to  about  twelve  Feet  and  an  half:  A  Stature 
above  as  tall  again  as  ufual !  The  loweft  Computation  of  the 
Cubit  however  brings  it  to  near  ten  Feet,  which  is  the  Standard 
that  we  have  fet  it  at ;  though  it  muft  not  be  diffembled,  that 
both  the  Septuagint  and  Jofephus  have  reduced  it  to  little  more 
than  eight  Feet,  which  but  badly  comports  with  the  Weight  and 
Vaftnefs  of  his  Armour,  though  it  might  fuit  their  Defign  perhaps, 
in  accommodating  their  Account  to  the  CredibiUty  of  their  Hea- 
then Readers.  But  be  that  as  it  will,  feveral  Authors  (to  fliew 
this  vaft  Size  of  the  Man  not  to  be  beyond  the  Bounds  of  Proba- 
bility) have  written  ex  profejfo  de  Gigantibus  ;  among  whom  Her- 
mannus  Conrijigius,  in  his  Book  de  antiquo  Statu  Holmjladii,  and 
in  another,  de  Habitu  Corporum  Germanorum,  have  demonftrated, 
that  the  antient  Germans  were  of  a  vaft  Size,  even  as  Ccefar,  dk 
Rello  Gall,  teftifies  of  them,  by  calling  them,  immani  Corporum 
Magnitudine  Homines,  Men  of  a  hugeGreatnefs  of  Body.  Nay, 
even  Jofephus  himfelf,  who  is  quoted  for  denying  the  Exiftence  of 
Giants,  furnifhes  us  with  an  Argument  in  their  Behalf,  when  he 
gives  us  an  Account  of  fome  Bones  of  a  prodigious  Size,  which 
were  found  in  Hebron ;  as  Acojia,  in  his  Hiftory  of  the  Indies, 
Lib.  i.  c.  10.  makes  mention  of  Bones  of  an  incredible  Bignefs, 
and  of  a  Race  of  Giants  of  fuch  an  Height,  that  aa  ordinary 

Man 


28o  The  Hiftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

RftR  ^'  *"*^  Armour  proportionable,  came  out  of  the  Camp  of  the 
Ant.  ChrUt.  ^'k^iijiines  for  forty  Days  fuccefiively,  and  challeng'd  any 
1116,  &c.  one  of  the  Ifraclites  to  a  fingle  Combat.  *  This  fwgle 
r°"thfB  T  ^"'^^^^^  ^'^^  ^°  decide  the  Fate  of  the  War  :  But  none  of 
^the  Ifraelites  durft  adventure  upon  it,  until  David,  who 
happen'd  at  this  Time  to  come  to  the  Camp,  f  with  Pro- 

vifions 

Man  could  fcarce  reach  their  Knees.  Le  Clerc5  and  Patrick'^ 
Commentaries,  Calmet'%  Dictionary  under  the  Word  Goliah,  and 
Diiiert.  of  the  Giants. 

*  The  Words  in  which  Goliahh  Challenge  is  exprefs'd,    are 

thefe  : Wh-f  are  you  come  out  to  fet  your  Battle  in  Array  ? 

Am  I  not  a  Philiftine,  and  you  Servants  to  Saul  ?  Chufe  you  a  Man 
for  ycu,  and  let  him  come  dovjn  to  me  :   If  he  he  ahh  to  fight  •with 
me,  and  to  kill  me,  then  nictll'voe  he  your  Ser'vants  :  But  if  I  prenjail 
againji  him,  and  kill  him,  then  Jhallye  be  our  Ser'va?2ts,  end  fer've 
us,    I  Sam.  xvii.  8.     Antiquity  furnifhes   us  with  Examples  of 
feveral  fuch  like  Combats,    as  Goliah  here  propofes,    but  with 
none  more  remarkable,  than  that  between  the  Horatii  and  Curia- 
tii,  related  by  Li'vy,  lib.  i.  c,  23.     "  In  which  Cafe,  (as  Grotius 
*'  exprelTes  himfelf  de  Jure  Belli  &  Pads,  lib.  ii  c.  23.)  though 
"  the  Champions  perhaps  cannot,  with  all  the  Innocence  imagi- 
"  nable,  engage  in  the    Combat,    yet    their   refpeftive    States 
**  may,   at  leaft,  allow  of  it,  as  a  lefs  Evil;  as   an  Expedient, 
"  whereby  a  Decifion  is  made  (without  the  EfFufion  of  «>uch 
"  Blood,  or  any  confiderable  Lofs  on  either  Side)  which  of  the 
"  two  Nations  Ihall  have  the  Dominion  over  the  other.     Strabo 
"  {fays  he)  makes  mention  of  this  as  an  antient  Cuftom  among 
*'  the  Greeks  ;    and  ^neas  appeals  to  the  Latins,  whether  it  i& 
"  not  highly  juft  and  equitable,  that  he  zndTurnus  fhould  deter- 
"  mine  the   Controverfy  between  them  in  this  Manner. "  But 
whether  ever  there  was  any  Combat,  ftipulated  to  be  decifive  of 
the  Quarrel  between  two  contending  Nations,  'tis  certain,    that 
this  Speech  of  Goliah^  was  a  mere  Brwvado,   proceeding  from 
an  high  Opinion  he  had  of  his  own  matchlefs  Strength,  as  if  he 
had  been  the  whole  Support  of  the  Nation,  which  was   to  ftand 
or  fall  together  with  him.     For,  that  he  had  no  Authority  from 
the  Princes  of  die  Philiftims,  to  make  any  fuch  Declaration,  is 
evident  from  tlie  Event ;  fmce,  fo  far  were  the  Philipnes  from 
yielding  themfelves  Slaves  to  the  Hebrews  upon  the  Death  of  this 
Champion,  that  the)'  made  the  heft  of  their  Way  into  their  own 
Country,  and  there  defended  themfelves  and  fought  many  Battles 
with  them  afterwards.  Sawr/Vs  Differt.  Vol.  IV.  DifTert.  32.  and 
Patrick's  and  Le  Clerc's  Commentaries. 

t  In  thofe  Days  it  was  cuftomary  for  Men  to  ferve  their  King 
and  Country  in  the  Wars  at  their  own  Expence  ;  and  therefore 
fefe  fent  a  Supply  of  Provifions  to  fuch  of  his  Sons  as  were  in 
the  Service  :  But,  fmce  he  had  other  Sons  at  Home,  while  Z>a- 
i>id  was  chiefly  in  the  Field,  it  feems  to  be  a  Divine  DiredioH 
that  he  fent  him  from  the  Sheep  upon  this  Errand. 


Chap.  III.    from  the KrztWtQ^  entering  Car[2ia,r\y&c.      a 81 

vifions  for  his  three  elder  Brethren,  that  were  then  in  the  Ser-    A.  M, 
vice,  feeing  this  great  gigantick  Creature  thus  vaunthimfelf,  Ant.  Chrift, 
and  hearing  withal  what  Reward  the  King  had  promis'd  tome,   &>ci 
the  Perf.-n  that  Ihould  kill  him,  viz.  that  he  f  would  g've ^'°^^'^^* 
him  his  Daughter  in  Marriage  and  enoble  his  Family,  was," 
mov'd  by  a    divine  Impuife  to  accept  of  the  Challenge, 
which  he  fome  ways  difcover'd  to  the  Standers-by.     His 
eldeft  Brother  Eliah,  hearing  fuch  Words  drop  from  him, 
took  him,  and  reprov'd  him  for  his  Raftinefs ;  but,  as  his 
Declaration,  by  this  Time,  had  reach'd  the  King's  Ears, 
the  King  fent  for  him,  and,   having  furvey'd  his  Youth, 
told  him  with  Concern,  that  he  fear'd  he  would  never  be 
able  to  encounter  a  Man,  that  was  fo  much  older,  and 
ftrongcr,  and  a  Soldier  f)om  his  Cradle.     *  But  to  this 
David  reply'd,  that  he  had  already  done  as  great  Things, 
as  killing  this  Giant  could  poflibly  be  ;  that  he  had  flain  a 
Lion  and  a  Bear  with  his   bare  Hands,  and  therefore  did 
not  doubt,  but  that  the  fame  Almighty  Power,  which  de- 
liver'd  him  then,  would  not  fail  to  fhield  and  protect  him 
now. 

SJUL  was  not  a  little  pleas'd  with  this  gallant  Anfwer  ; 
and  to  equip  him,  as  well  as  he  could,  for  the  Combat,  of- 
fer'd  him  his  own  Armour;  but  when  David  had  put  it  on, 
he  found  it  too  large  and  cumberfon^e:  And  therefore  taking 
only  his  Staff,  a  Sling,  and  f  five  fmooth  Stones,  which 

he 

•f  This  was  no  bad  Policy  In  Sau/,  to  promife  largely  upon  fo 
important  an  Occafion,  forafmuch  as  Ca/ei>  won  Kirjath-fephert 
by  offering  his  Daughter  in  Marriage  tothePerfon  that  fhould  take 
it ;  and  Z>/2i;zV/ himfelf,  when  he  came  to  the  Crown,  encourag'd 
his  Soldiers  to  afTault  the  ftrong  Fort  of  Sion,  by  promiiing  to 
make  him  Commander  in  chief  of  all  his  Forces,  who  Ihould  firft 
enter  it.     Patrick's  Commentary. 

*  Jofephus  introduces  Da'vidzs,  reafoning  with  the  King  in  this 

Manner  : "  David,  perceiving,  fays  he,    that  Saul  took 

"  his^Meafures  from  the  common  Reafon  of  other  Encounters, 
*'  gave  the  King  to  underftand,  that  this  nuas  not  fo  much  a  Chal- 
*'  lenge  to  the  Army,  as  a  Defiance  to  Heaven  itfelf;  neither  luas 
*'  the  Combat  to  be  taken,  in  Truth,  for  a  Trial  of  Skill  hetixeen 
*'  Goliah  <rW  David,  but  betvoeen  Go\\a!a.  and  the  Lord  of  Hofts. 
"  For  it  is  not  my  Arm,  fays  he,  that  fights  the  Battle,  but  the 
*'  Po'wer  of  a  gracious  and  invincible  God,  that  many  Times  brings 
*'  to  pafs,  even  by  the^eakefi  Injiruments,  the  nobleji  of  his  Divine 
*'  Purpofes,  for  his  greater  Glory"     Jewifh  Antiq.  lib.  vi.  c.  ro. 

\  Smooth  Stones,  one  would  think,  part  bell  from  the  Sling, 
and,  as  they  meet  with  the  leaft  Obftruftion  from  the  Air,  fly 

witli 


282  The  Uiftory  of  the^l^lu  E,    Book  V. 

2888  ^c  ^^  P^c^'^  ®"t  of  the  Brook  that  ran  by,  he  advanc'd  towards 
Ant. 'chrift.t!i^e  Philijline^  who,  perceiving  him  to  be  but  a  Youth, 
1 1 16,  mc.  and  of  a  fair  effeminate  Complexion,  took  the  Thing,  as 
^Ti^v,'.^!?"!' ^o"*^  i"  Contempt  and  Derifion  of  him;  and  therefore  he 

J.  to  tiie  rind,  511'         \       \  •    r^     \         t^  a 

I  curs  d  him  by  his  Cjods,  Dagon  and  Jfmaroth^  and  vow'd 
to  cut  him  in  Pieces,  the  very  Moment  he  came  at  him. 
But  David's  Reply  was  of  another  Kind,  viz.  that  he  came 
againft  him,  not  in  any  Confidence  of  his  own  Strength, 
but  in  the  Name  of  that  God,  whofe  Name  he  had  blaf- 
phem'd,  and  Power  defy'd  :  And  with  thefe  Words  he  let 
fly  a  Stone  at  him  with  fuch  Force  and  Direction,  that  it 
hit  him  on  his  Forehead,  and,  f  piercing  his  Brain,  funk 
into  it ;  fo  that  he  fell  flat  on  his  Face,  and  David  ran  up 
to  him,  and  with  the  Giant's  Sword  cut  off  his  Head ;   at 

the 

with  the  greateft  Rapidity,  and  in  the  moll  direft  Line ;  and  yet 
Ludo'vicus  de  Dieu  is  Or  a  quite  contrary  Opinion,  'viz.  that 
rough  and  fharp  Stones  were  properer  ior DaijiXi  Purpofe;  where- 
upon he  tranfiates  the  Words,  Jive  Pieces  of  Stone,  as  the  Hebrenjj 
indeed,  without  its  Punftuation,  will  bear.  But  'tis  in  vain  to 
be  nice  and  elaborate  about  Trifles,  firice,  of  what  Form  foever 
the  Scone,  which  penetrated  Goliah\  Forehead,  was,  'tis  plain, 
that  it  had  both  the  Direaion,  and  Rapidity  of  its  Motion  from 
the  Hand  of  God. 

f  If  it  (hould  be  aflt'd,  how  this  could  poffibly  be,  when 
Golic.h  was  arm'd  fo  compleatly,  and,  in  particular,  is  faid  to 
have  had  an  Helmet  of  Br/::fs  upon  his  Head?  'Tis  but  fuppofing, 
that  this  arrogant  Champion,  in  Difdain  of  his  inferior  Comba- 
tant, might  come  negligently  towards  him,  with  his  Helmet 
turned  back,  and  his  Forehead  bare.  'Tis  highly  probable,  that 
%vhen  he  made  his  menacing  Speech  to  Dwvid,  he  might  turn 
back  his  Helmet,  both  to  fpeak,  and  be  heard  more  diftin6tly ; 
and  there  was  no  fuch  Terror  in  David's  Appearance,  as  might 
induce  him  to  cover  his  Forehead  again.  But,  admitted  he  did, 
'tis  but  fuppofing,  that  Da<vid  leveil'd  his  Stone  fo  right,  as  to 
hit  the  Place,  which  was  left  open  for  his  Adverfary's  Eyes,  or 
threw  it  with  fuch  a  violent  Force,  as  would  penetrate  both  Hel- 
met and  Head  together.  To  make  thefe  Suppofitions  more  pro- 
bable, we  need  only  remember  what  we  read  in  Judges,  Ch. 
XX.  1 6.  of  no  lefs,  than  fe'ven  hundred  Men  in  one  Place,  who 
were  fo  expert  with  their  Left  Hands,  that  every  one  could  fling 
Stones  to  an  Hair's  Breadth,  and  not  mifs  ;  or  what  we  read  in 
'Diodorus  Siadus  1.  5.  of  fome  Slingers,  who  threw  Stones  with 
ftich  a  Violence,  that  nothing  could  refill:  their  Impreffion  ;  and 
that,  when  they  made  ufe  of  Lead  inftead  of  Stone,  the  very 
Lead  would  melt  in  the  Air,  as  it  flew,  by  Reafon  ofche  Rapidity 
of  the  Motion  which  they  gave  it.  Patrick  and  Calmet'$  Com- 
mentaries. 


Chap.  III.    from  the  Kr&tWtes  entering  Canzzn^  (^c.     285 

the  Sight  of  which  the  PhUiJiine  Army  fled,  and  were  pur-    A,  m. 
fu'd  by  the  Hebrews  as  far  as  the  Gates  of  Ekron  with  ^^~lll'^^}!^ 
very  great  Slaughter.  ms,  &c. 

Wh  e  n  Saul  faw  David  marching  againft  the  Philtjiine,  From  i  Sam. 
he  enquir'd  of  Abner^   who  he  was  ?  Which  Abner  could '^'_^°J.!_"j| 
not  refolve  him  ;  but,  upon  his  Return  from  Vidory,  in*  Saui  grcwt 
troduc'd  him  to  the  King,  with  the  Chmpion's   Head  \nJ<:<'iouiofDz^ 
his  Hand.     The  King  receiv'd  him   with  the  higheft  Ap'"''\''^tV 
plaufes ;    and,    upon   his  inquiry,    David  mtorm  d   n\m^ feveralJVaju 
that  he  was  the  Son  of  Jejfe  the  Bethlehemite .     Every  one 
entertain'd  indeed  an  high  Conception  for  the  Author  of 
fo  great  an  Adion,  but  none  exprefs'd  fo  entire  a  Satis- 
faction, as  did  Jonathan  ;  who,  being  himfelf  a  Prince  of 
extraordinary  Bravery,  was  fo  taken  with  his  Courage  and 
Condud   in  this   Engagement,  that   he  *  contracted   the 
tendered  and  moft  indearing  Friendfhip  with  him,  which 
lafted  as  long  as  they  two  liv'd  together ;  but  in  their  Re- 
turn home  from  this   Expedition,  one  Thbg   happen'd, 
which  occafion'd  Saul's  Jealoufy.     Among  the  Crowds, 
that  came  out  to  meet  them,  and  to  grace  their  Triumph, 
there  v|ras  a  Chorus  of  Women,  who  fung   to  the  mufical 
Inftrurnents,  upon  which  theyplay'd,  a  certain  Song,  whofe 
chief  Burthen  was,  Saul  has  jlain   his  Thoufands,  and  \ 
David  his  ten  Thoufands ;  which  fo  enrag'd  Saul  againft 
Davids  that  from  that  Time  he  never  look'd  on  him  with 
a  gracious  Eye.     For,  tho'   he  thought  proper  to  retain 
him  in  his  Service,  and,  for  the  prefent,  conferr'd  on  him 
fome  Command  in  the  Army  ;  yet  the  Reward  for  his  kil- 
ling Go/Za/^,  which  was  to  be  theMarriage  of  his  elde/i  Daugh- 
ter, t  he  depriv'd  him  of  by  giving  her  to  another. 

When 
*  Plutarch,  (in  his  Book  Tep)  UoKv^aixz)  makes  mention  of 
feveral  great  Men,  fuch  as  Thefeus  and  Pirithous  ;  Achilles  and 
Patroclus  ;  Orejies  and  Pylades  ;  Pythias  and  Damon  ;  &c.  who 
were  join'd  together  in  the  Yoke  of  Friend/hip,  as  he  calls  it  ; 
3^ut  none  of  thefe  were  comparable  to  what  we  read  of  yo?tatha^ 
and  Daniidy  who  enter 'd  inco  the  moft  facred  Bonds  of  mutual 
Affiftaiice  and  Defence,  to  their  very  Death,  and  of  Kindne§ 
to  tl^eir  Pofterity,  even  after  either  of  them  (hould  be  dea4, 
y,ojfathan,  in  particular,  through  the  whole  Story,  Ihows  towards 
Da'vid  fuch  a  greatnefs  of  Soul,  fuch  a  Conftancy  of  Mind, 
and  Difintereftednefs  of  Heart,  as  few  Romances  can  produce 
Examples  of.     Calmet's  and  Patrick's  Commentaries. 

f  Fiz.  in  his   killing  Goliah ;    for  all  the   Conqueft  gain'4 
afterwards  was  no  more  than  the  Confequence  of  his  Death. 

f  Thi?  was  an  high  Affront  to  Danjid,  and  one  of  the  great- 
eft  Injuries,  that  could  be  done  him  J  however,  for  the  prefent^, 

he 


fl84  'tks  Hipry  of  the  B  1^1.  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  W«EN  Saul  return'd  to  his  own  Houfe,  the  fame  Spirit 
Ant/chrift.*^*^  Melancholy  came  upon  him,  as  before;  and,  while 
1116,  &c.  David  was  touching  his  Harp  before  him  as  ufual,  in  order 
f?""""^™' to  alleviate  his  Malady,  the  out-rageous  King  threw  a  Ja- 
jvelin  at  him  with  fuch  Fury,  as  would  certainly  have  de- 
ftroy'd  him,  had  not  Providence  turn'd  it  afide.  Here- 
upon David  thought  proper  to  withdraw  ;  yet  Saul  would 
flill  continue  him  in  his  Service  to  have  the  niore  Opportu- 
nities againft  his  Life. 

It  happen'd  too,  that,  by  this  Time,  his  fecond  Daugh- 
ter (whofe  Name  was  Michal)  bad  entertain'd  kind 
Thoughts  of  David,  which  her  Father  was  not  unconfcious 
pf ;  and  therefore  he  fignify'd  to  him,  that,  upon  Condi- 
tion he  would  kill  him  an  hundred  Philijfines,  (but  not 
without  fome  Hopes  of  himfelf  failing  in  the  Attempt)  he 
fhould  have  the  Honour  to  become  the  King's  Son-in-Law» 
David  accepted  the  Condition,  tho'  he  could  not  but  perr 
ceive  the  latent  Malice  of  it;  and,  taking  fome  Choice 
Men  along  with  him,  invaded  the  PhiliJIines,  flew  double 
the  Number  of  them»  and,  for  a  Teftimony  thereof,  -f 
fent  their  Fore/kins  (according  to  Covenant)  to  the  King  ; 
fo  that,  all  Things  being  thus  gallantly  accomplifh'd,  and 
in  fo  publick  a  Manner,  the  King  could  not  refufe  him 
his  Daughter,  but,  at  the  fame  Time,  laid  many  other 
Schemes  to  take  away  his  Life. 

Nay 

he  thought  proper  to  diflemble  it.  How  Jonathan  refented  this 
Ufage,  we  are  no  where  told.  It  is  likely,  that  his  Duty  to  his 
JFatlier  made  him  prevail  with  Dwvid  to  take  it  patiently,  as 
coming  from  a  Man,  who  was  fometiraes  belides  himfelf,  and 
knew  not  well  what  he  did  :  and  that  Da^id  might  be  the  more 
inclinable  to  do  this,  as  having  fome  Intimations  given  him  of 
.  the  good  Elleem,  which  the  fecond  Daughter  began  to  entertain 
of  him.     Patricias  Commentary. 

•f  The  Reafon,  why  Sau/exa.^edt\ieForeJj(:insof  Da'vIJws.s 
to  prevent  all  Cheat  or  CoUufion  in  the  Matter,  and  that  he 
might  be  fure  they  were  Philifines  only,  whom  he  kill'd.  Had 
he  demanded  the  Heads  only  of  fo  many  Men,  Da<vid,  (he 
might  think)  might  perhaps  cut  off  thofe  of  his  own  Subjefts, 
and  bring  them  inftead  of  the  Philijlin^s  :  But  now,  the  Phili- 
J}hies  being  the  only  neighbouring  People,  who  where  uncircum- 
cis'd,  (for  the  Arabians,  as  defcended  from  I/hmael,  and  all 
the  other  Nations,  which  fprung  from  Efau,  were  circumcis'd, 
as  well  as  the  Hebrenvs)  in  producing  their  Forefkins,  there 
could  be  no  Deception.  Befides  that,  this  would  be  a  grofs 
Infult  upon  the  Philiftines  in  general,  to  whom  Saul  was  defirous 
to  make  Damidz.s  odious  as  poffible,  that,  at  one  Time  or  other, 
he  might  fall  into  their  Hands.     Calmefi  Commentary. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     285 

Nay  to  fuch  defperate  Lengths  did  his  Jealoufy  run  him,  ^^  ^-^ 
that  he,  cafting   off  all  Difguife,  f  commanded   his  Son  ^nf  'chrift. 
'Jonathan^  and  fome  of  the  principal  Men  of  his  Court,  at  1 116,  &ff. 
any  Rate  to  difpatch  David;  which   Jonathan  all  along^^'°^";j^'^^p^; 
took  care  to  acquaint  him  with,  and,  at  thp  famp  Time. ^_  -^-  ^ 
advis'd  him  to  provide  himfelf  with  fome  Place  of  fafe  Re- David  wa*« 
treat,  until  he  fliould  have  an  Opportunity  of  *  ^xpoftula-^'J^^/'^f^^^» 
ting  the  Matter  with  his  Father,  which  accordingly  he  did,  saul/jAwawg 
and  with  fo  good  Succcfs,  that  his  Father  was  (feemingly  ^xtheVropbetSf 
leaft)  reconcil'd  to  Dav'id^  and  "Jonathan  next  Day  intro- ""-p^HJ^'L^^^ 
duc'd  him  into  his  Prefence  :  But  the  Increafe  of  David's,  than. 
Fame,  upon  feveral  Defeats  given  the  Pbilijiines,  flill  re- 
newing 

f  It  is  ftrange,  that  Saul  fliould  fpeak  to  Jonathan  to  murther 
Da'vid,  if  he  knew  the  Friendfhip,  he  had  for  him;  and  he 
could  not  be  ignorant  of  it,  fince  (in  i  Sam.  i8.  3,  4)  he  had 
made  fo  publick  a  Declaration  of  it.  But  ho  imagin'd  perhaps, 
that  his  Love  to  a  Father  would  overcome  his  Love  to  a  Friend; 
and  (taking  an  Eftimate  from  himfelf)  might  think  it  no  mean 
Incitement  to  his  Son,  that  Daijid  was  going  to  deprive  not  only 
the  Father  of  the  prefent  Pofleffion,  but  the  Son  likewife  of  the 
Right  of  Succeffion  to  the  Throne  of  Ifrael.  But  whatever 
SauPs  Reafons  might  be  for  defiring  Jonathans  Affiftance  in 
fo  vile  a  Faft,  'tis  plain,  that  there  was  a  peculiar  Providence 
of  God  in  his  difclofing  himfelf  fo  freely  on  this  Head,  fmce 
thereby  Da'vid  came  to  a  right  Information  of  his  Danger.  Pa- 
trick''s  Commentary. 

*  The  Speech,  which  Jofephus  puts  in  Jonathan's  Mouth  upon 
this  Occafion,  is  exprefs'd  in  thefe  Terms :  ■  ■  —  "  You  have 
"  conceiv'd,  Sir,  a  terrible  Difpleafure  againft  this  young  Man, 
*'  and  given  Orders  for  his  Death  ;  but  upon  what  Provocation, 
*'  or  for  what  Fault,  great  or  little,  I  cannot  apprehend.  He  is 
**  a  Perfon,  to  whom  we  ftand  indebted  for  our  Safety,  and  the 
*•  Deftrudion  of  the  Philiftines  ;  for  vindicating  the  Honour  of 
**  our  Nation  from  the  Scandal  of  a  forty  Days  AiTront,  in  the 
"  Challenge  of  a  Giant,  whom  not  a  Creature,  but  this  inno- 
"  cent  Youth,  had  a  Heart  to  encounter;  a  Perfon,  who  pur- 
*'  chafed  my  Sifter  for  his  Wife  at  your  own  Price :  and,  in 
*'  fine,  a  Perfon  entitled  to  your  Efteem  and  Tendernefs,  both  as  a 
"  brave  Man,  and  a  Member  of  your  own  Family.  Be  pleas'd 
* '  to  coniider  then,  what  Injury  you  do  your  own  Daughter  in 
"  making  her  feel  the  Mortification  of  being  a  IVido^M,  before 
*'  fhe  enjoys  the  Blefling  of  being  a  Mother.  Be  pleas'd  to  re- 
*'  member,  who  it  was,  that  cur'd  you  of  your  dark  melancho- 
"  lick  Fits,  and,  by  that  Means,  laid  an  Obligation  upon  the 
"  whole  Family  ;  and,  who  it  was,  that  (next  under  God)  de- 
"  livered  us  from  our  implacable  Enemies.  Thefe,  Sir,  are 
*'  Benefits  never  to  be  forgotten,  without  the  Intamy  of  the 
"  blackeft  Ingratitude.'"     Jiv^ijh  Antiq.  1.   vi,  c.  1 3. 


286  ^he  Hifiory  of  (be  BIB  L  E,     Book  V. 

asfs  &'f  "^^J"g»  ^"^  increafing  SauPs  Jealoufy,  would  not  fuffer 
Ant/chrift.  this  Reconciliation  to  laft  long.  Saul  was  taken  with  ano- 
1116,  ere.  ther  fit  of  Frenzy,  and  David  was  defir'd  to  play  to  him  : 
LtoTheEnd!"^"^'  while  he  was  employ'd  in  tuning  his  Harp,  the  other 
I  took  an  Opportunity  (as  he  had  done  before)  of  darting  a 
Javelin  at  him,  which  David,  having  a  watchful  Eye  upon 
him,  nimbly  declin'd,  and  fo  retir'd  to  his  own  Houfe. 
Thither  the  King  fent  his  Guards,  as  foon  as  it  was  Light, 
to  apprehend  him ;  but  by  the  Contrivance  of  his  Wife 
Michal  (who  let  him  dawn  from  a  Window)  he  made  his 
Efcape,  and,  by  the  Benefit  of  a  dark  Night,  came  to  his 
old  Friend  Samuel  at  Ramah,  to  whom  he  told  all  his 
Complaints,  and  with  whom  (for  the  better  Security  of  his 
Perfon)  he  went  to  Najoh^  which  was  *  a  School  or  College 
of  the  Prophets,  and  there  dwelt. 

It 

*  When  thefe  Schools  of  the  Prophets  were  at  firll  inftltuted  is 
no  where  indicated  in  Scripture  :  But,  as  the  firft  Mention  we 
find  of  them  is  in  SamuePi  Time,  we  can  hardly  fuppole,  that 
they  were  much  prior  to  it.  It  may  be  prefumed  therefore, 
that  the  fad  Degeneracy  of  the  Priefthood,  at  firft  occafioned  the 
InfHtution  of  thefe  Places,  for  the  better  Education  of  thofe, 
that  were  to  fucceed  in  the  facred  Miniflry,  whether  as  Prophets, 
or  Priejls.  According  to  the  Places,  that  are  fpecify'd  in  Scrip- 
ture, (i  Sa?n.  X.  5.  ID.  and  xix.  20.  2  Kings  ii.  ^.iv.  38.  and 
xxii.  14.)  they  were  firft  erefted  in  the  Cities  of  the  Z^wVej, 
which,  for  the  more  convenient  Inftruftion  of  the  People  were 
difpers'd  up  and  down  in  the  feveral  Tribes  of  Ifi-aeL  In  thefe 
Places  the  Prophets  had  convenient  Colleges  built  (whereof  Najoh 
feems  to  be  one)  for  their  Abode;  and,  living  in  Communities, 
had  feme  one  of  diftinguifh'd  Note  (very  probably  by  dinjine 
Elefticn)  fet  over  them  to  be  their  Head  or  Prefident.  Here  it 
was,  that  they  ftudy'd  the  Law,  and  learn'd  to  expound  the  fe- 
veral  Precepts  of  it.  Here  it  was,  that,  by  previous  Exercife, 
they  qualify'd  themfelves  for  the  Reception  of  the  Spirit  of  Pra- 
phecy,  whenever  it  fliould  pleafe  God  to  fend  it  upon  them. 
Here  it  was,  that  they  were  inftrufted  in  the  facred  Art 
of  Pfalmody,  or  (as  the  Scripture  calls  it,  i  Chron.  xxv.  I, 
7-)  in  prophejying  ^Lvith  Harps,  nuith  Pfalteries,  and  Cymbals. 
And  hence  it  was,  that,  when  any  Bleffings  were  to  be  pro- 
mis'd.  Judgments  denounc'd,  or  extraordinary  Events  pre- 
difted,  the  Meffengers  were  generally  chofen  :  So  that  thefe 
Colleges  were  Seminaries  of  divine  Knowledge,  and  Nurferies 
of  that  Race  of  Prophets,  which  fucceeded  from  Samuel  to  the 
Time  of  Malachl.  Stillingfeei'^  Orig.  Sacras.  JVheatly,  on  the 
Schools  of  the  Prophets,  and  Jacob  Mting,  de  Repub.  fieb. 


Chap.  III.   from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  i^c.       287 

It  was  not  long  before  Saul  had  Intelligence  of  his  A-     A.  m. 
bode,  and  f  fent  a  Party  of  Soldiers  to  apprehend  him  ;  but^^^^ '^j^^,^^ 
they,  upon  their  Arrival  at  the  Place,  where  they  found  ms,  fefc. 
Samuel  teaching  and  inflrudling  the  younger  Prophets,  wercF'^'^"' '  ^^* 
feiz'd  with  a  prophetic k  Spirit,  and  return'd  not  again.     Af-  ^ 
terthefe,  he  fent  frefh  MefTengers,  and  after  them,  others 
again ;  but  no  fooner  were  they  come  within  the  Ferge  of 
the  Place,  but  they  all  began  to  be  affefted  in  like  Manner. 
Saul  2it  length,  impatient  of  thefe  Delays,  went  himfelf; 
but  as  he  drew  near  to  Najoh,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came 
upon  him,  fo  that  he  went  along  f  prophefying,  until   he 
came  to  the  Place,  where  Samuel  and  David  were,  and 
there,  J  ftripping  himfelf  of  his  upper  Garments,  he  lav  (as 
it  were  in  an  Extafy)  almofl  naked  on  the  Ground,  all  that 
Day  and  the  next  Night. 

DJFID 

•f-  Such  was  Saufs  implacable  Hatred  to  David,  that  it  had 
abolifli'd,  not  only  all  Refpect  and  Reverence  to  Samuel,  (under 
whofe  Protedlion  Danjid  then  was)  but  all  Regard  likewife 
to  the  College  of  the  Prophets,  which,  in  thofe  Days,  had  ob- 
tain'd  the  Privilege  of  a  Sanftuary.  Patrick^  Commentary, 
ZTidGrotius,  de  Jure  Belh  &  Pacis,  1.   3.  c.   ii. 

f  This  is  a  Word  of  an  extenfive  Signification,  and  may 
denote  fometimes  fuch  Aftions,  Motions,  and  Diftortions,  as 
Prophets,  in  their  Infpirations,    are  wont  to  exprefs. 

Incerta  qualis  Entheos  curfus  tulit, 

Cum  jam  recepto  Masnas  infanit  Deo.  Sen.  in  Medea, 

which  perhaps  may  be  very  juftlyapply'd  to  5««/upon  this  Oc- 
cafion.  But  the  Generality  of  Interpreters,  in  this  Place,  take 
frophefying  to  fignify  $auT%  fmging  of  Pfalms,  or  Hymns  of 
Thankfgiving  and  Praife,  which  even  againft  his  Will  he  was 
compell'd  to  do,  to  teach  him  the  Vanity  of  his  Defigns  againft 
Da-vidy  and  that  in  them  he  fought  againft  God  himfelf.  Cal- 
met's  Commentary  on  i  Sam.  xviii.  10.  and  PooPs  Annotations 
on  xix.  23. 

X  The  Words  in  our  Tranflation  are, — '■ Jnd  he  fiript  off 

his  Cloaths  aljo,  and  lay  do'Von  naked,  all  that  Day,  and  that 
Night,  1  Sam.  xix.  24.  In  v/hich  Words,  and  fome  other 
Portions  of  the  like  Import,  we  are  not  to  imagine,  that  the 
Perfons  there  fpoken  of  were  entirely  naked,  but  only  that  they 
were  divefted  of  fome  external  Habit  or  other,  which,  upOn 
certain  Occafions,  they  might  lay  afide.  For,  whereas  it  isfaid  of 
fome  Prophets,  Ifa.  xx.  2.  and  Mic.  i.  8.  that  they  went  abotit 
naked,  we  can  hardly  think  that  they  could  be  guilty  of  fo  much 
Indecency,  and  efpecially  by  the  exprefs  Order  of  God,  who 
had  always  teftify'd  his  Abhorrence  of  Nudity,  and  enjoin'd  his 
Priefts  the  Ufe  of  feveral  Garments  to  cover. the  Body,  that  thus 
ihcy  might  be  dilUnguilh'd  from  the  Pzigan  Priefts,    who  were 

not 


22S  The  Rijlory  c/  /i.<?  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V, 

3888  ^f  I^^VID  took  this  Opportunity  to  make  a  private  Vifit 
Ant.  Chrift.  to  his  Friend  Jonathan^  with  whom  he  expoftulated  his  Fa- 
me, &c.  ther's  Unkindnefs,  which  the  other  could  no  ways  excufe, 
f 3,;!;;; only  he  affur'd  him  of  his  beft  *  Offices;  that  he  would 
I  make  what  difcovery  he  could  of  his  Father's  Defigns  againft 
him,  and  not  fail  to  acquaint  him  with  them.  In  the  mean 
Time  he  renew'd  the  League  of  Friendfhip  that  was  be- 
tween them,  and  directed  him  where  to  conceal  himfelf  for 
a  Day  or  two,  until  he  could  learn,  whether  it  was  proper 
for  him  to  appear  or  no ;  which  he  was  to  fxgnify  to  him  by 

his 

not  afham'd  to  appear  naked.  The  Words  in  the  Original 
therefore,  which  we  render  naked,  or  to  be  naked,  fignify  no  more, 
than  either  to  have  Part  of  the  Body  uncovered,  or  to  be  with- 
out a  Gown,  or  upper  Garment,  which  the  Romans  call'd  TogUy 
and  (according  to  the  Cuftom  of  the  Eaflern  People)  was  wont 
to  be  put  on  when  they  went  abroad,  or  made  any  publick  Ap- 
pearance. And  therefore  it  was  fome  fuch  Veftment  as  this, 
or  perhaps  his  Military  Accoutrements,  which  Saul,  upon  this 
Occafion,  put  off ;  and  that  this  was  enough  to  denominate 
him  naked,  is  manifeft  from  what  Aurelius  ViSior,  fpeaking  of 
thofe  who  were  fent  to  Lucius  ^intus  Cincinnatus,  to  bring  him 
to  the  Senate  to  be  made  Diftator,  fays.  That  they  found  him 
naked,  plowing  on  the  other  Side  of  the  Tyber ;  whereas  Livy^ 
who  relates  the  fame  Story,  obferves,  that  he  call'd  to  his  Wife 
Rucca,  for  his  Gown,  or  Toga,  that  he  might  appear  fit  to  keep 
them  Company.     EiTay  towards  a  new  Tranflation. 

*  The  Speech   which  Jofephus  puts   in    Jonathan^  Mouth, 

upon   this  Occafion,    is  very  tender  and  pathetick  : 

**  That  God,  who  fills  and  governs  the  Univerfe,  and  knows  the 
"  Thoughts  of  my  Heart  in  the  \trj  Conception  of  them  j  that 
**  God,  fays  he,  be  Witnefs  to  the  Faith,  that  is  vow'd  and  pro- 
**  mis'd  betwixt  us ;  and  that  I  will  never  give  over  fearching 
*'  into,  and  fifting  the  private  Deliberations,  and  Purpofes  of 
*'  my  Father,  till  I  have  difcovered  the  Bottom  of  his  Heart, 
**  and  whether  there  be  any  fecret  Rancour  in  his  Thoughts,  or 
*'  not,  that  may  work  to  your  Prejudice :  And  if  I  fhall  be 
*'  able  to  make  any  Thing  out  at  laft,  whether  it  be  for,  or 
*'  againft  you,  it  fhall  be  the  firft  Thing  I  do  to  give  you  Infor- 
*'  mation  of  it.  The  Searcher  of  Hearts  will  bear  me  Witnefs 
*'  that  this  is  true,  and  that  I  have  ever  made  it  my  earned 
*'  Prayer  to  Almighty  God,  to  blefs,  and  profper  you  in  your 
*'  Perlbn  and  Defigns ;  and  you  may  afTure  yourfelf,  that  he 
*'  will  be  as  gracious  to  you  for  the  future,  as  he  has  been  hither- 
*•  to,  and  lay  all  your  Enemies  at  your  Feet.  In  the  mean 
*'  while,  pray  be  fure  to  keep  thefe  Things  in  Memory,  and 
"  when  I  am  gone,  to  take  care  of  my  poor  Childrcii." 
Jiwijh  Antiq.  lib.  vi.  c.  14. 


Chap.  III.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     289 

his  (hooting  fome  Arrows,  in  fuch  a  Manner,  as  they  con-    A.  m. 
eluded  on,  and  fo  mutually  embracing  they  parted.  ^^t.  'chdrt, 

f  The  Feaji  of  the  New-Moon  was  now  come,  which  1116,  oc 
Saul  return 'd  from  Najoh  to  celebrate  ;  but,  as  he  obrerv'd?''°"^|' ^^™' 
that  *  David's  Seat  at  the  Table  had  for  two  Days  been ^  —  — ,. J 
empty,  he  enquir'd  of  'Jonathan^  \  what  was  become  of  the  v/b'^W'-n  ih 
Son  of  JelTe,  as  he  call'd  him  in  Contempt,     fonathan  told  ^coum,  had 

^''^'  aard  of  bit 
Life. 

■f-  The  Jeixiijh  Months  were  Lunar,  and  never  began  before 
the  Moon  appear'd  above  the  Horizon  ;  for  which  Purpofe,  there 
were  certain  Perfons  plac'd  upon  the  Mountains,  fome  Time  be- 
fore the  new  Moon  was  expefted,  to  give  Notice  by  the  Sound 
of  an  Horn  when  it  firfl:  appeared,  that  fo  the  News  thereof 
might  immediately  be  carry'd  to  "Jervfalem.  But  left  there 
fhould  be  any  Miftake  in  this  Method  of  making  tlieir  Obfer- 
vation,  from  this  Example  of  Saul\,  it  is  fuppos'd,  that  they 
celebrated  this  Fefti'val  for  two  Days  together.  Whether  the 
Heathens  had  this  Rite  from  the  "Jeios  or  no,  'tis  certain,  that 
other  Nations  had  Feafts  at  the  Beginning  of  every  Month, 
and  that,  with  the  Romans,  the  Calends  in  particular  were  feftival 
Days,  confecrated  to  Juno,  to  whom  Sacrifices  at  this  Timg 
were  ofFer'd.     Gal/net's  Commentary. 

*  That  fitting  at  Table  was  an  antienter  Cuftom,  than 
either  lying  or  leaning  at  Meat,  is  obvious  from  this  PafTage, 
The  Egyptians,  when  they  eat  at  Jofeph\  Entertainment,  fat  at 
Table,  and  fo  did  the  Hebrenus.  Homer  always  introduces  his 
Heroes  in  this  Pofture  ;  and  that  this  was  the  known  Cuftom 
among  the  antient  People  of  Italy,  Virgil,  in  thefe  Words, 
teftifies : 

Perpetuis  foliti  Patres  confidere  Menfis.  JEne,  vii. 
It  is  not  to  be  diflembled  however,  that  very  early,  and  even  in 
the  Times  of  Saul,  the  Ufe  of  Table-Beds,  or  Beds  to  lie,  or 
lean  upon  at  Meals,  had  obtain'd  among  the  Je^s  j  for  when 
the  Witch  of  Endor,  with  much  Entreaty,...  prevail'd  with  Saul 
to  take  a  little  Refreftiment,  'tis  faid,  that  he  arofe  frojn  the 
Earth,  and  fat  upon  the  Bed,  I  Sam.  xxviii.  23,  Calmet's 
Commentary. 

■f  It  may  feem  a  little  ftrange,  that  Saul,  who  had  fo  often 
endeavour'd  to  kill  David,  and  was  now  juft  return'd  from  an 
Expedition  undertaken  againft  his  Life,  ihould  ever  expe£l  to 
fee  him  at  his  Table  any  more.  But  he  might  think  j^erhaps, 
that  Da<vid  was  inclinable  to  overlook  all  that  had  pafs'd,  as  the 
EfFe£l  of  his  Frenzy  and  Melancholy  ;  that  now  he  had  oecri 
prophefying  at  'Najoh,  he  was  return'd  to  a  found  Mind,  and 
become  a  new  Man  ;  and  that,  becaufe,  after  the  firft  Javelir^ 
darted  at  him,  Da'vid  had  ventur'd  into  his  Prtfence  again,  hs 
might,  for  the  future,  be  guilty  of  the  like  Indifcretion,  Calmet'i 
Commentary, 

Voj,.  III.  T 


290  '^he  Hijlory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

R88  '^'    ^^"^'  *^^^  ^^  ^^^  given  him  leave  to  go  to  an  anniverfary 
Ant.  'chrift.  Feaft  of  his  Family  at  Bethlehem  ;  v^rhereupon  Sauly  fu- 
1116,  &c.  fpefting  very  probably  the  Reality  of  his  Anfwer,  fell  into 
P'°'^^  E*T  ^  P^^^°"  ^^^^  ^'^  ^°"»  ^"^  upbraided  him  w^ith  his  Friend- 
^„—  -  _^  fliip  for  Davidf  which  (as  he  told  him)  would  prove  fatal  to 
himfelf,  and  injurious  to  his  Succeffion ;  and  therefore  he 
commanded  him  to  produce  him  ;  for  refolv'd  he  was,"  that 
this  Rival  of  theirs  fhould  die.     Jonathan  was  going  to  in- 
terpofe  fomething  in  Vindication  of  his  Friend,  and  the  Un- 
reafonablenefs  of    his   Father's  Indignation  againft   him ; 
which  provok'd  his  Father  to  fuch  a  Degree,  that,  forget- 
ting all  Ties  of  paternal  hove,  f  he  threw  a  Javelin  at  him 
with  an  Intent  to  kill  him.     But  he  avoided  the  Blow,  and 
retir'd  ;  and,  the  next  Morning,  went  into  the  Fields,  un- 
der pretence  of  fhooting  with  his  Bow  and  Arrows,  to  give 
David  the  Signal.     To  him  he  communicated  all  that  had 
pafs'd  between  his  Father  and  him  j  that  his  Father  was  im- 
placable, and  determin'd  to  deftroy  him,  and  therefore  he 
advis'd  him  to  efcape  for  his  Life :  And  fo,  having  made 
new  Proteftatibns  to  each  other  of  perpetual  Friendfhip,  they 
embrac'd  and  parted. 
T>ivii'ijfy.      Ever  after  this  ZJtf-y/V  was  b^pifh'd  from  Court,  and 
ingfrom       liv'd  in  the  Nature  of  an  Out- Law.     The  firft  Place  that  he 
^/tf«  %r     ^^^<^°^  himfelf  to  was  f  ^ob^  where  flood  the  Tabernacle  at 

Shelter  a.  that 

gainfi  Saul, 

•f-  If  it  be  alk'd,  how  it  came  to  pafs,  that  Baul  always  had 
a  Javelin  or  Spear  in  Readinefs,  (as  on  this,  and  other  Occa- 
fions)  to  execute  his  evil  Purpofes  ?  The  Anfwer  is,  that  Spears 
were  the  Scepters  of  thofe  Ages,  which  Kings  always  carry'd  in 
their  Hands.  That  they  always  carry'd  the  Scepters  in  their 
Hands  appears  from  Homer,  and  that  thefe  Scepters  were  Spears 
is  evident  from  Juftin,  (lib.  xxiii.  c.  3.)  where,  fpeaking  of 
the  firft  Age  of  the  Romans,  (which  D.  Patrick  thinks  was  about 
/  the  Age  of  Saul]  he  tells  us,  that,  as  yet,  in  thefe  Times,  Kings 
had  Spears,  as  Enfigns  of  Royalty,  which  the  Greeks  call'd 
Scepters.  The  Life  of  David,  by  the  Author  of  Renjelation 
examind. 

f  There  is  mention  made  of  two  Cities  of  this  Name,  one 
on  the  Eaf,  or  further  Side,  and  the  other  on  the  Weft  or  hither 
Side  of  Jordan.  TJie  Generality  of  Interpreters  will  liave  the 
City  here  fpecify'd,  to  be  that  which  ftood  on  the  Weft  Side, 
and  in  the  Tribe  of  Benjamin.  Tho'  it  is  not  reckon'd  among 
tlie  Number  of  the  Cities,  that  were  at  firft  aflign'd  to  the  Priefts, 
yet,  that  it  afterwards  became  one  of  the  yaffrS?^^?/ Towns,  and 
efpecially  (as  we  may  imagine)  when  the  Tabernacle  came  to  be 
mov'd  thither,  is  evident  from  1  Sam,  xxii.   ig.  and  Nehem.  xi. 

32- 


Chap.  III.    from  fJhe  Ifmelkes  entering  Canaan,  t?<r.      291 

that  Time,  and  where  ^-Ahimelech   was  High-Prieft ;  but    A.  m. 
as  he  had  no  Attendants,  he  pretended  to  Ahimelech^  that  ^e  ^^^^.^'^^5* 
was  fent  by  the  King  upon  f  a  Bufinefs  of  fuch  Difpatch,  mg,  ^c. ' 
that  he  had  Time  neither  to  take  Arms,  nor  Provilion  withFrom  iSam. 

T  2  him,'-^^^'^^"'- 

32.  and  fome  fuppofe  it  flood  about  four  Leagues  from  Qiheah. 
Calmei'%  Conunentary,  and  Wellss  Geography  of  the  Old 
Teftament.  Vol.  III. 

II  The  Words  of  our  Blefled  Saviour,  in  Mark  ii.  25.  are 
thefe,  ■     ■   Hanje  ye  ne'ver  read  luhat    David   diJ,  nuhen  he 

had  need,  and  ivas  an  hungred,  he,  and  they  that  iverc  -jjith  hiw^ 
ho^M  he  <voent  into  the  Houfe  of  God,  in  the  Days  of  Ahiathar, 
the  High-Prteji,  ajid  did  eat  the  Sheiu-Bread,  and  ga.'ve  alfo  to 
them  that  'Mere  ivith  him  ?  Now  there  are  two  Things,  which 
the  Author  of  this  Book  of  Samuel  afTerts,  quite  contrary  to 
what  our  Saviour  declares,  'viz.  ift,  T^h.'aX.Danjid'wcs  alone,  and 
m  Man  'with  him.  Chap.  xxi.  i.  And  zdly,  that  Ahimelech 
was  at  that  Time  High-Prieft;  whereas  our  Saviour  affirms, 
both  that  Da.'vidha.d  Company  along  with  him,  and  tYaiAbiathar 
was  then  in  the  Pontificate.  Now,  ift.  That  i)^w^  had  Com- 
pany with  him,  and  that  Ahimelech  knew  it,  is  evident  from  his 
Words  in  the  fourth  Verfe :  There  is  no  common  Bread  in  my 
Hand,  but  there  is  halloived  Bread,  if  the  young  Men  ha've  kept 
themfel'ves  at  leaf  from  Women ;  and  therefore  Ahimelech''^ 
Meaning  muft  be,  that  'Da'vidYiZ.d  no  Guards  to  attend  him,  as 
it  was  ufual  for  Perfons  of  his  Quality  to  have  ;  or,  at  leaft,  thofe 
that  were  with  him  might  be  order 'd  to  keep  at  a  Diftance,  and 
fo  Ahimelech  (when  he  uttcr'd  thefe  Words)  might  not  fee  them, 
tho',  when  he  came  into  a  clofer  Conference  with  Da^vid,  Da^vid 
might  inform  him,  what  Retinue  he  had  brought,  and  confe- 
quently,  that  all  the  Shew-Bread  was  no  more,  than  what  they 
wanted  for  their  prefent  Support,  adly,  Tho'  it  be  granted 
that  the  Name  of  High-Prief,  in  its  ftrideft  Senfe,  did  not  at 
this  Time  belong  to  Ahiathar,  yet  fince  it  is  generally  agreed, 
that  he  was  the  Sagan,  (as  the  Jeivs  of  latter  Days  call  him, 
who  is  the  High-Prieft's  Fica7)  he  might  well  enough  (in  a  qua- 
lify'd  Senfe)  be  called  the  High-Pried ;  efpecially  confidering 
his  immediate  Succeffion  to  his  Father,  and  how  Ihort  his 
Father's  Continuance  in  the  Office  was,  after  this  Interview  with 
David.  Nor  can  we  fee  any  great  Impropriety  in  faying,  that 
fuch  a  Thing  was  done  in  the  Days  of  Ahiathar  the  High^rleft 
tho'  done  foraewhat  before  he  was  inverted  with  that  Dignity  j 
any  more  than  in  faying,  that  fuch  a  Thing  happened  in  the 
Days  of  Henry  VIII.  which  ftriftly  came  to  pafs  fome  Days  be- 
fore he  began  to  reign.     Patrick's  Commentaiy. 

-f-  It  muft  be  own'd,  that  Da<vid,  in  this  Pretence,  did  not 
fpeak  dire£l  Truth,  nor  are  we  from  hence  to  take  an  Example 
for  fpeaking  lyes;   but  one  Thing  may  be  faid  in  his  Excafe, 

that. 


ik 


292  "The  Hijiory  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  him,  and  therefore  obtain'd  of  the  High-Prieft  *  Goli- 
An/'chr?il.^^'^  ^^°^'^»  which  had  been  depofited  in  the  Tabernacle, 
1 1 16,  &c.  and  feme  of  the  Shew- Bread,  which,  the  Day  before,  had 
From  I  Sam.  been  taken  off  from  the  Golden  Table,  and  with  thefe  he 
'*"*^'^^^'^' proceeded  to  Oath,  as  not  thinking  himfelf  fafe  in  any  Part 
of  Saul's  Dominions. 

He  had  not  been  long  in  Oath  however,  before  he  was 
difcover'd,  and  the  King  inform'd  of  his  being  that  great 
Man  of  War  in  JJrael,  who  had  fo  often  defeated,  and  de- 
flroy'd  the  Phtlijiines ;  fo  that,  to  get  clear  of  this  Infor- 
mation, he  was  forc'd  to  counterfeit  Madnefs,  and  an  Epi- 
lepfy^  which  he  did  fo  artfully,  that,  by  this  Means,  he  e~ 
vaded  the  Sufpicion  of  the  King,  and  made  his  Efcape  to  f 
Adullam,  2L  Town  in  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  where  his  Bre- 
thren and  Relations,  together  with  many  Malecontents,  and 
Men  of  defperate  Fortunes  met  him,  and  made  up  a  little 
Army  of  about  four  hundred  in  Number. 

After 

that,  as  he  faw  Doeg  there,  who  he  knew  would  inform  Saul 
of  what  pafs'd  between  him  and  Ahivielech,  his  pretence  of  Bu- 
fmefs  was  on  purpofe  to  furnilh  the  High-Prieft  (if  he  were 
called  to  an  Account)  with  a  better  Apology  for  his  Reception 
of  Da'vid,  fmce  he  knew  no  other,  but  that  he  came  Exprefs 
from  the  King  :  And  accordingly  we  may  obferve,  that  Jhi- 
mekch  infifts  on  that  chiefly.  'Tis  a  melancholy  Confideration, 
however,  that  the  Wickednefs  of  the  World  fhould  be  fuch,  as 
to  put  even  excellent  Men  fometimes  upon  the  Neceffity  of 
Lying  to  prefei-ve  their  Lives,  which  cannot  be  fafe  without  it. 
PatricK^  Commentary. 

*  It  was  an  ancient  Cuftom,  not  only  among  the  Je'ws,  but 
the  Heathens  likewife,  to  hang  up  the  Arms  that  were  taken 
from  their  Enemies  in  their  Temples  ;  and  in  Conformity  there- 
unto, the  Sword  wherewith  he  cut  oSGoliah\  Head  David 
dedicated  to  the  Lord,  and  deliver'd  to  the  Prieft,  to  be  kept 
as  a  Monument  of  his  Viftory,  and  of  the  Ifraelites  Deliverance. 
And,  as  it  was  cuftomary  to  hang  up  Arms  in  the  Temples,  io, 
when  the  Occafions  of  the  State  required  it,  it  was  no  unufual 
Thing  to  take  them  down,  and  employ  them  in  the  pubUck 
Service ;  from  whence  came  that  faying  of  Seneca,  pro  Republka 
pier  unique  Templa  nudant.     Calmefs  Commentary. 

t  It  was  a  Town  in  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  of  fome  confide- 
rable  Note  in  the  Days  of  Eufebius,  and  about  ten  Miles  from 
Eleutheropolis  Eaftward,  where  there  was  a  Rock  of  the  fame 
Name,  in  which  was  a  Cave,  naturally  ftrong  and  well  fortify 'd, 
to  which  David  retreated  ;  as  indeed  moft  of  the  Mountains  of 
PiJejiine  were  full  of  Caverm,  whither  the  Country  People  ge- 
neraily  betook  themfelves  for  Safety  in  Time  of  War.  Calmefs 
and  Patrick^  Commentaries,  U'el/s'%  Geography  of  the  Old 
Te/litincnC,  Vol.  II. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Kritelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        293 

After  his  Family  had  thus  join'd  him,  Ite  could  not  but    A.  M. 
be  apprehenfive,  that  the  Wrath  of  5^«/ would  fall  upon  his  ^^^^j^'^^^-Jj^ 
aged  Parents,  and  therefore  his  next  Care  was  to  provide  them  1115,  t-r. 
with  a  fafe  Retreat ;  which  he  did  by  putting  both  himfelfF^°™  '  Sam. 
and  them  under  the  Prote£lion  of  the  King  of  Moab^  who'(J'j!^^_"j 
was  then  at  Enmity  with  Saul.     And  with  his  Parents  he 
thus  continu'd,  until  the  Prophet  Gad  (who  attended  him) 
advis'd  him  to  leave  Moah^  and  to  return  into  the  Land  of 
yudah  ;  which  accordingly  he  did,  and  took  up  his  Station 
in  the  f  Foreft  of  Hareth,  where  Abiathar  the  Prieft  came 
to  him,  and,  upon   this  fad  Occajion,  brought  along  with 
him  all  the  pontifical  Ornaments. 

During  David's  fhort  Stay  at  Nob,  Doeg^  the  King's 
principal  Herdfman,  was  there,  and,  upon  his  Return  to 
Court,  gave  Saul  Information  of  all  that  had  pafs'd  between  ^^of'"^-^- 
the  High-Prieft  Ahimelech,  and  David.    Hereupon  5<7K/fenta^^./„-,/ 
for  Ahimelech,  and  the  reft  of  the  Priefts,  and  having  accus'd  and  di-ven 
them  of  a  Confpiracy,  and  traiterous  Practices  againft  him,°'^'^'  "P"" 
(*  notwithftanding  all  the  High-Prieft  could  fay,  in  Vindi-  " ' 

cation  of  himfelf  and  his  Brethren)  he  commanded  them  to 
be  put  to  Death.     His  Guards,  who  ftood  by,  and   heard 
T  3  Ahimelelech's 

-f-  Both  St.  Jerom  and  Eufebius  make  mention  of  a  Place 
of  this  Name  in  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  lying  Wejivjard  of  "Je- 
rufalem ;  of  which  Rabbi  Solomon  (upon  the  Credit  of  feme 
antient  Tradition)  fays,  that,  being  before  dry,  barren,  and 
impaffable,  upon  Da'viJ's  coming,  it  became  fruitful  and  irri- 
guous,  and  that  in  thexxiiid  Pfalm  (where  he  confiders  God  as 
his  Shepherd,  who  would  lead  him  vaXo fruitful  Pafiures,  and, 
under  his  Proteftion,  keep  him  fafe  in  the  moft  dangerous 
Scenes)  he  alludes  to  this.  He  Jhall  feed  me  in  a  green  Pafure, 
and  lead  me  forth  by  the  Waters  of  Comfort  :  For  furely  it  is  not 
impoflible,  but  that  this,  which  was  before  a  barren  Defert, 
might  now,  by  a  fmgular  Bleffing  from  God  upon  the  Induftry 
of  Da<vid  and  his  Companions,  become  a  green  and  well-water'd 
Failure.  Wells's  Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  III. 
and  The  Hijlory  of  David,  by  the  Author  of  Revelation  ex- 
amind. 

*  The  Speech,  which  Jofephus  draws  up  for  the  High-Prieft, 
upon  this  Occafion,  is  direfted  to  Saul,  and  conceiv'd  in  thefe 
Words  :  "  I  did  not  receive  Da^vid  as  your  Majejifs  Enemy, 
*'  but  as  the  faithfulieft  of  your  Friends  and  Officers,  and  (what 
"  is  more)  in  the  Quality  of  your  Son  too,  and  a  Relation  in  fo 
*'  tender  a  Degree  of  Affinity  and  Alliance.  For  how  ftiould  any 
*'  Body  imagine  that  Man  to  be  your  Enemy,  upon  whom  you 
**  have  conferr'd  fo  many  Honours  ?  Or  why  Ihould  not  I  rather 

*'  prefura* 


294  The  Hijlary  of  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

eS88  ^f  ■Ahimelcch''^  Defence,  *  would  not  undertake  fo  barbarous 
Ant.  Chrift".^".  Office;  but  Doeg^  who  had  been  their  Accufer^  at  the 
It  16,  &c.  King's  Command,  became  their  Executioner,  and,  with 
TtTthe  eS^^'^  facrilegious  Hand,  flew  no  lefs  than  1|  eighty-five  of  them. 
,  Nor  did  Saul's  bloody  Refentment  flop  here  :  *  For,  fend- 
ing a  Party  to  Nob,  he  commanded  them  to  kill  Man,  Wo- 
man, and  Child,  and  even  every  living  Creature ;  fo  that, 

of 

"  prefume  fuch  a  Perfon,  without  any  further  Enquiry,  to  be 

"  your  fmgular  Friend  ? — He  told  me,    that  he  wasfent 

"  in  hafte  by  yonrfelf,  upon  earneft  Bufinefs ;  and  if  I  had  not 
"  fupply'd  him  with  what  he  wanted,  it  would  have  refledled  an 
•*  indignity  upon  yourfelf,  rather  than  upon  him.  Wherefore, 
*'  I  hope,  that  the  Blame  will  not  fall  upon  me,  even  tho'  David 
"  Ihould  be  found  as  culpable,  as  you  fufpedt  him  ;  unlefs 
*'  an  Aa  of  pure  Compaifion  and  Humanity,  abftrafted  from 
*'  the  leafl:  Thought,  Knovvledge,  or  Imagination  of  any  evil 
"  Intention,  ihall  be  underftood  to  make  me  privy  to  a  Confpi- 
"  racy  :  For  the  Service  I  did  him,  was  Matter  of  Refpeft  to 
"  the  King's  Son-in-Lanv,  and  the  King's  military  Officer,  not  to 
*'  the  Perfon  or  Intereft  of  Dawd"  Jeiuijh  Antiq.  lib.  w. 
cap.    14. 

*  In  this  they  were  to  be  commended :  But  much  more  Praife 
they  would  have  deferv'd,  if  they  had  ofFerM  up  their  Petitions 
for  thrfe  innocent  People  ;  if  they  had  remonftrated  to  the  King, 
that  he  was  going  to  commit  a  Thing,  that  was  contrary  to  all 
Laws,  both  di'viiie  and  hziman;  and  if  (when  they  faw,  that 
neither  their  Reafons  nor  Petitions  avail'd)  they  had  looked  upon 
this  Order,  as  the  EfFeft  of  one  of  the  King's  diftrafted  Fits, 
and  accordingly  feiz'd  and  fecur'd  him,  until  the  Priefts  had 
made  their  Efcape,  and  he  return'd  to  a  better  Mind.  For  to 
ftand  wringing  their  Hands,  •while  they  faw  fo  many  innocent 
Creatures  murther'd,  and  foreign  Soldiers  made  the  Inftruments 
of  the  King's  Cruelty,  was  much  the  fame  Thing,  as  to  betray 
all  divine  and  human  Rights  merely  to  pleafe  a  Tyrant,  he 
C/erc^s  Commentary.  Vide  JoJephus\  Jenjjijh  Antiq.  lib.  vi. 
cap.  1 4.  who  has,  upon  this  Occafion,  a  curious  Defcant  about 
the  Abufe  of  Power  in  Kings,  when  once  from  a  low,  they  come 
to  be  exalted  to  an  high  Station  in  Life. 

II  The  Septuagint,  as  well  as  the  Syrian  Verfion,  makes  the 
Number  of  Priefts,  flain  by  Doeg,  to  be  three  hundred  and  f'vey 
and  Jofephus  three  hundred  and  eighty-five,  which  is  a  large 
Variation  from  the  Hebreiv  Text.  Millars  Hiftory  of  the 
Church. 

*  This  Party,  as  Jofephus  informs  us,   was  commanded  by 
Doegy  the  vile  Informer  and  Murtherer,  who  taking  fame  MetZy 
as  nuicked  as  him/elf,  to  his  Ajffjjiance,  flew  in  all  three  hundred  and  ■ 
tighiy-Ji've  Perjonsy  and,  in  Addition  to   thefe,    'tis  thought  by 

fome. 


Chap.  III.    from  the  Undites  entering  Ca,na.a,n,  ^c.       295 

of  all  the  Children  of  Jhimelech,  none  efcap'd,  hut  Jhia-     A.  m. 
ibar,  (as  we  faid  before)  who  came  to  David^  and  told  him  ^^^^  '^,^f^ 
the  Difmal  Tidings  of  this  Maflacre,  which  David  could  me,  epc' 
not  but  fadly  condole,  and,  in  fome  Meafure,  look  upon ?'^*''^ '  Sam. 
himfelf  as  the  innogent  Occafion  of  it.     However  he  gave .'    -,  — "j 
Abiathar  Affurances  of  his  Protection,  that  he  fliould  fhare 
the  fame  Fate  with  him ;  and  that,  with  his  own  Life,  he 
would  fhield  him  from  all  Danger. 

While  Saul  was  imbruing  his  Hands  in  the  innocent -^"'^ /«"/«« 
Blood  of  his  Subje£ls,  David  was  employing  his  Arms  in  ?*J^j/p/^ 
the  neceflary  Defence  of  his  Countfj^j  for,  hearing  that«,,  but  it 
the  Philijiines  had  made,  an  Incurfion  Upon  Keilahy  a  CltyP'^'^'fiP- 
of  Judah,  t  he  went,  and  reliev'd  the  Place,  repuls'd  the^""'"'* 
Enemy  with  a  great  Lofs  of  Men^  and  took  from  them  a 
confiderable  Booty  of  Cattle.     Saul  had  foon  Intelligence 
of  this  Adion  ;  and  fuppofing  that  David  would  now  for- 
tify himfelf  in  this  ffrong  Hold,  he  fent  an  Army  to  inveft 
it :  But  David,  having  confqlted  the  Divine  Oracle  upon 
this  Emergency,  found  that  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Place 
would  prove  perfidious  to  him,  and  therefore  he  left  them, 
and  retir'd  into  a  Wood  in  the  f  Deferts  of  Ziph,  whither 
Saul,  for  Want  of  Intelligence,  could  not  purfue  him  ;  but 
his  Son  5'^«^7/^^«,  having  privateNotice  fent  him,  went  to  him, 
and  gave  him  all  the  Comfort  and  Encouragement  that  he 
could;  afluring  him,  that  his  Father's  Malice  would  never 
T  4  reach 

fome,  that  the  Giheonites,  (upon  whofe  Account  there  was  (o 
fore  a  Famine  in  the  Days  of  Danjtd)  who  might  now  be  at 
Nob,  in  Attendance  upon  the  Priefts,  were  at  this  Time  flain. 
It  is  certain,  Saul  was  now  become  a  mere  Tyrant,  and  againfl: 
thofe  poor  People  adled  more  cruelly,  than  he  did  againft  the 
Amalekites,  fome  of  whom  he  fpar'd,  even  contrary  to  God's 
Command  ;  but  in  this  Cafe  he  let  none  efcape,  on  purpofe  to 
deter  others  from  giving  the  leaft  Shelter  or  Affiftance  to  Damd, 
and  to  incite  them  the  rather  to  come,  and  give  him  Informati- 
on, wherever  his  Haunts,  or  Lurking-Places  were.  Jofephm\ 
Antiq.  lib.  vi.  c.   14. 

+  We  read  of  no  EmbafTy,  that  the  People  of  Keilah  fent  to 
Datvid  to  defire  his  Affiftance,  nor  of  any  particular  Affedion 
they  had  for  him  ;  and  therefore  we  may  fuppofe,  that  David 
undertook  this  Expedition,  out  of  pure  love  to  his  Comitrymeitf 
to  let  the  World  fee,  how  ferviceable  he  could  be  to  them,  in 
Cafe  he  was  reftored  to  his  Dignity  again,  and  that  (what  ill 
Treatment  foever  he  fhould  meet  with  from  the  Hand  of  Saul^ 
nothing  (hould  provoke  him  to  abandon  his  Love  for  his  Coun- 
try,    Le  Clerct  Commentary. 

f  In  Jajhutti  XV.  55.  we  read  of  a  Town  of  this  Name, 

where 


ig6  The  Hiftory  o^  /j^^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  reach  him  ;  that  he  ftill  hop'd  to  fee  him  King  of  IJrael^ 
i^t^'chriil.  ^"^  himfelf  his  fecond;  and  with  thefe  Words,  confirming 
1 1 16,  &c.  the  Covenant  of  Friendfhip  between  them,  they  embrac'd 
From  1  Sam.  and  parted. 

The  People  of  the  Wiidernefs  were  very  officious  in 
fending  Saul  Intelligence  where  David  was,  and  (if  he 
would  fupply  them  with  a  fufficient  Force)  undertook  to 
betray  him  into  his  Hands :  But  David  having  taken  No- 
tice of  their  intended  Treachery,  retir'd  farther  into  the 
Defert  of  Maori,  whither  Saul  purfu'd  him,  and  prefs'd  him 
fo  clofe,  that  there  was  but  a  Valley  between  the  two  Ar- 
mies. David's  Army  was  fo  very  fmall,  that  Saul  was 
thinking  of  encompaffing  the  Mountain  where  he  encamp'd, 
in  order  to  prevent  his  Efcape;  when  News  was  brought 
him,  that  the  Philijiines  had  invaded  the  Country  on  the 
other  Side,  fo  that  he  was  forc'd  to  drop  his  private  Refent- 
ment  for  the  publick  Weal,  and  divert  his  Arms  another 
Way:  But,  as  foon  as  the  Philijiines  were  repuls'd,  he, 
with  three  thoufand  choice  Men,  renewed  his  Purfuit  of 
David,  who  by  this  Time  was  retir'd  into  the  ftrong 
Holds  of  -f-  En-gedi. 

As  Saul  was  on  his  March,  he  happen'd  to  turn  into  a 
Cave  to  eafe  Nature,  where  David,  and  fome  of  his  Men 
lay  hid.     His  Men,  when  they  faw  the  King  entering  alone, 

thought 

,  where  mention  is  likewife  made  of  Carmel,  and  Maon,  and 
therefore  it  probabl_y  was  adjacent  to  them.  And  here,  in  the 
Story  of  Da-vid,  we  find  Carmel  and  Maon  mention'd  as 
adjoining  to  Ziph ;  fo  that,  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  but  that 
by  the  Zij^h  in  the  Wiidernefs,  where  Da'vid  now  conceard 
himfelf,  we  are  to  underiland  the  Ziph,  which  was  in 
the  Neighbourhood  of  Carmel,  and  Mao7z,  in  the  fouthern  Part 
of  the  Tribe  of"  Judah,  and  (according  to  St.  Jercm)  about 
eight  Miles  eaflward  from  Hebron.  Wells\  Geogr.  of  the  Old 
Teftament,  Vol    III. 

f  En-gcdf,  (now  called  Anguedi)  in  the  Days  of  St.  Jerom, 
was  a  large  Village,  fituate  in  the  Deferts,  wiiich  lay  upon  the 
weftem  Ccaib  of  the  Halt  or  Dead  Sea,  not  very  far  from  the 
Plains  of  jiricho  :  And,  as  the  Country  thereabouts  abounded 
with  Mountains,  and  thefe  Mountains  had  Plenty  of  vafl  Caves 
m  them,  it  was  a  very  commodious  Place  for  Da'vid  to  retire 
to,  and  conceal  himfelf  in.  Eufchius  makes  it  famous  for  excel- 
lent Balm ;  and  Solomon  in  his  Song,  for  Vineyards,  which, 
m  all  Probability,  were  planted  by  his  Father,  during  his 
Retirement  in  this  Place,  and  therefore  fo  peculiarly  celebrated 
by  the  Son.  Calmet\  Commentary.  Wells\  Geogr.  ofj  the 
Old  Teitam.  Vol.  III.  and  The  Hijiory  of  King  David,  by  the 
Author  of  Revelation  Examind. 


Chap. III.  from  the  l^xztXitti  entering  Canaan,  i^c.      297 

thought  it  a  lucky  Opportunity,  that  Providence  had  put  in  ^-  ^• 
Jtheir  Hands,  and  accordingly  inftigated  David  to  difpatchAnt/chrUt. 
him  :  But  Z)<2wW  rejected  the  Offer  with  Abhorrence,*  Gcdii^6,  &c. 
forbid  that  I JhouUJlretch  forth  my  Hand  againji  the  Lord's^^"^'^  ^^^ 
Anointed ;  and  only  (to  fhew  ^aul  how  much  he  was  in  his  \ 
Power)  went  foftly,  and  f  cut  off  the  Skirt  of  his  Robe. 
When  Saul  wzs  gone  out  of  the  Cave,  David  call'd  to  him 
at  a  Diftance,  and,  (hewing  him  the  Skirt  of  his  Raiment, 
declar'd  his  Innocence  in  fuch  tender  Terms,  and  with  fuch 
fubmifRve  Behaviour,  that  he  made  the  King's  Heart  relent. 
So  that,  with  the  utmoft  Compunction,  he  acknowledg'd 
his  Guilt  in  thus  perfecuting  the  Juft  ;  and,  from  the  many 
Efcapes,  which  God  had  vouchfaf 'd  David,  concluding  af- 
furedly  that  he  was  to  fucceed  in  the  Kingdom,  he  conjur'd 
him,  by  all  that  was  facred,  \\  not  to  deftroy  his  Family  ; 

and, 

*  This  one  Example  of  David^s,  under  all  the  Provocations, 
he  received  from  Saul,  abundantly  fhews  us,  that  the  Perfons  of 
Kings  are  faired  and  inviolable. 

Regum  timendorum  in  proprios  Greges, 

Reges  in  ipfos  Imperium  eft  Jovis.  HoR.  Od. 

•\-  If  it  be  afk'd,  how  Daniid  could  do  this  without  Satd's  per- 
ceiving it  ?  The  Anfwer  may  be,  that  this  poffibly  might  be 
fome  upper  loofe  Garment,  which  Saul  might  put  oiF,  and  lay 
afide  at  fome  Diftance  from  him,  upon  this  Occafion  ;  and 
that,  as  there  were  feveral  Rooms,  or  particular  Cells,  in  thefe 
large  Caverns,  which  might  have  fecret  Paflages  from  one  to  ano- 
ther, Saul,  at  the  Mouth  of  one  of  thefe  Cells,  might  lay  down 
this  upper  Garment,  which  Da'vid  perceiving,  and  knowing 
all  the  Paflages  of  the  Place,  might  go  fome  fecret  Way,  and 
cut  off  fome  fmall  Part  of  it.  Nor  could  the  Noife,  which 
Damd's  Motion  might  make,  be  well  heard  by  Saul,  becaufe  it 
muft  have  been  drown'd  by  a  much  greater  Noife,  which  Saufs 
Army,  waiting  for  him  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Cave,  may  be  fup- 
pos'd  to  make      Poofs  Annotations. 

II  But  how  did  David  abfolve  his  Promife,  or  keep  his  Oath 
with  Saul,  when,  in  2  Sam.  xxi.  8.  he  flew  fo  many  of  his 
Sons  ?  The  Reply,  that  is  ufually  made  to  this,  is,— — — — 
That  this  Promife,  or  Oath  of  Dan^id's,  could  never  be  a^- 
folute  or  unconditional,  becaufe,  upon  Suppofition  that  any  of 
SauT^  Family  had  become  rebellious,  they  had  neverthelefs  been 
obnoxious  to  the  Sword  of  Juftice  j  that,  tho'  Damid  could 
bind  himfelf  with  his  Oath,  yet  he  could  not  bind  God,  to 
whofe  Will  and  Pleafure  all  private  Obligations  muft  be  fubmit- 
ted ;  and  (what  is  more)  that  this  Execution  was  not  done  by 
Da'vid's  Order,  but  at  the  Defu"e  of  the  Gibeonites,  to  whom 
God  had  prorais'd  that  Satisfaftion  ftiould  be  made  for  SauPi 

bloody 


2C)8  fhe  Hijlcry  <?//;&<?  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    and,  having  obcain'd  this  Promife,  he  return'd  home  :  But 
Anf  cSui  -^^^'^A  *  not  daring  to  truft  to  his  fair  Words,  ftill  kept 
1116,  sff.  himfelf  clofe  in  theFaftnefles  of  the  Hills. 
From  1  Stm.     MucH  about  this  Time  f  the  Prophet  Samuel  dy'd,  and 
i.  to  the  End.  ^^^  bury'd  at  Ramab,  the  Place  of  his  Habitation,  in  great 

Solem- 

Woody  Endeavours  to  deftroy  them.     Patrick's  Commentary, 
and  Poors  Annotations. 

*  'Tis  an  old  Saying,  and  a  wife  one,  fx.i^tvv,ao  a.-xt^^ztv. 
Remember  not  to  be  too  credulous ;  and  the  Advice  of  the  Son  of 
Sirach  is  this,  ■■  Never  truji  thine  Enemy ;  tho'  he  humble 
himfelf,  yet  take  good  Heed^  and  be^uuare  0/  hi?n.  Eccluf.  xii. 
10,    II. 

f  The  Jenjus  are  of  Opinion  that  Samuel  died  only  four 
Months  before  S-aul :  But,  by  the  Generality  of  Chriftian 
Chronologtrs,  he  is  fuppos'd  to  have  died  about  two  Years  before 
the  Death  of  that  Prince,  and  in  the  ninety -eighth  Year  of  his 
Age  ;  twenty  of  which  had  been  fpent  in  the  Government  of 
Ifrael  (tho'  Sir  John  Marjham  will  have  it  no  more  than  fixteen) 
hefore  Saul\  Inauguration,  after  which,  he  liv^d  about  eighteen. 
He  was  at  firft  interr'd  at  Ramah,  but,  in  the  Time  of  the 
Emperor  Arcadius,  his  Body  was  tranfported  from  Paleftine  to 
Cotifiantinople ;  and  (as  St.  Jerom  informs  us)  receiv'd  both  by 
the  Clergy  and  Laity  with  a  Joy  unfpeakable,  and  Honours 
almoft  infinite.  He  was  indeed,  while  he  liv'd,  an  excellent 
Governor,  and,  thi-ough  his  whole  Adminiftration,  above 
Vanity,  Corruption,  or  any  private  Views.  Thofe,  that  attend 
to  his  Life,  may  obferve,  that  he  was  modefl:  without  Meannefs, 
mild  without  Weaknefs,firm  without  Obflinacy,  and  fevere  with- 
out Harlhnefs ;  or,  as  the  Author  of  Ecdcftafiicus  has  recorded 
his  Aftions,  and  confecrated  this  Eulogy  to  his  Memory  :  — — 
Samuel,  the  Prophet  of  the  Lord,  fays  he,  belonjed  of  the  Lardy 
ejiablijhed a  Kingdom,  a7id anointed  Princes  over  his  People.  By  the 
Lavj  of  the  Lord  he  judged  the  Congregation,  and  the  Lord  had 
RefpeB  unto  Jacob.  By  his  Faith fulnefs  he  ivas  found  a  true  Pro- 
phet, and  by  his  Word  he  nvns  kaoivn  to  be  faithful  in  Vifion.  He 
tailed  upon  the  mighty  God,  nvhen  his  Enemies  preffed  upon  him  on 
foery  Side,  vjhen  he  offered  the  fucking  Lamb  ;  and  the  Lord  thun- 
dered from  Heaven,  and  tvitb  a  great  Noife  made  his  Voice  to  be 
heard.  He  defrayed  the  Rulers  of  the  Syrians,  ajid  all  the  Princes 
ef  the  Philiftines.  Before  his  long  Sleep  he  made  Proteftations  in 
the  Sight  of  the  Lord,  afjd  his  Anointed,  and  after  his  Death  he 
fropheficd  and  fhevoed  the  King  his  End.  Eccluf.  xlvi.  l  3  ^r. 
But,  befides  the  Things  that  are  recorded  of  this  Prophet  in  the 
firft  Book  of  Samuel,  there  are  fome  other  Paflages  concerning 
him  in  the  firft  Book  of  Chronicles  ;  as,  Tlwt  he  enriched  the 
Tabernacle  with  feveral  Spoils,  wjiich  he  took  from  the  Enemies 
of  ^-,2^/ during  his  Adminiftration,  Chap.  xxvi.  28.  That  he 
alTifted    in    regulating  the  Diftribation  of  the  Levites,   which 

David 


Chap.IIT.    from  the  l{ra.t\ite5  entering  Cansisin,  ^c.      299 

Solemnity,  and  f  with  the  general  Lamentation  of  the  Peo-    A.  M. 
pie :  During  which  Time,  David  took  the  Opportunity  to  Ant/c^ut. 
remove  from  En-gedi,  and  to  retire  farther  into  the  Wilder-  md,  &c. 
nefs  of  Paran,  not  far  from  Maoris  where  he  had  been.^''°™'^3mi 

,     r  »•  to  theBnd.- 

once  before.  »     _     ^^ 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  this  Place,  there  liv'd  a  wealthy  David'i/«;er- 
Man,  whofe  Name  was  Nabal,  but  himfelf  was  of  a  furly '""'«'  «"'^ 
and  morofe  Difpofition.     While  David  abode  in  this  Wil-  t^vTmc^" 
dernefs  the  Time  before,  he  had  taken  great  Care  to  reftrain  vihtm  u  ae. 
his  Men  from  doing  any  Injury  to  Nahal's  Flocks,  and  now, '""••""■'^^ 
in  the  Time  of  his  Sheep-J^eering,  (which,  in  thefe  Coun-  '"'^''""' 
tries,  was  always  a  Seafon  of  great  Feftivity  and  Entertain- 
ment) he  fent  Meflengers  to  him,  that,  in  Confideration  of 
the  many  Civilities^  he  had  (hewn  him,  he  would  bepleas'd 
to  fend  fome  Provifions  for  the  Support  of  his  Army.     But 
Nabal  receiv'd  the  Meflengers  very  rudely,  and,  with  fome 
opprobrious  Refledtions  upon  David  himfelf,  fent  them  a- 
way  empty,  which  fo  exafperated  David,  that  in  the  Heat 
of  his  Refentment,  he  vow'd  to  deftroy  all  Nabal's  Family 
before  next  Morning,  and  with  this  Refolution  he  fet  for- 
ward :  But  Migail^  Nabal's  Wife,  who  was  a  very  beau- 
tiful Woman,  and  in  Temper  the  very  reverfe  of  her  Huf- 
band,  being  inform'd  by  her  Servant  of  what  had  pafs'd, 
took  this  Expedient  to  divert  his  Ire. 

She  order'd  her  Servants  immediately  to  pack  up  two 
hundred  Loaves  of  Bread,  |{  two  Bottles  of  Wine,  five 

Sheep 

David  afterwards  prefcribed  for  the  Service  of  the  Temple, 
Chap.  ix.  22.  Andlaftly,  that  he  wrote  the  Hiftory  of  Dai;/^ 
in  Conjunftion  with  the  ^roTph&is  Nathan  znd  Gad:  But,  as  he 
was  dead  before  Dwvid  came  to  the  Throne,  this  can  be  meant 
only  of  the  Beginning  of  that  Hiftory,  which  by  the  other  two 
Prophets  might  be  continued  and  concluded.  There  is  great 
Probability  indeed,  that  he  compos'd  the  twenty-four  firft  Chap- 
ters of  the  firft  Book  of  Samuel,  which  contain  the  Beginning 
of  Dwvid's  Life,  and  feveral  hiftorical  Fadts,  wherein  he  himfelf 
had  a  large  Share ;  but  as  for  the  latter  Part  of  it,  it  was  im- 
poflible  for  him  to  write  it,  becaufe,  in  the  Beginning  of  the 
xxvth  Chapter,  there  is  Mention  made  of  his  Death. 

\  When  they  faw  the  Diforders  of  SauFs  Reign,  they  had 
great  Reafon  to  lament  their  Lofs  of  Samuel,  and  their  Sin,  in 
rejefting  fo  great  a  Prophet,  and  fo  good  a  Magiftrate.  Millars 
Hiftory  of  the  Church. 

II  It  muft  be  obvious  to  every  Reader,  that  tiuo  Bottles  of 
Wine  would  bear  no  Proportion  to  the  other  Parts  of  the  Pre- 
fent,  nor  anfwer  the  Exigencies  which  David's  Army  might  be 


300  The  Hifiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    ^ook  V. 

A.  M.  Sheep  ready  drefs'd,  five  Meafures  of  parch'd  Corn,  an 
Ant^'ciirift.'^"'^'^''^^  Cluftcrs  of  Raifins,  and  two  hundred  Cakes  of 
iiifi,  &c.  Figs;  and  with  this  Prefent  fhe  made  hafte  to  meet  Da- 
"^romiSzm.^-j,)^  D^wW  was  marching  with  all  Speed,  toputinExe- 
jcution  his  rafh  Vow;  but  Abigail,  when  fhe  met  him,  ap- 
proach'd  him  with  that  Refpeil,  and  addrefs'd  him  f  in  fuch 
moving  Language,  that  fhe  foon  difarm'd  him  of  his  Rage, 
and  ftopp'd  the  Effects  of  his  Indignation,  fo  that  they  both 
parted  with  mutual  Satisfaction;  he^  for  being  thus  prevent- 
ed from  fhedding  of  Blood,  and/;^,  for  having  thus  happily 
fucceeded  in  her  EmbafTy. 

Wh  e  n  fhe  got  home,  flie  found  her  Hufband  rioting  and 
drinking;  fo  that  fhe  deferr'd  telling  him  of  what  had  pafs'd 
until  he  was  a  little  foberer  the  next  Morning.  But  when 
he  came  to  underfland  the  Danger  he  had  been  in,  he 
vas  fo   terrify'd  at  the  Thoughts  of  it,  that  ||  he  turn'd 

quite 

in,  if  they  be  underftood  of  fuch  Bottles  as  are  now  commonly 

in  Ufe  with  us  :  But,  in  thefe  Eajieni  Countries,  they  us'd  to 
carry  and  keep  their  Wine  and  Water  in  Leathern  Bags ,  made  on 
Purpofe  to  hold  liquid  Things,  which  VefTels  they  call'd,  or 
(at  leafl)  we  tranflate,  Bottles.  Such  were  the  Bottles  which 
the  Gibhonites  brought  to  Jq/hua&  Camp,  which  they  faid  were 
worn  out,  and  torn  in  their  pretended  long  Journey,  Jo/h. 
ix.  13.  And  of  fuch  as  thofe  it  is  not  unlikely,  that  our  Sa- 
viour fpeaks,  Matth.  ix.  17.  where,  in  the  marginal  Note  of 
our  old  Bible,  Bottles  are  explain'd  by  Bags  of  Leather,  or 
Skins,  Borachios,  v/herein  Wine  was  carry 'd  on  AfTes  or 
Camels :  And  that  two  fuch  Veffels  as  thefe  might  hold  a 
Quantity  of  Wine  proportionate  to  the  reft  of  the  Prefent,  which 
Abigail  carry'd  with  her,  needs  not  to  be  difputed.  HoixjeW^ 
Hiftory,  in  the  Notes. 

■f-  The  Speech,  which  the  facred  Hiftorian  puts  in  AbigaiPs 
Mouth,  upon  this  Occafion,  is  certainly  an  artful  Piece  of  Elo- 
quence, full  of  fine  Turns  and  Inlinuations ;  nor  is  that  of  yo/e' 
fhus,  efpec'ally  in  the  Conclulion,  much  amifs  ;  ■■  "  Be 
*'  pleas'd,  Sir,  I  hefeech  you,  to  accept  of  die  good  Will  of 
"  your  poor  Servant  in  thefe  fmall  Prclents,  and,  upon  my  hum- 
**  ble  Requeft,  to  pafs  over  the  Offence  of  my  Hufband,  who 
*'  has  fo  jultly  incurred  your  Difpleafure ;  for  there  is  nothing 
*'  fo  well  becoming  the  Charafter  of  a  Perfon,  whom  Providence 
"  defigns  fcr  a  Crov/n,  as  Clemency  and  CompafTion."  Jewifh 
*'  Antiq.  lib.  vi.  c.    14. 

II  The  Words  in  the  Original  are.  He  became  a  Stone,  but  our 
Tranflation  iiai  wifely  fupply'd  the  Particle  as,  which  fhould 
always  be  done,  when  the  Scripture  affirms  fomething  of  ano- 
ther, that  is  no:  abfolutely  of  the  fame  Nature.     We  may  ob- 


Chap.IU.  from  the  Ur^idites  entering  Csina.2in,  i^c.         301 

quite  ftupid,  and,  in  the  Space  of  ten  Days,  died :  Where-    A.  M. 
upon  David  knt  for  his  Wife,  and  marry 'd  her,  as  he  did  Anf  V?r[ft 
likewife  another  Woman,  whofe  Name  was  Ahinoam  a  Jez- 1 116,  &c. ' 


reeiite  ;  for  his  firft  Wife,  who  was  SauFs  Daughter,  by^'^o'"  »Sam. 
her  Father's  Command,  f  was  at  this  Time  given  to  ano-  '^^^^_^^- 
ther. 

The  Ziphites  (as  we  faid  before)  were   always  forward  ^'"'/^"^'"i: 
to  give  Saul  Information,  where  David  and  his  Men  were  ^'^f/^^^' 
conceal'd  ;    and  therefore,  underftanding  from  them,  thzt  i„  hi:  Pcwen 
he  was  fomewhere  about  the  Mountain  Hachilah  f ,    he 
took  three  Tlioufand   Men,  and  went  in  Queft  of  him. 
David  hzd.  Intelligence  where  Saul's  Army  lay  encamp'd; 
and  therefore  going,  firft   of  all  privately  himfelf,  to  re~ 

connoitrs 

ferve  however,  that  this  Manner  of  Expreffion  is  very  common 
among  profane  Authors.  Thus  O'vid  brings  in  Ariadne  ex- 
preiTmg  her  Grief  and  AftoniHiment  at  the  Lofs  of  Thefiusj 
who  had  left  her  in  the  Ifland  Dia  : 

Aut  Mare  profpiciens  in  Saxo  frigida  fedi, 
Quamque  Lapis  fedes,  tam  Lapis  ipfa  fui. 
The  like  Expreffion  is  us'd  of  Hecubay    when    fhe  iaw  the  dead 
Body  of  her  Son  Poly  dor  us  : 

—  duroque  fimillima  Saxo 

Torpet.         ——         

But  in  the  Cafe  of  Niobe,  who  is  faid  to  be  turn'd  into  a  Statue 
of  Stone,  Cicero,  in  his  Tufculayi  Queftions,  obferves,  that  this 
Fable  only  reprefents  her  perpetual  Silence  in  Mourning  :  And 
accordingly  Jofephus  tells  us  of  Nabal,  that,  when  his  Wife 
told  him  of  the  Danger  he  had  efcap'd,  he  was  ftruck  with 
fuch  an  Aftonifhment,  that  he  fell  into  a  dead  Numbnefs  all 
over  his  Body,  of  which  he  foon  died.  Le  Clerc's  Commentary, 
and  Diflert.    de  Status  Salis. 

f  The  Rcafon  of  SanTs  putting  this  Indignity  upon  D^vid, 
was  to  extinguifli,  as  far  as  Jie  could,  all  Relation  and  Kin- 
dred, and  to  cut  off  his  Hopes  and  Pretences  to  the  Crown  upon 
that  Account :  But,  as  the  Je^ijh  Do£tors  are  of  Opinion, 
that  this  Phahi,  to  whom  flie  was  given,  was  a  very  pious  Man, 
and  would  never  approach  her,  becaule  Ihe  was  another  Man's 
Wife,  and  as  David  had  never  been  divorc'd  from  her,  he  re- 
ceived her  again,  when  he  came  to  the  Throne.  Pool\  Anno- 
tations, and  Cahnet\  Commentary. 

-f-  The  Inconftancy,  Falfenefs,  and  implacable  Rage  of  this 
Prince  is  really  inconceivable.  Not  long  ago  he  was  oblig'd  to 
Da-xiid  {or  his  Life,  and  acknowledg'd  his  Error,  and  made  Da- 
'vid  fwear,  that  he  would  be  kind  and  znei'ciful  to  his  Pofterity  ; 
and  yet  now  he  openly  declares  himfelf  again  his  Enemy,  and 
goes  in  Purfuit  of  him  to  kill  him,     Fat'-ick\  Commentary. 


302  The  Uiliory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

A-  M.  fonnoitre  it,  he  f  took  with  him  at  Night  his  Nephew  Abi~ 
An:,  'chrift.^^'?  ^^^t  entering  the  Camp,  found  ^aul^  and  Jbner,  and 
1116,  &c.  all  the  reft  of  the  Hoft,  faft  afleep.  Abifhai  would  have 
From  1  Sam. gi^jly  nj^jg  ufe  of  this  Opportunity  to  difpatch  the  King, 
^  ^  '  but  David  would  by  no  Means  permit  him,  for  the  fame 
Reafons  that  he  had  fav'd  his  Life  in  the  Cave }  only  the  * 
Spear,  and  Cruife  of  Water,  that  were  at  his  Bed's  Head, 
he  bid  him  bring  with  him,  that  he  might  fhew  the  King 
how  much  his  Life  had  been  at  his  Mercy ;  And,  accord- 
ingly, when  they  had  got  at  a  convenient  Diftance,  Da- 
vid,  with  a  loud  Voice,  call'd  unto  Abner,  and,  in  an  f 

ironical 

f  This  may  feem  a  bold  and  ftrange  Attempt,  for  two  Per- 
fons  to  go  into  the  Midft  of  an  Army  of  three  Thoufand  chofen 
Men ;  but,  in  Anfwer  to  this,  many  Things  may  be  confider'd  : 
As  that,  according  to  the  Accounts  of  many  credible  Hiftori- 
ans,  feveral  gallant  Men  have  attempted  Things  of  no  lefs  Dan- 
ger and  Difficulty  than  this  was ;  that  Da'vid  had  all  along  Af- 
furance  given  him,  that  God  would  preferve  him  in  all  Dangers 
to  fucceed  in  the  Kingdom ;  and  that  at  this  Time,  he  might 
have  a  particular  Impulfe  and  Incitement  from  God  to  go  upon 
this  Enterprife,  and  might  poffibly  be  inform'd  by  him,  that  he 
had  caft  tliem  into  a  deep  Sleep,  that  he  might  give  him  this  fe- 
cond  Opportunity  of  manifefting  to  Saul  his  Innocence,  and  the 
Juftnefs  of  his  Caufe.  Not  to  fay,  that  as  Secrecy,  at  this  Time, 
was  the  great  Point,  Da'vid  might  think  himfelf  fafer,  in  this 
Refpeft,  with  one  fingle  Companion,  than  with  more.  Poors 
Annotations,  and  The  Life  of  King  David. 

*  That  it  was  cuftomary  for  Warriors,  when  they  laid  them 
down  to  Reft,  to  have  their  Arms  plac'd  in  Order  by  them,  is 
evident,  from  what  Silius  Italicus  tells  us  of  Mago,  HanmbaPi 
Brother. 

■  Nee  degener  ille 

BelligeriRitus,  taurino  membra  jacebat 
EfFultus  Tergo,  &  mulcebat  triftia  Somno. 
Haud  procul  Hajia  viri  terra  defixa  propinqua, 
Et  dira  e  fumma  pendebat  cufpide  Caffis, 
Et  Clypeus  circa,  Loricaque,  et  enfis,  &  arcus, 
Et  Telum  Baleare  :  fimul  tellure  quiefcunt,  i^c.     Lib.  vii. 
But,  long  before  Silius,  Homer  defcribes  the  Thracians  deeping 
in  this  Manner  in  their  Tents : 

KaAa  •jtccf   cc-urtiTci  5(,SoyJ  kI/Ajto  eu  nccrci  hocixov. 
Pvjirc?  5   sv  fxiea  cu'St  II.  lO. 

-f-  The  Speech,  which  Da'vid  makes  to  Abner,  according  to 

Jofephusy  is  to  this  EfFeft :  "  Are  not  you  a  fit  Man  to 

*'  be  a  Prince's  Favourite,  a  General  oi  his  Army,  to  take  upon 
"  you  the  Guard  of  his  royal  Perfon,  and  under  all  thefe  ho- 

*'  no  ur able 


Chap.  III.    from  fbe  Kradkes  entering  CansLan^  &c.       303 

ironical  Manner,  upbraided  him  with  his  Negleft  of  pre-     A.  M. 
ferving  the  King's  Life,  fince  his  Spear,  and  the  Cruife  of  ^  ^^^  chrift. 
Water,  that  were  fo  near  his  Bed's  Head,  were  fo  eafily  me,  fefc. 
taken  from  him  :   And  when  Saul,  upon  heating  his  Voice,  From  iSam. 
came  out  of  the  Camp,  and  fpake  to  him,  he  expoftulattd .'_  _       j 
with  him,  much  in  the  fame  Manner  as  he  did,  after  his 
Efcape  from  the  Cnve^  with  this  additional  Complaint,  that, 
by  thus  expelling  him  from  his  own  Country,  he  forc'd  hini 
to  converfe  with  Infidels^  and  (as  much  as  in  him  lay)  to 
embrace  their  Religion.     Wheieupon  Saul.,  accufing  him- 
felf  of  Cruelty,  and  applauding  DiiVid's  Generofity,  con- 
fefs'd  his  Guilt,  and  promis'd,    for  the  future,    never  to 
make  any  farther  Attempts  upon  his  Life. 

But,  notwithftanding  thefe  fpecious  Declarations,  Da-  ^'»  Rftrea. 
vidy  who  knew  the  Inftability  of  Saul's  Temper,  and  how''"^'^t^^'^ 
impoflible  it  was  for  him  to  live  in  Safety,  while  he  con- zikhg. 
tinu'd  in  his  Dominions,  determined  at  lad   to  go  over  to 
the  Phili/lines  j  and,  having  obtain'd  from  ■\  /^chijh^  King 

of 

"  nourable  Obligations,  to  lie  dozing,  and  ftretching  yourfelf  at 
*'  Eafc,  when  your  Matter's  Life  is  in  Danger  ?  Can  you  tell 
"  me  what  is  become  of  the  King's  Launce,  and  the  Pitcher  of 
"  Water,  that  were  this  Night  taken  by  the  Enemy  out  of  his 
"  Tent,  and  from  his  very  Bed- Side,  and  you,  in  the  mean 
"  Time,  all  fnoring  about  him,  without  knowing  any  Thing  of 
"  the  Matter  I  Whether  this  was  Negleft  or  Treachery,  'tib  the 
•'  fame  Thing;  you  certainly  deferve  to  lofe  your  Head  for  it." 
ytTx;//^  Antiq.  lib.  vi.  c.    14. 

-f-  Whether  this  v/as  the  fame  Achijh,  mention'd  i  Sam.  xxi. 
10.  with  whom  Da^vU  took  Shelter  at  his  firft  Flight  from  Sau/, 
or  feme  Succeffor  of  the  fame  Name,  is  a  Matter  of  fome  Con- 
jefture :  His  being  call'd  Achijh,  the  Son  of  Maoch,  feems  to  im- 
ply, that  he  was  a  different  Perfon,  becaufe,  in  the  Nature  of 
Things,  thefe  Words  can  have  no  Ufe,  but  only  to  diftinguifh 
this  Achijh  from  another  of  the  fame  Name.  But  whoever  it 
was,  'tis  highly  probable,  that  he  either  had  invited  Danitd  to 
come  thither  for  his  Security,  or  that  Dwvid  had  fent  before -hand 
EmbafTadors  to  treat  with  him,  and  to  obtain  his  royal  Promife 
of  Proteftion.  And  this  we  are  the  rather  induc'd  to  believe, 
becaufe  both  found  their  Advantage  by  this  Alliance :  Dai'id  fe- 
cur'd  himfelf  againft  the  Perfecutions  oi  Saul;  and  Achijh  know- 
ing Daijid'a  Valour,  and  the  Number  of  Troops,  which  came 
along  with  him,  thought  he  Ihould  give  a  powerful  Diverlion  to 
the  Forces  of  JJrael,  if  he  could  at  this  7  ime  attach  Dwuid  to 
his  Intereft.  But  whether  Danjid  did  well  or  ill,  in  either  fuing 
for,  or  accepting  of  the  Proteflion  of  this  foreign  King,  is  a 
Point  that  we  fhiall  have  Occafion  to  difcufs  hereafter.  Pafpius 
and  Calmeii  Commentsrie->  and  Ths  Lifeof  A''"'?g- David. 


304  ^^^  Hijiory   of  the  ^1^1.  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  of  Gath,  a  fafe  Conduit  for  himfelf  and  his  Retinue,  he, 
Am^'chrift  ^°^  ^°"^^  Time,  Uv'd  in  the  royal  City  ;  but,  not  liking 
1116,  er:f.  bis  Accommodation  here  fo  well,  as  he  grew  in  Favour 
From  I  Sam.  with  the  King  ever  more  and  more,  he  obtain'd  of  him 
i.totheEnd.^j  lafl  to  have  the  f  Town  of  Ziklag  affign'd  for  his  Ha- 
bita'^on,  and,  as  foon  as  he  was  fettled  here,  feveral  of 
5fl«/'s  heft  Officers  and  Soldiers  came  over  to  him.  Da- 
vid  at  firft  had  fome  Sufpicion  of  them  ;  but  having,  for 
fome  Time,  made  Trial  of  their  Fidelity,  he  receiv'd  them 
into  his  Service,  and  gave  them  Commands  ;  And,  with 
this  Acceflion  to  his  Army,  he  was  enabled  to  make  feve- 
ral Excurfions  againft  the  ||  Amalekttes,  and  other  Nations, 
in  which  he  was  accuftom'd  to  kill  all,  that  none  might; 
carry  Information,  and,    at  the  fame  Time,  f  by  certain 

ambiguous 

■\  Ziklag  was  fituate  in  the  extreme  Parts  of  the  Tribe  of  Ju^ 
iah  fouthwards,  not  far  from  Hormah,  where  the  Ifraelites  re- 
ceiv'd a  Defeat,  while  they  fojourn'd  in  the  Wildernefs.  In  the 
Divifion  of  the  Land  of  Canaan,  it  was  firft  given  to  the  Tribe 
of  Judah,  Jofh.  XV.  31.  and  afterwards  to  that  of  Simeon,  Jofti. 
xix.  5.  but  the  Philifiines  feem  all  along  to  have  kept  Poffeffion, 
fo  that  it  never  came  into  the  Hands  of  either  Tribe,  until,  by 
the  Gift  of  Achijh,  it  became  the  peculiar  Inheritance  of  David 
and  his  Succeffors.  Why  Danjid  defir'd  of  Achijh  the  Liberty  to 
retire  to  this  Place,  was  to  avoid  the  Envy,  which  the  Number 
of  his  Attendants  might  poffibly  occafion ;  to  fecure  his  People 
from  the  Infeftion  of  Idolatry ;  to  enjoy  the  free  Exercife  of  his 
own  Religion  ;  and  to  gain  an  Opportunity  of  enterprifmg  fome- 
thing  againft  the  Enemies  of  God,  v/ithout  the  Knowledge  or 
Obfervation  of  the  Philifiines.  Calmet'i  Commentary,  and  Poo/'s 
Annotations. 

(I  In  I  Sam.  XV.  7 ,  we  read,  that  Saul  [mote  the  Amalekites, 
and  utterly  defiroyed  all  the  People  'with  the  Edge  of  the  Sivord  i 
and  yet  we  find  here  Da<vid  making  frequent  Incurfions  upon 
the  Amalekites ;  and  therefore  the  Meaning  of  the  former  Paliage 
muft  be,  that  Saul  deftroy'd  as  many  of  them  as  fell  into  hi* 
Hands;  for  feveral  of  them  might  make  their  Efcape  from  Saut 
into  the  Deferts  that  lay  towards  Arabia-Felix,  and  upon  his  Re- 
treat, return  and  repoifefs  their  old  Habitation.  Le  Clerc's  Com- 
mentary, 

f  The  Words,  wherein  Da-vid  anfwer'd  this  Queftion  of 
Achijh,  Whither  ha-ue  you  made  a  Road  to  Day  ?  are  thefe,  Againji 
the  South  of  Judah,  and  againfi  the  South  of  the  Jerahmeelites, 
and  againji  the  South  of  the  Kenites,  I  Sam.  xxvii.  10.  By 
which  Nations  Da^-jid,  in  Reality,  meant  the  Gejhurites,  and  the 
Gezeritcs,  who  were  both  of  them  Relifts  of  the  Canaanites, 
whom  God  order'd  to  be  extirpated,  and  who  did,  in  Truth, 

live 


Chap.  III.    from  the  IfraeWtes  gnferiftg  CsLnz^n^  &c,         305 

ambiguous  Expreffions,  made  the  King  believe,  that  the    ■^-  ^^ 
Booty,  he  brought  back  with  him,  was  taken  from  the  If-  Ant.  Chrift, 
raelites,  which  was  no  unpleafant  News.  "i<5,  &c» 

In  fliort,  to  fuch  a  Degree  of  Confidence  was  he  grown  f '°o™thc^Ei^*. 
Xvith  Achijh,  that  he  propos'd  taking  him  along  with  him 
to  the  War,  which  the  Philijiines  had  at  this  Time  declar'd 
againft  Sauly  but  fome  of  the  chief  Men  about  him  declaring 
againft  it,  as  being  apprehenfive,  that,  in  the  Day  of  Battle  he 
might  peffibly  turn  againft  them,  prevail'd  with  the  King  to 
difmifs  him.  This  was  an  agreeable  Turn  to  David -y  yet  he 
fo  far  diflembled  the  Matter,  that  the  King  ( to  oblige  his 
Nobles)  was  forc'd  to  be  very  prefling,  and  importunate 
with  him  to  return  to  Z/'/^ATg^;  which  accordingly  he  did, 
and,  in  his  March  thither,  was  joiii'd  by  feveral  of  the 
Tribe  of  Manajph  fas  thofe  of  Gad  and  Benjamin  had 
done  before)  to  a  confiderable  Augmentation  of  his  Forces. 
And  well  it  fo  happen'd  :  For,  upon  his  Return  to  Zik- 
lagy  he  found  that  the  Amalekites  had  burnt,  and  pillag'd 
the  Place,  f  and  carry'd  away  his  two  Wives,  and  all  the 
People  that  were  therein ;  and  (what  was  no  fmall  Accef- 
fion  to  this  Misfortune)  his  Soldiers  mutiny'd  againft  him, 
as  if  he  had  been  f  the  Occafion  of  it.  David,  howe- 
ver, 

live  to  the  South  of  Judah;  but  Jchijh  underftood  him  in  a  quite 
contrary  Senfe,  <vix,.  that  he  had  fallen  upon  his  own  Country- 
men. So  that,  fmce  the  Formality  of  a  Lye  confifts  in  our  im- 
pofing  upon  thofe,  with  whom  we  converfe,  we  cannot  but  al- 
low, that  tho'  Da'vid''s  Anfwer  may  not  be  called  a  downright 
l^ye,  yet  it  is  an  Equi'vocatiotiy  with  an  Intent  to  deceive,  badly 
comporting  with  that  Honefty,  and  Simplicity,  which  became 
Da^id,  both  as  a  Prince,  and  Profeffor  of  the  true  Religion, 
wherein  he  is  no  way  to  beexcus'd,  and  much  lefs  to  be  imitated. 
PooPs  Annotations. 

f  It  may  feem  a  little  ftrange,  that  the  Amalekites,  who  had  {o 
often  been  cut  to  Pieces  by  Damd,  fhould  not,  upon  their  Suc- 
cefs,  flay,  rather  than  carry  away,  the  People,  which  they  found 
in  Ziklag :  But  this  may  be  imputed  either  to  their  Covetoufnefs, 
who  might  keep  them  for  Sale,  and  to  make  Money  of  them  as 
Captives ;  or  to  their  Cruelty,  who  might  referve  them  for  more 
lingering  and  repeated  Torments ;  or  perhaps  for  the  Gratification 
of  their  brutal  Lulls ;  though  principally  it  is  to  be  afcrib'd  to 
God's  over- ruling  Providence,  who  reftrain'd,  and  fet  Bounds  to, 
their  Rage.     Pool's  Annotations. 

f  This  he  might  feem  to  be  in  relinquilhing  his  own  Country, 
and  coming  to  Ziklag ;    in  provoking  the  Amahkites,   by  the 

Slaughter 

Vol.  III.  U 


3o5  The  Hiflory  <?/  /;5^  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.    vcr,  marching  away  immediately,  and  having  gain'd  Intel- 
Ant  *chr[ft  ligence  which  Way  the  Enemy  took,  foon  came  up  with 
1 1 16,  &c.  them,  fell  upon  them  and  cut  them  to  Pieces,  and  not  only 
From  1  Sam.  j-ecover'd  all  the  Perfons,  and  the  Booty,  which  they   had 
.^°_        1  taken,  but  fevcral  rich  Spoils  likewife,  that  they  had  robb'd 
others  of  in  this  Expedition,  whereof  he  made  Prefents  to 
his  Friends  f. 
Saul's ««/«/-     In  the  mean  Time,  the  Phllijiine  Army  lay  at  f  Shu- 
tingtktmtchfjgffj^  and  Saul  and  his  Forces  were  encamp'd  in   Mount 
*/   1  °f'     Gilboa^  from  whence  having  a  Profpeft  of  the  Enemy's 
Strength,  f  his  Courage   fail'd   him,    when  he  faw  how 
much  more  numerous  the  Philt/iines  were,  and  found,  at 
the  fame  Time,  that  God,  in  this  preffing  Juncture,  would 
not  be  confulted  by  him,  nor  give  him  any  Inftru<Etions 
what  to  do.     He  had,  fome  Time  before,  banifh'd  all  the 
TVizards,  and  fuch  as  dealt  with  familiar   Spirits,  out  of 
the  Nation  j   but,  being  now  in  the  utmoft  Perplexity,  f 

he 

Slaughter  of  all  that  came  in  his  Way ;  and  In  going  with  Achijh 
to  War,  while  he  left  the  Place,  where  their  Wives  and  Children 
were,  unguarded.     Foot?,  Annotations. 

•\  His  Friends  were  chiefly  thofe  of  his  own  Tribe;  but, 
befides  thefe,  we  find  he  fent  to  others,  f/z.  to  the  Inhabitants  of 
the  City  of  Bethel,  which  belong'd  to  the  Tribe  of  Ephraim ; 
and  this  he  did,  not  only  in  Acknowledgment  of  the  Shelter  and 
Support,  which  he  had  receiv'd  from  them  in  his  Banifhment, 
but  in  ProfpeiSl  of  their  future  Favour  and  Intereft,  in  Cafe  there 
fhould  happen  a  Vacancy  in  the  Throne.  Le  Clens  and  Patrick's 
Commentaries. 

f  Shunem  was  a  City  in  the  Borders  of  the  Tribe  of  IJfachar, 
about  five  Miles  to  the  South  of  Mount  Herman,  according  to 
St  Jerom  and  ^ufebius  ;  who  tells  us  likewife,  that  Gilboa  was  a 
Ridge  of  Mountains,  fix  Miles  Diftance  from  Scythopolis,  an- 
tiently  called  Bethjkan  ;  and  that  Endor  was  a  Town  in  the  Val- 
ley of  Jezreel,  at  the  Foot  of  Mount  Gilboa.  Wellsh  Geogra- 
phy of  the  Old  Teftament,  and  Le  Clercs  Commentary. 

\  The  Philifines  muft  have  had,  on  this  Occaficn,  feveral  bird 
Forces,  otherwife  Saul  had  no  Reafon  to  have  been  afraid  of 
them,  becaufe  the  fmall  Traft,  wliich  the  FhiUftines  inhabited, 
could  not  poitibl)  fupply  them  with  an  Army  any  Thing  equal  to 
the  tltbre^Ms,  who,  in  fome  of  their  Wars,  have  carry'd  to  the 
Field  fome  hundred  Thoufands  of  Men.  Le  Clercx  Com- 
nientary. 

f  A  fb-ange  Infatuation  this  of  Baul  I  He  had  banifh'd  all 
Wizards  and  Sorcerers  out  of  his  Kingdom,  as  a  dangerous 
Sort  of  People,  who  made  ProfelTion  of  a  wicked  and  unwarran- 
table 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  Cffc.         307 

he  was  refolv'd  to  confult  fome  one  of  this  Profeffion,    A.  M, 
in  order  to  know  what  the  Fate  of  this  War  would  be.  p^^^^  chrift. 
At  Endor,  about  three  Leagues  from  Mount  Gilboa^  hemd,  &c. 
was  told  there  liv'd  a  *  Witch ^  or  Sorcertfs ;    and  there- F^^"""'  ^^"J- 
fore,  difguifing  himfelf,  and  taking  but  two  Servants  with  ' 
him,    that  he  might  not  be  fufpe6led,    he  came  to  the 
Woman  *  by  Night,  and  defir'd  of  her  *  to  raife  up  the 
Ghoft  of  Samuel. 

U  2  Whe- 

table  Art;  and  yet  he  here  enquires  after  one,  and  puts  his  whole 
Confidence  in  what  he  had  fo  wifely  exploded  before ;  as  if  a 
Witch,  with  her  Incantations,  and  other  diabolical  Arts,  was 
capable  of  allaying  the  Unealinefs  of  his  Mind,  or  fecuring  him 
from  the  Apprchenfions  of  Danger.  It  may  be  obferv'd,  how- 
ever, that  he  mentions  a  Woman,  rather  than  a  Man,  to  be  con- 
fulted  upon  this  Occafion,  becaufe  he  might  imagine,  that  the 
weaker  Sex  might  more  eafily  be  deceiv'd  by  evil  Spirits,  and 
were  generally  more  addidled  to  thefe  unlawful  Pradlices.  Cal- 
mtt's  and  Patrick's  Commentaries. 

*  The  Septuagint  have  called  her,  a  Woman  that /peaks  from 
her  Belly,  or  Stomach,  as  moft  Magicians  afFefted  to  do  :  and 
fome  modern  Authors  have  inform'd  us,  that  there  were  Wo- 
men, who  had  a  Damon,  which  fpake  articulately  from  the 
lower  Part  of  their  Stomachs,  in  a  very  loud,  though  hoarfe. 
Tone: 
Umbrae  cum  Sagana  refonarunt  trifle  &  acutum.    Hor.  Sat.  viif. 

*  They  could  not  go  the  diredl  Way ;  for  then  they  muft  have 
pafs'd  through  the  Enemy's  Camp ;  and  therefore  they  took  a 
Compafs,  and  travelled  by  Night,  that  they  might  not  be  difco- 
ver'd ;  belides  that,  the  Night  was  the  propereil  Time  to  confult 
thofe,  that  pretended  to  wa^/ra/ Incantations,  it  being  a  common 
Opinion  among  the  Greeks,  as  perhaps  now  it  might  be  among 
the  Hebrenvs,  that  none  of  the  terreftrial  Damons  did  appear  in 
the  Day-Time.     Patrick's  Conmientary. 

*  It  was  a  common  Pretence  of  Magicians,  that  they  could 
raife  up  Ghofts  from  below,  ,  or  make  dead  Perfons  appear,  to 
declare  unto  them  future  Events. 

— — Cruor  in  fofl'am  confufus,  ut  inde 
Manes  elicerent,  animasrefponfa daturas.  Hor.  Sat.  lib.  i. 
And  therefore  Saul  addreffes  the  Woman,  as  if  he  believ'd  her 
Abilities  in  that  Way.  This  however  fhews,  not  only  the  Anti- 
quity of  Necromancy,  but  the  prevailing  Opinion  then,  that  the 
Soul,  after  the  Death  of  the  Body,  did  furvive ;  otherwife  it 
would  have  been  Impertinent  for  Saul  to  defire  the  Woman 
to  raife  wp  Samuel:  Which  makes  it  the  greater  Wonder,  that 
we  have  no  where,  in  the  Old  Tejlametit,  a  pofitive  Declaration 
of  the  Soul's  Immortality.  Calmet's  and  Le  Cten^s  Com- 
mentaries. 


3o8  "The  Hijiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  Whether  it  was  the  Ghoft  of  Samuel,  which  God, 
Ant. 'chriii.^PO'^  this  Occafion,  permitted  to  appear,  or  feme  evil  Spi- 
1116,  &c.  rit,  whom  the  Witch,  by  her  Enchantments,  might  raife 
^?"theBS'"P'  ^"^  ^^  it  was,  that,  from  this  5/)/f^r*  f  the  Woman 
1  learnt,  that  it  was  5W,  who  had  employ'd  her ;  zndSaulj 
when  he  faw  it,  bow'd  his  Face  to  the  Ground.  The 
apparition  fpalce  firft,  and,  demanding  the  Reafon,  *  why 
he  had  rais'd  him  from  the  Dead,  was  anfwer'd  by  Saui, 
that  the  Phili/iines,  with  a  powerful  Army,  had  invaded 
him,  and,  in  his  Diftrefs,  God  had  forfaken  him,  and 
would  give  no  Anfwer,  f  which  Way  foever  he  confulted 
him  :  To  whom  the  Spirit  reply'd,  that,  for  his  Difobe- 
dience,  in  not  deftroying  the  Amalekites,  God  had  taken 
away  the  Kingdom  from  his  Family,  and  given  it  to  Da- 
vid i 

\  How  the  Woman  came  to  know  it  to  be  Samuel ^  we  may 
thus  imagine.  She  faw  an  Apparition  fhe  did  not  expeft  ;  Iho 
knew  the  Prophet ;  fhe  knew  the  Veneration,  which  Saul  had 
for  him  ;  Ihe  knew  that  Proplicts  were  only  fent  to  Kings ;  and 
fhe  knew  withal,  that  her  Art,  whatever  it  was,  had  never  be- 
fore that  Time  exhibited  a  Perfon  of  that  Figure  to  her ;  andl 
from  hence  Ihe  concluded,  that  the  Apparition  muft  needs  be 
Samuel,  and  the  Perfon,  who  came  to  confult  her,  in  all  Proba- 
bility, was  Saul.     The  Hijiory  of  the  Life  of  King  David. 

*  The  Words  of  Samuel  are.  Why  hafi  thou  difquietedme,  and 
brought  me  up  ?  Which  feem  to  imply,  that  Samuel  was.  rais'd  U]^ 
by  the  Force  of  this  Woman's  Inchantments  :  But,  as  it  is  not  in 
the  Power  of  Witches  to  difturb  the  Reft  of  good  Men,  and 
bring  them  into  the  World  when  they  pleafe,  it  is  much  more  ra- 
tional to  think,  that  the  Scripture  here  cxpreffes  itfelf  in  a  Manner 
fuitable  to  the  Prejudice  of  the  Vulgar,  among  whom  it  was  a 
common  Notion,  that  thefe  Incantations  gave  Trouble  to  the 
Souls  that  were  at  Reft:  For  which  Reafon,  they  were  either  to 
be  appeas'd  by  Offerings,  or  conftrain'd  by  the  Force  of  Inchant- 
ments ;  for  fo  the  Tragedian  has  inform'd  us, 

Carmenque  magicum  volvit,  &  rapido  minax 

Decantat  ore,  quicquid  aut  placat  leves 

Aut  cogit  Umbras.  Seneca  in  OEdip. 

•f-  The  facred  Hiftorian  has  reckon'd  up  three  feveral  Ways  of 
enquiring  of  God,  i;/«.  hy  Dreams ^  hyUrim,  znd  by  Prophetsi 
and  it  may  not  be  amifs  to  obferve,  that  there  were  the  fame 
Methods  of  confulting  their  Gods  among  the  Gentiles;  as  it  ap- 
peals by  what  Achilles  fays  in  the  Council  of  the  Greeks,  when 
met  together  to  confider  about  the  Plague  which  Jfollo  fent 
among  them:  '  • 

AAA   ays  Z'^  Tiva  (jluvtiv  ipt^iyitv.  Hi  hfy.Xf 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  £s?^.     309 

vid  J  and,  as  to  the  Fate  of  the  War,  the  Philj/Iinesy  f  the    A.  M. 
next  Day,  fhould  rout  his  Army,  and  he  and  his  Sons  ^^.W^^^^' ^^.^^^ 
in  the  Battle.  ni6,  &c.' 

SAIIL  had  no  fooncr  heard  his  Doom,  but  he  fainted P'^""  » Sam. 
away  j  and  as  he  had  eaten  nothing  for  fome  confiderable'.[^°lJ_  \ 
Time,  *  the  Woman  and  his  Servants  with  much  ado 
prevail'd  with  him  to  take  fome  Refrefliment  :  Which 
when  he  had  done,  he  went  away,  and  march'd  all  Night, 
that  he  might  come  early  enough  to  the  Camp  next 
Morning. 

Th  e  next  Morning  the  two  Armies  met,  and   engag'd,  L  var^u'jh'd 
but  the  Ifraelites  were  ^orc'd  to  give  Way,   and  maintain'd ''?  '^'  ^^J' 
a  running  Fight,  until  they  came  to  Mount  Gilboa  ;  where, //a,„, 
gaining  the  Advantage  of  the  Ground,   they  attempted  to 
rally  again,  but  with  as  little  Succefs  as  before.     Saul  and 
his  Sons  did  all  that  was  poffible  for   brave  Men  to  do  ; 
but  the  Philijiinei  aiming  wholly  at  them,  in  a  fhort  Time, 
U  3  over'- 

•f-  The  Phrafe  wherein  Samuel  exprefles  himfelf,  is  this,  — — . 
To-morron.v  Jhalt  thou  and  thy  Sons  be  nvith  mc  :  Where  the  Word 
To-morroiv  (as  fome  Interpieters  imagine)  is  not  to  be  taken  in 
a  ftridk  Senfe,  becaufe  (as  they  conceive)  this  Battle  was  not 
fought  till  fome  Time  after ;  but,  in  the  Paflage  before  us,  there 
feems  to  be  no  Reafon,  why  To-morrow  fhould  not  be  taken  lite- 
rally :  For,  as  Endor  was  at  no  great  Diftance  from  the  I/raclids 
Camp,  Saul  might  go  that  Night,  confult  the  Witch,  ftay,  ar.d 
eat  with  her,  and  get  back  to  the  Camp  before  it  was  light. 
The  next  Day  the  Battle  begins ;  Saul  is  vanquifh'd ;  and,  feeing 
his  Army  routed,  defpairs,  and  ftabs  himfelf.  All  this  might 
very  well  be  done  in  the  Space  of  twelve  or  fourteen  Hours  ; 
and  therefore  I  fee  no  Occafion  why  we  fhould  depart  from  the 
plain  Signification  of  tKe  Words.     Calmet\  Commentary. 

*  y^^pl>**^  feems  to  be  very  warm  in  his  Commendation  of 
this  Woman's  Gcnerofity  to  Saul.  "  She  received  him,  treated 
*'  him,  and  relieved  him  ;  and  all  this  fo  chearfully,  and  fo  frankly, 
"  that  (he  gave  him  all  fhe  had,  without  any  Profpe£l  of  Rc- 
*'  ward  ;  for  fhe  knew,  that  he  was  doomed  to  die  :  And,  what 
*'  is  more,  this  fhe  did  for  the  very  Man,  whofei  Prohibition 
"  had  been  her  Ruin."  But  he  rafhly  fuppofes,  that,  in  the 
Words  of  the  facred  Hiftory,  the  Narration  is  accurate,  and  dc- 
feftive  in  no  one  Circumftance  j  whereas,  for  any  Thing  we 
know,  this  Woman  was  far  from  being  poor  ;  Saul  had  amply 
rewarded  her  for  raifing  up  Samuel,  and  his  Attendants  might  give 
her  a  round  Price  for  her  Lamb.  And  though  it  rnuft  be  own'd, 
that  her  Addrefs  to  the  King  is  tender,  and  refpcftful  enough  j 
yet,  whether  it  proceeded  from  Fear  or  Affeflion,  may  ad»it 
©f  fome  Debate.     Le  Clerc's  Commentary. 

Vol.  III. 


3IO  The  Hijiory  of  the  B  1^1.  E,         Book  V. 

A.  M-  overpower'd  them  with  Numbers,  f  fo  that  Jonathan,  and 
An^^'cbrUl.^^^  Others  of  his  Brothers,  Jbinadab,  and  Malchijhua^ 
i'i6,  iffc.  were  kili'd  upon  the  Spot,  and  the  whole  Army  put  in 
Fiona  iSam-Confufion. 

i.  tothcEnd^.  sj^j^  defended  himfclf  as  well  as  Man  could  do  ;  but 
the  fmall  Party  that  remain'd  with  him  being  entirely  bro- 
ken, and  the  f  Enemy's  Archers  preffing  hard  upon  him, 
he  found  himfelf  fo  weaken'd  with  his  Wounds,  and  Lofs 
of  Blood,  that,  for  fear  of  falling  into  their  Hands  and  be- 
ing infulted,  he  fell  upon  his  own  Sword,  and  fo  died.  He 
had  requefted  of  his  Armour-Bearer  before  this  to  difpatch 
him  ;  but  his  Armour-Bearer  was  ftartled  at  the  Propofal, 
and  refus'd  to  do  it  :  However,  when  he  faw  his  Mafter 
dead,  f  he  dcfperately  follow'd  his  Example,  and  in  the 
fame  Manner,  put  an  End  to  his  Life. 

The 

■f  It  was  certainly  no  fmall  Grief  to  Dat'ld  to  hear  of  Jona- 
thans Death,  and  a  Trial  it  might  be  of  liis  Patience,  and  Refig- 
nation  to  the  Divine  Will ;  but  ftill  there  feems  to  be  a  Diredtion 
of  Proviuence  in  fjffering  him  to  be  flain,  that  /)«i;/</ might  more 
eafily  come  to  the  Throne.  For,  though  Jonathan,  no  Doubt, 
would  have  made  a  voluntary  Dedition  of"  it,  yet,  as  he  was  the 
People's  great  Favourite,  feme  there  miglit  polfibly  be,  who 
would  noi  allow  of  the  Dedition,  and  fo  a  civil  War  might  have 
arofe  concerning  the  Succefibr,  which,  by  his  dying  in  this  Man- 
ner, was  prevented.     Pool's  Annotations. 

•j-  There  is  no  mention  oi  Archers  in  any  of  the  Philifline 
Armies,  or  Batdes,  before  this ;  in  which  they  are  faid  to  have 
prejs'd  hard  upon  Saul,  as  doubtlefs  they  were  of  great  Advan- 
tage to  the  Philifthies  in  making  their  Attack,  ill,  Becaufe  an 
AfTault  with  this  Kind  of  Weapon  was  nenv  and  furprijing,  and 
therefore  generally  fuccefsful  ;  and  zdly,  Becaufe  the  Arrows 
deftroying  the  Ifraelites  at  a  Diftance,  before  they  came  to  clofe 
Fight,  threw  them  naturally  into  Terror  and  Confulion.  And 
for  this  Reafon  fome  think,  that,  when  Dwvid  came  to  the 
Throne,  he  taught  the  IJraelites  the  Ufe  of  the  Bonv,  (as  we 
read,  2  Sa7n.  i.  1 8.)  that  they  might  not  be  inferior  to  the  Phi- 
iijlines,  nor  fall  into  the  like  Difaller,  that  Saul  had  done ;  and 
for  this  Reafon  it  certainly  was,  that  when  he  had  made  'f 
Fcace  with  the  Philijiincs,  he  took  fome  of  their' Archers  (who, 
in  the  following  Books,  are  frequently  mentioned  under  the  Name 
of  Cevethites)  to  be  his  Body-Guard.  Patrick's  Commentary, 
3^nd  The  Hijiory  of  the  Life  of  King  David. 

■f-  The  learned  and  ingenious  Author  of  The  Hijlorical  Ac- 
count of  the  Ufe  cf  King  David,  feems  to  make  it  evident,  that 
Saul,  and  his  Arjnour -Bearer,  died  by  the  lame  Sword,  njix.  tliat 
wjiich  belong'd  to  the  Armour-Bearer.     "  Now  it  is  an  efta- 

«  blilh'd 


Ch  A  p .  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c,        3 1 1 

The  next  Day,  when   the  Philijiines  came  to  take  a^g^*  ^* 
View  of  the  Field   of  Battle,  finding  the  Bodies  of  5^ w/Ant. 'chriil. 
and  his  Sons  among  the  Slain,  they   ftripp'd  them  of  their  "16,  &€. 
Armour,  cut  ofF  their  Heads,  and  fent  E xprejfe 5  to  every  J''^^^^^^' 
Place  of  their  Vidlory.     *  Their  Armour  they  fent  to  the  1 
Temple  of  Jjhtaroth^    their  Heads  they  fix'd  up  in  the 
Temple  of  Dagon^  and  their  Bodies  they  hung  upon  Gib* 
bets  againft  the  Walls  of  Bethjhan.     But  the  Inhabitants 
of  JabeJh-gHead,  hearing  of  this  Indignity,  and  retaining 
a  grateful  Senfe  of  the  Services  Saul  had  done  them,  fent  a 
Party  of  their  beft  Soldiers  by  Night,  who  took  down  their 
Bodies,    and  brought    them  away  to  Jahejh,    where    the 
People  firft  f  burnt    the  Remains  of  their  Flefli ;    next, 
U  4  ,      honourably 

*'  blifti'd  Tradition  of  the  Jenvijh  Church,  fays  he,  that  this 
*'  Armour-Bearer  was  Doeg  the  Edomite,  who,  by  SauPs  Com- 
*'  mand,  flew  fuch  a  Number  of  Priefts  in  one  Day,  i  Sam. 
*' xxii.  18.  and  if  fo,  then  Saul  and  his  Executioner  fell  both 
*'  by  the  fame  Weapon  wherewith  they  had  before  maflacred  the 
*'  Servants  of  the  Lord  :  Even  as  Brutus  and  Caff.us  kill'd  them- 
•*  felves  with  the  fame  Swords  with  which  they  treacheroufly 
*'  murther'd  Cafar ;  I  fay  treacheroufly  murtherd,  becaufe  they 
*'  lay  in  his  Bofom  at  the  fame  Time  that  they  meditated  his 
•'^Death."    Vol.  I.        _ 

*  We  have  taken  Notice  before,  that  it  was  an  antient  Cuftom 
among  fundry  Nations  to  hang  up  the  Arms,  and  other  Spoils, 
taken  from  the  Enemy,  in  the  Temples  of  their  Gods,  as  Tro- 
phies and  Monuments  of  their  Viftory  ;    and  need  only  remark 
here,    that  the  fame  Cuftom  prevail'd  among  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  as  appears  from  this  Paffage  of  Virgil, 
Multaque  praeterea  facris  in  Poftibus  Arma, 
Captivi  pendent  Currus,  curvasque  fecures, 
Et  criftae  Capitum,  &  Portarum  ingentia  clauftra, 
Spiculaque,  Clypeique,  ereftaque  roftra  carinis.     ^neid.  vii. 
-|-  It  is  certain  that  the  Ufage  among  the  Hebrews  was  not 
%o  bum,  but  embalni  the  Bodies  of  their  Dead  with  aromatick 
Spices ;  but  in  this  Cafe  the  People  of  Jabejh  might  adt  otherwife, 
either  becaufe   the  Bodies  of  Saul  and  his  Sons  were,  by  this 
Time,  fo  dry'd,  or  corrupted}  that  they  were  not  fit  to  be  em- 
balm'd  ;  or  becaufe  they  were  apprehenfive,    that  if  they  fhould 
embalm  them,  and  fo  bury  them,  the  People  of  Bethjhan  might,    ' 
at  one  Time  or  other,    come  and  dig  them  up,  and  fix  iheui 
againft  their  Walls  again  ;  and  therefore  the  Jabejhites  thouglu 
it  advifable  to  recede  from  their  common  Praftice,    and,  for  th« 
greater  Security,  to  imitate  the  Heathens  in  this  Particular. 

AAAtyoi/ I5  jfpwEvjv  4>'«'\>1i'.  H  0  M.    II.   XXUi. 

Caknefi  and  Le  Cierc's  Commentaries, 


312  Tie  Hijiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A-  M.  honourably  interr'd  their  Bones  and  Aflics,  in  a  Grove 
Ant.^  C^rift.  ^^^^  w^s  near  their  City  j  and  then,  for  the  Space  of  f 
iii5,  er.  feven   Days,    fafted,    and   made  great  Lamentation  for 

From  iSam.  fhcm 
i.  to  the  End. 


The    Objection. 

<«  rri  H  O'  the  firft  Book  of  Samuel  (whoever  its  Au- 
*'  X  thof  ^^^)  contains  a  great  Variety  of  Hiftory, 
*'  and  is  pregnant  with  many  remarkable  Tranfadlions ; 
*'  yet  whoever  takes  an  accurate  Survey  of  them,  will 
*'  find  them  fo  loaded  with  Abfurdities  and  Contradictions, 
*'  as  utterly  deftroy  their  Credibility.  For,  whatever 
"  Motives  the  Ifraelites  might  have  for  carrying  the 
"  Ark  along  with  them  to  the  War,  if  the  real  Pre- 
•'  fence  of  God  went  along  with  it,  we  can  hardly 
"  conceive  how  the  Philijiines  could  poffibly  take  it  cap- 
•'  tive  ;  and  if  there  was  no  divine  Power  attending  it, 
*'  how  it  came  to  work  thofe  Wonders,  wherever  it  abode, 
"  and  to  inflidt  upon  its  Enemies  fuch  fore  Punilhments 
'*  for  their  Detention  of  it. 

*'  Its  Enemies  indeed,  ( upon  this  Suppofition  )  had 
*'  Caufe  enough  to  endeavour  to  get  rid  of  it;  but  it  is 
*'  a  Matter  of  lome  Admiration,  why  the  Ifraelites,  when 
*'  they  had  it  return'd  to  them,  did  not  carry  it  dire<3]y  to 
*'  Shiloh,  and  there  repofite  it  in  the  Tabernacle,  its  pro- 
*'  per  Habitation.  It  looks  indeed,  as  if  they  were  afraid 
*'  of  it,  and  willing  to  Ihift  it  from  one  to  another,  after 
"  it  had  made  fuch  Havock  among  the  poor  People  of 
"  Bethjhemejh,  as  to  deflroy  zhove  fifty  Thoufand  of  theniy, 
*'  an  incredible  Number !  merely  for  prefuming  to  peep 

**  into 

f  It  feems  a  little  ftrange,  that  we  no  where  read  of  any  ge- 
neral Mourning  that  was  made  for  Saul  and  his  Sons,  who  died 
in  Battle  ;    but  the  national  Troubles,  wliich  foUow'd  upon  his 
Death,   might  perhaps  be  an   Obllrudion  to  this.     David  zxiA. 
his  Men  mourn''d  h\xt  one  Day  for  Saul:  And  therefore,  when  it  is 
faid  of  the  Jabejhites,  that  they  fafted y^'i/iPw  Days,  their  Fafting 
muft  not  "be  underftood  in  a  ftrift  Senfe,  as  if  they  eat  nothing 
ail  this  Time,  but  in  a  more  large  and  general  Signification,  as 
it  is  us'd   both  in  /acred  and  prophane  Writers,  'viz.  that  they 
liv'd  very  abftemioafly,  eat  little,  and  that  feldom,  and  that  but 
mean  Food,    and,    inftead  of  Wine,  drank  Water  only.     Cal- 
»*/'s  Commentary,  and  PooPi  Annotations. 


Chap.  III.    from  the Ifraelltes  entering  Canaan,  ^c'.       3 1 3 

•'  into  it,  tho*  they  had  receiv'd  it  with   the  greateft  Re-    A.  m. 
**  fpe£t  and  Congratulations  but  juft  before.  /^l^'chri^ii. 

"  The  Ifraelltes^  it  muft  be  own'd, ,  were,  uponfeve-me,  fef<r. 
*'  ral  Accounts,  a  very  rebellious  People;  but  it  is  difficult  ?'^°'^'^^°^- 
"  to  conceive,  where  their  great  Iniquity  lay,  in  definng, 
•'  a  King,  as  other  Nations  had  ;  efpecially,  fxnce  Samu- 
•*  eVs  Sons  rul'd  fo  badly,  and  God,  in  his  great  Wifdom, 
**  had  pre-ordain'd  that,  when  they  came  into  the  pro- 
*'  mis'd  Land,  their  Government  ftiould  be  regal.  This 
"  King,  we  underftand,  was  to  be  elecSled  by  God;  but 
**  it  looks  a  little  envious,  and  as  if  he  had  given  thtm  a 
*'  King  in  his  Wrath^  to  make  Choice  of  one  out  of  the 
**  meaneji  of  all  the  Tribes,  and  for  no  other  good  Qua- 
**  lification,  that  we  read  of,  but  merely  the  Tallnefs  of 
•*  his  Stature.  The  State  and  Dignity  however,  to  which 
**  he  was  advanc'd,  was  not  fo  great,  fince,  after  his 
*'  Election,  we  find  him  {a)  ailing  in  the  Capacity  of  a 
**  Shepherd \  nor  was  his  Enjoyment  of  the  Throne  at- 
**  tended  with  much  Felicity,  fince  God  turn'd  his  Ene- 
*'  my  fo  foon,  and  rejefted  him,  for  not  deftroying  the 
**  whole  Race  of  the  Amalekites. 

*'  {h)  God's  Command  indeed,  to  have  every  Thing 
**  belonging  to  Amaleky  Men  and  Women,  Infants  and 
"  Sucklings,  Oxen  and  Sheep,  Camels  and  Afles,  utterly 
*'  deftroy'd,  for  an  Offence  done  four  hundred  Years  be- 
**  fore,  and  to  profccute  Revenge  upon  a  People,  whofe 
*'  only  Crime  was,  their  being  the  unhappy  Defcendants 
*'  of  thofe,  who  had  originally  done  it ;  feems  to  bear  as 
**  hard  upon  the  Juftice  and  Goodnefs  of  God,  as  his 
"  fending  Samuel  to  Bethlehem  to  anoint  David  King, 
*'  and  bidding  him,  at  the  fame  Time,  pretend  that  he 
''  came  only  to  offer  a  Sacrifice,  reflefts  upon  his  Trutli 
*'  and  Veracity. 

•*  It  may  very  well  be  queftion'd  however,  by  what  Au- 
*'  thority  Samuel  could  offer  any  Sacrifice  (fince  he  was  not 
"  of  the  facerdatal  Order)  on  fuch  Altars  as  were  prohi- 
*'  bited,  and  in  fuch  Places  as  were  not  appointed  for 
*'  thefe  Offices,  to  the  manifefl  Violation  of  God's  Laws: 
**  And  much  more  may  it  be  wonder'd  at,  that  a  Man  of 
*'  his  pacifick  Charader  fliould  fijtll  upon  a  poor  captive 
**  King,  and  cut  him  in  Pieces  with  his  own  Hands,  even 
"  in  the  Prefence  of  his  own  Sovereign,  who,  out  of  his 

"  Clemency, 

{a)  I  Sam.  xi.  j,    (h)  Chriltianity  ^&  old  as  the  Creation;  p. 

273> 


314  ^^  Hiflory   of  the  BIBLE,    Book  V. 

2888  &c.  *'  Clemency,  had  thought  proper  to  fave  him ;  and  fo 
Ant.  chiirt."  fetting  himfelf  above  the  Jurifdidion  of  God's  Anointed^ 
II 16,  &c.  'c  2nd  flying  in  the  Face  of  his  Authority. 
i.totheEnd"  "  What  5Ws  particular  Diflem per  was,  *tis  no  eafy 
Matter  to  determine ;  but  fince  the  Scripture  exprefles 
"  it  by  {c)  an  evil  Spirit  from  the  Lord,  'tis  difficult  to 
*'  conceive,  how  David^  by  playing  upon  his  Harp,  (even 
*'  {d)  tho'  he  might  fing  to  it  likewife)  could  ever  be  able 
*'  to  difpoffefs  him.  The  Povi^er  of  Mufick  is  confefled- 
**  ly  great ;  and  yet  we  find  it  had  little  or  no  EfFeft  up- 
**  on  Saiily  fmce  he  ftill  continu'd  craz'd  and  delirious. 
'*  For  to  what  other  Caufe  can  we  impute  his  (e)  ftrange 
"  Forgetfulnefs  of  David,  who  had  been  fo  frequently 
**  in  his  Prefence,  and  [f)  found  (uch  favour  in  his  Sight ; 
**  (gj  whofe  Attendance  he  had  requefted  of  his  Father, 
**  and  whofe  Service,  in  curing  his  Malady,  he  had  requi- 
*'  ted  with  the  honourable  Poft  oi  his  Armour- Bearer  i 
*'  with  whom  {h)  he  had  a  Conference  but  juft  before, 
•'  and  feen  him  both  put  on  and  ofF  his  Armour:  and  after 
•'  all  this,  could  any  but  a  Mad- Man,  enquire  of  hisG^- 
*'  neral  (who  knew  it  feems  as  little  as  his  Matter)  (i) 
*'  whofe  Son  this  Stripling  was  ? 

*'  Whether  David  himfelf  was  really  delirious,  or 
'*  only  pretended  to  be  fo,  when  he  came  to  the  Court  of 
**  y/r^(/Z),  is  a  Queftion,  that  admits  of  fome  Debate  j  but 
*'  it  feems  as  if  he  were  not  much  better,  when  he  made 
*'  not  only  Gath,  which  was  the  Capital  of  the  Philifiinesy 
*'  and  the  City  where  Goliath  had  dwelt,  the  Place  of  his 
**  Refuge,,  but  (as  if  he  meant  on  Purpofe  to  provoke  the 
**  Inhabitants  thereof)  took  the  Sword  of  the  Champion 
*'  along  with  him,  whom  he  had  fo  lately  flain.  Well 
*'  was  it  for  him,  if,  to  fecure  him  from  Harm,  God  de- 
**  priv'd  him  of  his  Senfes  at  this  Jun^ure.  For  to  extri- 
*'  cate  himfelf  from  a  Premunire  he  had  voluntarily  run 
*'  into,  by  perfonating  the  Mad-Man,  or  pretending  to 
**  be  a  Fool,  was  but  a  mean  Trick  j  as  his  opening  an 
**  Afylum  afterwards,  not  for  his  own  Relations  only,  but 
*'  for  every  one,  that  was  in  Debt,  or  Diftrefs,  or  Dif- 
*'  content  with  the  Government,  was  certainly  an  unjuji 
«'  Artifice, 

«  SAUL 

(c)  I  Sam.  xvi.   14.         (cP,  Joj£phus''i,]Q\\\^  Ax\t\({.  lib.  vi. 
cap.  9,  {e)   1  Sam.  xvli.   55.  (f)  Ibid.  xvi.  22. 

(g)  Ibid.  xvi.  Z2.  [h]  Ibid.  xvii.  38,  39.  (i)  Ibid. 

Ver.  56. 


Chap.  III.  -  from  the  Ifratlkts  eniering  Canaan,  ^c.     315 

^'  SAUL  certainly  was  his  avow'd  Enemy,  and  purfu'd  ^^  ^• 
**  him  with  implacable  Malice ;    and  therefore  it  would  ^nt. 'chrifl. 
*'  have  been  much  more  excufable  in  him,  if  he  had  eas'd  iii<5,  &c 
"  himfelf  of  this  Adverfary,  when  Providence  threw  Op- ^\7j^^e'p^; 
'*  portunities  in  his  Way,  than  to  meditate  the  Murther  u.,— -.««j 
"  of  Nabal,  and  his  Family,  (k)  merely  becaufe  he  would 
*'  not  pay  Contributions  to  him,  and  his  Gang  of  Defpe- 
"  radoes :    And,  tho'  Refervednefs  to  an  Enemy  may  be 
**  very  commendable,  yet  his  deep  Diffimulation  to  Achljh^ 
"  when  there  was  no  Occafion  for  it  j    his  entering  into 
^'  League   with  the  Enemy  of  his  Country,  joining  his 
*'  Forces,  and  going  to  War  with  him  j    promifing  him 
*'  great  Services,  if  once  they  came  to  Adion,  and,  when 
*'  he  was  defir'd  to  withdraw,  parting  with  the  utmoft  Re- 
'*  ludlance,  are  Inftancesof  fucha  bafeand  perfidious  Spi- 
*'  rit,  as  a  brave  Man  ftiould  rather  chufe  to  die,  than  be 
"  guilty  of. 

*'  (l)  In  a  Word,  however  David  may  be  called  in 
**  Scripture  the  Man  after  God's  own  Hearty  yet  in  thefe, 
*'  and  feveral  other,  Inftances,  he  is  found  fadly  prevari* 
•*  eating,  and  much  inferior  to  the  Character  of  Sauh  who 
*'  fcorn'd  to  make  ufe  of  any  mean  Arts,  even  for  the 
"  Prefervation  of  his  Life  ;  who,  inftead  of  betaking  him- 
*'  felf  to  the  Enemies  of  God  for  Shelter,  (as  David  6\d) 
*•  chofe  voluntarily  to  die,  rather  than  to  fall  into  their 
*'  Hands ;  and  {m)  tho*  he  knew  affuredly  that  he  was  to 
*'  fall  in  the  Battle,  yet  perfifted  in  his  Refolution  to  ftand 
*'  by  his  Fate,  rather  than  betray  his  Army,  or  expofe  his 
"  royal  Dignity  to  Scorn." 

In  the  fourth  Chapter  of  this  Book  of  Samuel  we  read,  ^"''-werUhy 
that,  upon  a  Defeat,  which  the  Ifraelites  had  receiv'd  ^^orn^^rS^s 
the  Philijiines,  the   Elders  of  Ifrael  advis'd   together   mfentfortbe 
Council  what  might  be  the  Occafion  of  their  ill  Succefs  j^''** 
IP  her  ef ore,  fay  they,  hath  God  fmitten  us  to-day ,  before  the 
Philiftines  ?  The  Juftnefs  of  their  Caufe,  they  thought,  was 
enough  to  entitle  them  to  God's  Favour,  how  wicked  foe- 
ver  they  were  in  their  Lives ;  and  therefore,  without  any 
Thoughts  of  amending  thefe,  they  devis'd  another  Expedi- 
ent that  would  not  fail  of  fecuring  them  Viftory :  (n)  Let 
us  fetch  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  of  the  Lord,  fay  they,  out 
t>f  Shiloh,  that,  when  it  comes  among  us,  it  may  fave  us  out 

of 

(k)  Ibid.  XXV.  13.  (I)  Chriftianity  as  old  as  the  Creation, 
p.  244.  {ni)  Jofcphus'&  Jewilh  Pliftory,  lib.  vi.  cap,   14, 

(»)  I  Sam.  iv.  3. 


3 16  17^ i  Hijlory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  /if  the  Hand  of  our  Enemies,  (o)  They  had  good  Reafon  to 
Ant  'chrift.  ^°°'^  upon  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  as  a  certain  Token  of  the 
iii6,  ©■<:.  Prefence  of  God  among  them,  and  of  his  Protection  over 
From  iSam.  fj^ej^-,^  They  had  had  frequent  Experience  of  Battles  won 
J  by  Virtue  of  his  Prefence,  and  loft  in  the  Abfence  of  it; 
and  whenever  they  had  this  Token  of  the  divine  Affiftance 
along  with  them,  they  always  efteem'd  themfelves  invinci- 
ble. They  remembered  the  Story  of  the  Walls  of  Jericho 
(p)  falling  down  by  the  Power  of  this  Ark's  feven  Times 
furrounding  them.  They  had  heard  (q)  of  the  Defeat  which 
their  Forefathers  had  fufFer'd,  when  they  prefum'd  to  march 
againft  the  Canaanites  without  their  Leader,  and  without 
this  Ark ;  and  were  fond  enough  to  imagine,  that  God 
himfelf  might  be  look'd  upon  as  overcome,  if  the  Phili/iines 
Ihould  have  the  Advantage,  when  the  Ark  of  his  Prefence 
was  with  them.  By  this  Means  therefore  they  thought  to 
intereft  his  Honour  in  the  War,  and  make  him  refponfible 
(as  it  were)  for  any  Difafter  that  {hould  befal  them  j  and 
upon  thefe  Motives  it  was  that  they  fent  for  the  Ark. 

But,  becaufe  they  prefum'd  to  fend  for  it,  without  ever 
^J^^^"?"^"^  confulting  God,  as  they  us'd  to  do  upon  all  momentous 
ie  taktn  by  Affairs  ;  becaufe  the  Iniquities  of  the  People  were  become  fo 
«i>«Phik{lincs enormous,  as  not  to  deferveany  longer  the  divine  Prefence 
among  them  ;  and  becaufe  the  Flagitioufncfs  of  the  Priells 
(who  were  kill'd  in  defending  the  Ark)  had  for  a  long  Time 
call'd   for  fome  Judgment  upon  them ;  that  therefore  his 
Predictions,  concerning  the  Sons  of  Eliy  might  be  fulfiU'd, 
he  permitted  the  Ark  to  be  taken,  as  thinking  it  more  in- 
confiftent   with   his   Honour  to  afford  Affiftance  to  the 
Wicked  and  Prefumptuous,  than  to  admit  of  the  Prophana- 
tion  even  of  the  moft  facred  Things.     What  an  Affliftion 
the  Lofs  of  this  Ark  was  to  the  People  of  I[rael  yire  may  learn 
from  the  fad  Fate  of  £/;,  and  hisDaughter-in-Law,  who 
both  died  for  Grief  at  the  bare  Hearing  of  it :  And  therefore 
•we  may  fuppofe,  that  a  farther  Reafon  for  God's  permitting 
it,  might  be,  to  bring  his  own  People  to  a  Senfe  of  their 
Apoftacy  and  Ingratitude  to  him,  when  they  came  to  confi- 
der,  what  a  Damage  they  fuffer'd  in  the  Departure  of  this 
^  Symbol  of  his  Prefence,  which  was  defervedly  efteem'd  (r) 

the  Glory  of  Ifrael. 

What  Afflidtions  the  taking  or  with-holding  the  Ark 
brought  upon  the  Philijiines,  the  Fall  of  their  God  Dagon, 

the 

(o)  Calmeh  Commentary.      {p)  Jofh.  vi.  4.      (q)  Numb, 
mv.  44,  45.        (r)  I  Sam.  iv.  32. 


Chap.  III.  from  /)&^  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     317 

the  Mice,  the  Emerods,    the  Peftilence,  and  other  fore     ■^-  ^r, 
Judgments  do  abundantly  teftify ;  and   therefore  we  may  ^nt.  Chrift. 
fuppofe  yet  farther,  that  God's  Defign,  in  permitting  this  me,  &c. 
Capture  of  the  Ark,  was  to  demonftrate  his  Power  among j^'°J^j^''^^' 
the  Heathens,  and  to  let  the  Ph'tlijiine:  know,  that  his  Do- 1' 
minion  reach'd  every  where ;  that  he  was  equally  the  Lord 
both  of  the  Conquerers  and  Conquered  ;  and  that  the  pre- 
tended Deities,  whom  they  ador'd,  in  Comparifon  of  him, 
were  of  no  Avail. 

'Tw  A  s  from  an  Intent  therefore  to  illuftrate  his  Almighty 
Power,  and  not  from  any  Inability  to  pieferve  it,  that  God 
fufFer'd  this  Ark  of  the  Covenant  to  be  taken ;  and  tho'  what 
the  Jews  call  the  Schechinah,  or  vifible  Token  of  God's 
Prefence,  which  abode  under  the  two  Cherubims  upon  the 
Propitiatory,  or  Covering  of  the  Ark,  in  the  Shape  of  the 
Cloud,  might  not  be  fo  apparent,  after  it  fell  into  the  Hands 
of  the  Phtlijfines',  yet  that  it  had  divine  and  miraculous 
Power  attending  it,  is  evident  by  their  own  Confeflion, 
who,  upon  feeing  the  Deftruftion,  that  its  Prefence  had 
occafion'd,  do  frankly  declare,  that  (s)  the  Ark  of  the  God  of 
Krzel  Jhould  not  abide  with  them,  becaufe  his  Hand  was  fore 
upon  them,  and  upon  Dagon  their  God. 

It  was  a  particular  Prohibition,  [t)  that  not  only  the  jy^y  ^^^ 
common  People,  but  even  the  Levites  themfelves,  (hould/ew^^fBetZi- 
not  dare  to  look  into  the  Ark,  or  any  other  of  the  holy  U-  *«™««s. 
tenfils  belonging  to  the    Service  of  God,  upon  Pain  of 
Death  J  and  the  Severity  of  this  Law  will  not  feem  fo  unrea- 
fonable,  when  it  is  confider'd,  that,  in  every  Nation  it  was 
always  accounted  a  great  Prophanenefs,  and  frequently  at-  ' 
tended  with  exemplary  Punifhments,  for  fuch  as  were  not 
initiated,  (a)  to  obtrude  into  the  Myfleries  of  Religion  ^ 
and  that,  if  the  Philijiines,  for  their  Irreverence  to  the  Ark, 
were  treated  with  lefs  Rigour  than  the  Bethjhemites,  it  was 
becaufe  the  former  were  not  inftrufted  in  the  Laws  of  God, 
nor  oblig'd  to  obferve  them. 

It  muft  be  acknowledg'd  indeed,  that  there  is  a  Miftakc/^n^  tovAat 
in  our  Tranflation,  as  well  as  in  feveral  others.  Betbjhe-  ^^ufixr. 
mejh  is  a  Place  of  no  great  Note  in  facred  Hiftory,  and  [x) 
by  Jofephus  it  is  called  no  more  than  a  Village  ;  and  there- 
fore it  is  hardly  conceivable,  how  it  could  contain  fuch  a 
dumber,  as  fifty  Ihoufand  and  threefcore  and  ten  Inhabi- 
tants, 

(s)  Ibid.  v.  7.  (t)  Numb.  iv.  20.  («)   Vide  Hueti 

Quaell.  Alnet.  Lib.  ii.   Cap.    iz,  Pag.  200.  [x]  Jtnxiijh 

Antiq.  Lib.  vi.  Cap.  2, 


'3i8  The  Hipry  cf  the  BIB  L E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  tants,  or  why  God,  who  is  Goodnefs  itfelf,  Ihould  make 
Ant!'chrift.  ^"^'^  a  Slaughter  among  thofe,  who  receiv'd  his  Ark  with  fo 
3ii6,  &c.  much  Joy,  and  teftify'd  their  Gladnefs  by  their  ObJation  of 
From  iSam.  Sacrifices.  To  folve  this  Difficulty  therefore,  fome  have 
^'^°_ J^  ',  obferv'd,  that  the  Words  in  the  Original,  and,  according 

to  their  natural  Conftrudion,  ftand  thus : 'He  fmote  of 

the  People  three/core  and  ten  Men^  fifty  Thoufand  Men  ; 
where  there  is  plainly  wanting  fome  Particle  or  other,  to 
make  the  Senfe  compleat.  They  oblerve  further,  that,  if 
this  is  to  be  taken  for  a  total  Sum,  the  Order  of  the  Words 
is  plainly  inverted,  and  that  the  Thoufands  ftiould  go  before 
the  inferior  Numbers,  as  is  ufual  in  all  Languages ;  and 
therefore,  fmce  there  is  a  manifeft  Defedl  in  the  Copy,  they 
think  it  not  amifs  to  fupply  it  with  the  Particle  Mem,  out  ofy 
which,  in  many  other  Inftances,  is  known  to  be  omitted, 
and  here  makes  the  Senfe  compleat  j  vi%.  that,  of  the  Peo- 
ple of  Bethjhemejhy  for  their  Irreverence  to  the  Ark,  he 
fmote  feventy  Men  out  of  fifty  Thoufand.  For,  tho'  fifty 
Thoufand  Men  can  hardly  be  fuppos'd  in  fo  fmall  a  Place  ; 
yet,  upon  hearing  of  the  Arrival  of  the  Ark,  the  Country 
might  flock  in  from  other  Parts,  and,  in  a  few  Days,  make 
up  that  Number ;  and  tho',  poflibly,  moft  of  them  might 
be  guilty  of  the  fame  profane  Rudenefs,  yet  God,  in  his 
great  Clemency,  might  punifli  no  more  than  feventy  of 
thenii  and  that,  on  purpofe  to  deter  others  from  the  like  Ir- 
reverence. For  it  is  not  unlikely,  that  thefe  People  might 
hold  the  Ark  in  more  Contempt,  fince  the  Time  that  it  had 
been  conquer'd,  (as  it  were)  and  led  captive  by  their  Ene- 
mies ;  and,  for  this  Reafon,  God  might  the  rather  exert  his 
vindictive  Arm,  on  purpofe  to  teach  them,  that  this  Symbol 
of  his  Prefence  had  loft  none  of  its  miraculous  Power,  by 
the  ill  Ufage  it  had  met  with  in  its  Abfence. 
WhphtArk  Upon  the  Removal  of  the  Ark  from  Bethfl>emejh,  (y)  it 
voas  not  car.  is  not  Unlikely  that  there  was  a  general  AfTcmbly  of  the  El- 
ryVr»Shi-  jgj.g  Qf  jfael^  and  that,  to  prevent  the  like  Offence,  the 
Ceremony  was  perform'd  with  the  greateft  Order  and  So- 
lemnity ;  but  why  it  was  not  carry'd  to  Shiloh,  and  repofited 
in  the  Tabernacle,  the  moft  probable  Opinion  is,  that,  after 
the  Death  of  Eli^,  the  Philijiines  had  deftroy'd  the  Place, 
and  the  Tabernacle  was  remov'd  from  thence  to  Nob,  where 
it  continu'd  until  the  Death  of  Samuel.  As  Kirjath-jearim 
therefore  flood  at  no  great  Diftance,  was  a  Place  of  confi- 
derable  Strength,  and  had  a  remarkable  Eminence  in  it, 
proper  for  the  Reception  of  the  Ark,  thither  it  was  order'd 

to 
(y)  Calmet's  Commentary, 


Chap.  III.   from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      319 

to  be  remov'd  for  the  prefent,  with  a  Defign,  no  doubt,  to     A.  m. 
have  it  reilor'd  to  its  antient  Seat,  at  a  convenient  Seafon  :  Ant^h^hi 
But,  through  the  neglect  of  Religion,  as  well  as  the  Diftur-  n  16,  &-c' 
bance  of  the  Times,  its  Removal  was  deferr'd   from  Day  F'°™  ^  ^^"^ 
to  Day,  fo  that,  tho'  David  firft  brought  it  to  the  Houfe  of ',;^2_;;j^^ 
Ohed-Edoniy  and  then  to  his  Palace  at  S'ton^  yet  we  no  where 
read  f  of  its  being  replac'd  in  the  Tabernacle  any  more. 

Whje:n  Samuel  was  highly  difpleas'd  with  the  Elders  of  r,&e  ifraeiites 
Jfrael  for  defiring  a  King,  and  thereupon  apply'd  himfelf o^=^n«  inde- 
for  Advice,  the  Anfwer  which  God  return'd  him  was  this  i-^"'"^ ''^"'^* 
(z)  Hearken  unto  the  Voice  of  the  People  in  all  that  they  Jay 
unto  thee  j   for  they  have  net  rejected  thee^  but  they  have  re- 
jeSied  rne^  that  I  Jhould  not  reign  over  them.     Thefe  are,  no 
doubt,  the  Words  of  an  angry   Sovereign,  refenting  the 
Slight  put  upon  his  Government,  and  the  Indignity  done  to 
his  Perfon  ;  and  therefore,  to  give  a  full  Anfwer  to  the  Ob- 
je£tion,  we  fhall  firft  confider  the  Nature  of  the  Govern- 
ment they  were  under,  and  of  that  which  they  defir'd,  and 
from  thence  deduce  the  feveral  Aggravations  of  their  Guilt, 
in  being  fo  importunate  for  a  Change. 

•f-  The  future  Hlftory  of  this  facred  Ark  is  this : After 

tiie  Building  of  the  Temple  at  Jerufaleviy  Salomon  had  it  remo- 
ved from  Sion,  into  a  proper  Place  that  was  confecrated  for  it, 
where  it  remained  with  all  fuitable  Refpeft,  till  the  Times  of  the 
latter  Kings  of  Judah,  who  gave  themfelves  up  to  Idolatry,  and 
were  not  afraid  to  put  the  Images  of  their  Gods  in  the  Holy  Place 
itfelf.  Hereupon  the  Priefts,  being  unable  to  endure  this  Profa- 
nation, took  the  Ark,  and  carry 'd  it  from  Place  to  Place,  that  by 
this  Means,  it  might  efcape  the  Fury  of  thefe  impious  Princes  : 
But  Jofiah,  who  was  a  good  Man,  and  reftor'd  the  true  Worlhip 
of  God,  commanded  them  to  bring  it  back  to  the  Sanftuary,  and 
forbad  them  to  carry  it  into  the  Country,  as  they  had  done.  The 
Talmudijis,  however,  have  a  Tradition,  that  Solomon,  having 
learn'd  by  Revelation,  that  the  JJJyrians  would  one  Day  burn 
the  Temple,  which  he  had  lately  built,  and  carry  away  all  the 
rich  Materials, ,  which  he  had  plac'd  there,  took  care,  to  have  a 
private  Hole  made  under  Ground,  where,  in  Cafe  of  Necefficy, 
he  might  conceal  the  moft  valuable  Things  belonging  to  it  from, 
the  Knowledge  of  any  Enemies ;  and  that  Jojiah,  having  a 
.  Forefight  of  the  Calamities,  which  were  coming  upon  the  Jei/j- 
ijh  Nation,  here  hid  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  together  with 
Aaron  s  Rod,  the  Pot  of  Manna,  the  High-Prieft's  Peroral,  and 
the  holy  Oil;  but  that,  during  the  Babylonijh  Captivity,  the  Priefts 
having  loft  all  Knowledge  of  the  Place,  where  thefe  Things  were, 
concealed,  they  were  never  feen  more,  and  were  not  in  the  fecond 
Temple.  Calmet\  Difiionary  under  the  Word  Ark. 
(z)  i  Sara.  viii.  7. 


320  ^e  Hiftory  of  the  BIB  L  E,    Book  V. 

2888,  &>'f.       yOSEPHUS,  (a)  in  his  Book  againft  ufpt'orj,  has  thefe 
Ant.  chrift. remarkable  Words;    "  Several  Nations  have  their  feveral 
Fr"^'  ^^*  "  F'orms  of  Government,  and  their  Diverfities  of  Cuftoms. 
i.  to  the  End."  Some  Governments  are  committed   to  a  fingle  Perfon, 
«^.— *y<-.«^^'  others  to  a  certain  Number  of  fele£l  Men,  and  others  a- 
T&e  Nature  <«  gain  to  all  the  People  in  general ;  but  our  Lawgiver, 
cf   hcoaa-  «  j-^^^  ^^^  ^^^  declar'd,  that  ours  ftiall  f  be  a  Theocracy^ 
**  and  has  afcrib'd  all  Rule,  and  fovereign  Power,  to  God 
"  alone."     For,  tho' it  was  neceflary,  for  the  due  Execu- 
tion  of  his  Commands,  that  there  fliould  be  fome  vifible 
Minifter  between  him  and  his  People,  fuch  as  Mofes  and 
Jojhua  were  in  the  Time  of  their  Adminiftration  ;  yet  it  is 
certain,  that  they  never  ordain'd  any  Thing  of  Moment 
without  a  fpecial  Command  from  him.     The  fame  Dire£ti- 
on  which  was  given  yo/2)«^,  that  (^)   he  Jhouldjiand  before 
Eleazar  the  Prieji^  who  Jhould  ajk  Counfel  for  hirrii  after 
the  Judgment  of  Urim  before  the  Lord,  was  requir'd  of  all 
other  Perfons,  that  prefided  in  publick  Affairs,     {c)  In  all 
Cafes  of  weighty  Concern,  they  were  to  have  Recourfe  to 

him, 

(a)  Lib.  ii. 

f  As  God's  Defign  in  feparating  the  Ifraelltcs  from  the  reft  of 
Mankind,  was  to  perpetuate  the  Knowledge  of  himfelf,  and  the 
Dodlrine  of  his  Unity,  amidft  an  Idolatrous  and  Polytheijiick 
World ;  fo  was  he  pleased  to  ftand  in  two  arbitrary  Relations 
towards  them,  in  that  of  a  tutelar  Deity  and  Proteftor,  and  in 
that  of  a  fupreme  Magiftrate  and  Lawgiver :  befides  the  natural 
Relation,  in  which  he  ftood  towards  them  and  all  other  Nations 
in  common :  But  how  long  this  Theocracy  continued  among  the 
yenvs,  the  Learned  are  not  fo  well  agreed  ;  fome  thinking,  that, 
from  the  firft  Commencement  of  Regal  Power,  or  efpecially  from 
its  Settlement  in  the  Line  of  Damd,  it  ceas'd,  as  God's  Words  to 
Samuel  feem  to  import,  they  ha^oe  not  rejeSled  thee,  but  they  have 
rejeSled  me,  that  I  Jhould  not  reign  over  them,  i  Sam.  viii.  7. 
Whilft  others  imagine,  that,  from  God's  firft  efpoufmg  the  Caufe 
of  the  Ifraelites,  in  the  Time  of  their  Tribulation  in  Egypt,  even 
to  the  Coming  of  his  bleffed  Son  our  Saviour  ChriJ}  in  the  Flefti, 
it  all  along  fubfifted,  tho'  with  fome  Abatements,  fometimes 
with  feeming  Interruptions  ;  and  to  this  they  apply  that  famous 
Prophecy  of  Jacob,  The  Sceptre  Jhall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor 
the  Laivgi'ver  from  betijoeeji  his  Feet,  until  Shiloh  come.  Gen. 
xlix.  10.  i.  e.  The  Theocracy  ftiall  continue  over  X.h.cje'ws,  until 
Chriji  come  to  take  Pofleffion  of  his  Father's  Kingdom.  For 
what  Lawgiver  was  there  ever  in  Judah,  until  the  Coming  of 
Chriji,  but  God,  by  theMiniftry  of  Mofes?  Sentimens  dequel- 
ques  Theologiens Lettre  5,  Simons  Hiftoire  Crit.  deVieux  Teft. 
and  Warburtons  Divine  Legation  of  Mofes,  Vol.  II.  Partii. 

(b)  Numb,    xxvii.   21.        (c)  Patrkk^   Commentary. 


Chap.  III.    /rc/» /^<?  Ifraelites  f»/m«^  Canaan,  ^^.     321' 

him,  who  always  referv'd  to  himfelf  the  fole  Power  of  efta-     ^-  ^• 
blifhing  Laws,  and  appointing  Magiftrates,   and   making ^^^^'^^Jj^^ 
War.     Nay,  fo  very  defirous  was  God  to  fhew  himfelf  tomg^  (Wf, 
be  King  of  the  Hebrews^  that  there  was  no  Enfign  of  Roy-Ff°m  i  Sam. 
aky  belonging  to  earthly  Princes,  that  by  his  own  Appoint- ''  "^"l^^-^f^ 
ment  was  not  provided  for  him,  on  purpofe  to  engage  the 
People's  Attention,  (as  the  Commentator  on  Maimonidei 
fpeaks)  and  to  make  them  perceive,  that  their  King,  who 
was  the  Lord  vf  Hojis^  was  in  the  midft  of  them. 

What  Defign  God  Almighty  had  in  conllituting  him- 
felf the  King  of  this  People,  is  evident  from  the  Inftru6iions 
tvhich  he  gives  Mofes.  (d)  Thus  J): alt  thou  fay  to  the  Hovfe 
of  Jacob,  and  tell  the  Children  of  Ifrael  j  ye  haxje  feen  what 
1  have  done  unto  the  Egyptians,  and  how  I  bore  you  on  Eagles 
Wings  ^  and  brought  you  unto  myfelf :  Now  therefore.,  if  ye 
will  obey  my  Voice  indeed^  and  keep  my  Covenant,  then  ye 
fhall  he  a  -peculiar  Treafure  unto  me  above  all  People  ;  for  all 
the  Earth  is  mine,  and  ye  Jhall  be  unto  me  a  Kingdom  of 
Priejis,  and  an  holy  Nation. 

No  Government  can  certainly  be  imagined  more  happy,  _/i„dthirnmt 
more  fafe,  more  free,  more  honourable,  than  that,  where-  ofrrjising 
in  the  Fountain  of  all  Wifdom  and  Power,  of  all  Juftice"* 
and  Goodnefs,  prefides  ;  and  therefore  the  leaft  that  we  can 
fay  of  the  Ifraelites,  in  defuing  to  change  this  Form  for  fuch 
a  one,  as  was  in  ufe  in  the  Nations  round  about  them,  ;'.  e. 
for  an  abfolute  and  defpotick  Government,  where  the  Princes 
were  Tyrants,  and  the  Subje6ls  all  Slaves,  argues  at  leaft  a 
great  Pitch  of  Folly  and  Indifcretion,  a  Bafenefs  of  Mind, 
an  Ingratitude  of  Temper,  a  Spirit  of  Rebellion,  and  a  fe- 
cret  Attachment  to  the  idolatrous  Pra(5tifes  of  thofe  People, 
whofe  King  they  were  fo  eager  to  imitate.     For,  Make  us 
a  King  to  judge  us,  was  equivalent  in  their  Mouths,  (as  (e) 
one  exprefles  it)  to  what  their  Fore-fathers  demanded  of  Ja- 
ron,  (f)  Make  us  Gods  that  they  may  go  before  us ;   becaufc 
in  this  Manner,  he,  who  beft  knew  the  Secrets  of  their 
Hearts,  in   his   Anfwer  to   Samuel,    has  expounded   their 
Meaning :   They  have  not  rejcSied  thee^  but  they  have  rejeSi- 
ed  me,   -hat  I  fhould  not  reign  over  them ;  according  to  all  the 
Works  which  they  have  done,  ftnce  the  Day  that   I  brought 
them  up  cut  of  Egypt,  even  unto  this  Day,  they  have  for- 
f a  ken  me,  and  ferved  other  Gods, 

Wfi 


cS 


J)    SauriM^   Diffcrt.    25.  Vol.   IV.  Exod.   xix.  3,   isfc. 
Saunn  Ihid.         (f)  Exod.  xxxii.  i. 
Vol.  HL  X 


322  •        "He  Hiftory  of  the  IM^L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.        We  have  but  one  Thino:  more,  to  remark  upon  this 

Ant.  Ohrift.  Subjed,  and  that  is, that  the  Manner,  in  which  they 

iii5,  £f<r.  demanded  a  King,  was  no  lefs  culpable,  than  the  Ends 
From  I  Sam.  jhey  propos'd  by  it :  For  inftead  of  confulting  God  upon  an 
^      _  J  Affair  of  this  Confequence,  they  went  haftily  to  Samuely 
ffbv  God     and  when,  by  fair  Remonftrances,  he  is  attempting  to  dif- 
thofefo  mean  fuade  them  from  fo  dangerous  an  Enterprize,  they  turn  im- 
S»ul  /or ^*  /><?/tt5?/y7)' upon  him,  and  fay,  nay,  but  we  will  have  a  King; 
tbtirKittg.   and  this  may  be  the  Reafon  perhaps,  why  God  gave  them 
one  in  his  Anger ^  defcended  of  the  meaneft  Tribe  in  Ifrael^ 
and  of  the  meaneft  Family  in  that  Tribe,  to  fhew  them, 
that  he  himfelf  was  not  fatisfy'd  with  their  Proceedings,  nor 
could  be  pleas'd  with  any  Thing,  that  was  extorted  from 
him  by  undutiful  Importunities. 
turnidVo'a        'Fhe  Mcanncfs  of  Saul's  Family  indeed  was  the  Reafon, 
frivatt  Life,  that  fome,  who  were  prefent  at  his  Election,  openly  de- 
fpis'd  him,  and  faid,  (g)  How  can  this  Man  fave  us  ?  And 
therefore  it  is  not  unlikely,   that,  as  thefe  fediticus  Men  re- 
fus'J  to  fubmit  to  his  Government,  he  might  leave  the  Pub- 
lick  Affairs  in  Samuel's  Hands,  and  return  to  his  Father's 
Houfe^  and  there  live  privately,  until  fome  Opportunity  of 
better  eftablifhing  his  Authority  {hould  happen  to  prefent  iw 
felf.     But,  even  in  this  Interval,  fuppofing  he  did  betake 
himfelf  to  fome  rar^?/ Employment,  yet  where  is  the  great 
Difparagement  of  this,  when  we  find  the  fame  done  in  o- 
ther  Nations,  by  Perfons  of  the  like  Rank  and   Quality  ? 
When  we  find  your  Curii,  your  Attilii,  your  Cincinnati^ 
and  feveral  other  illuftrious  Romansy  leaving  the  Plough  to 
afl'ume  the  Reins  of  Government,  and,  afterwards,  leaving 
the  Government  to  return  to  the  Plough. 
UliTdUnefs       It  muft  be  acknowledg'd,  however,  thztSauVs  extcr- 
""  '"/7A  "^  *  "^^  Qualifications,  viz.  the  Stature,  and  Comelinefs  of  his 
ttmfij  '"""•pej.fQp^  ^^g  j^Q  fmall  Recommendation  to  a  People,  whode- 
^       fir'd  a  King,  fuch  as  their  Neighbours  had.     For,  whate- 
ver we  may  think  of  the  Matter,  the  People  of  the  Eajl 
had  always  a  Regard  to  thefe  in  the  Choice  of  their  Kings; 
and  accordingly,  Herodotus,    having  taken  a   Review  of 
Xerxes' s  whole  Army,  after  a  fhort  Paufe,  declares  himfelf 

thus :  — That  (h)  among  fuch  a  Multitude  of  PeopUy 

there  was  not  one,  who,  for  Tallnefs  and  Goodlinefs  of  Per* 
fon,  did  deferve  the  Throne,  fo  much  as  he  \  and,  in  ano- 
ther Place,  allures  us,  that  {i)  the  Ethiopians,  always  e- 

ejieem'd 

(g)  1  Sam.  X.  27.  (h)  Herodotus^  lib.  vi.  c.  "jt. 

(i)  Ibid.  lib.  vi.  c.  20. 


Chap.  III.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.       %i% 

fieenCd him,  who  was  of  the  moji  advantageous  Statute,  the     A.  M. 
fitteji  to  he  chofen  King,  which  cannot  but  remind  us,  ^^\,-a.t.'cwi(^. 
what  Samuel  fays  to  the  People,  when  he  prefents  Saul  to  mC,  &c. 
them:   (i)  See  ye  him,  whom  the  Lord  hath  chofen,  //;^/.FfomiSam- 

I  •  ;•/    J-  in        I         f         1        .in       •        I.  to  the  End. 

there  ts  none  like  him  among  the  reople;  tor  the  Hiltonan  .     -  -^_f 
had  told  us  before,  that,  (I)  from  his  Shoulders  and  upwards,^ 
he  was  higher  than  any  of  the  People. 

Nay,  had  I  Leifure  to  gratify  the  Curious,  I  might 
fhew,  that,  not  only  in  the  Eafi,  but  in  the  IVeJlern,  and 
moft  polite  Countries,  this  Tallnefs  of  Stature,  and  Grace- 
fulnefs  of  Appearance  were  always  deem'd  no  unbecoming 
Qualifications  for  the  regal  Dignity  ;  and  therefore  we  find 
Pliny,  who  certainly  was  a  fine  Speaker,  and  knew  how 
to  fingle  out  the  proper  Qualities  in  any  great  Man,  telling 
his  Audience,  in  his  Pan egy rick  to  Trajan,  that  the  Strength 
and  Tallnefs  of  his  Body,  the  Noblsnefs  of  his  Afpe£l,  the 
Dignity  of  his  Countenance,  and  the  Gracefulnefs  of  his 
Speech,  did  every  where  denote  and  proclaim  the  Prince :  As, 
on  the  contrary,  what  Notions  the  Antients  had  of  a  Prince 
of  a  low  Stature,,  and  mean  Appearance,  we  may  gather 
from  the  Fine,  which,  [m)  Plutarch  tells  us,  the  Lacedce- 
monians  fet  upon  their  King,  for  marrying  a  little  Woman, 
who  was  likely  to  bring,  «'  ■^.a.Gaix.q,  uaax  Bxaaltmi';,  not 
Kings,  but  Kinglings  to  reign  over  them. 

It  muft  be  remember'd  however,  that  Tallnefs  of  Sta- J"^",^*^^^, 
ture  was  not  the  only  Thing  that  recommended  Saul  to  the"^ 
Kingdom.  His  Father  is  faid  to  have  been  («)  a  mighty 
Man  of  Power  ;  which  tho'  it  may  not  fignify  his  great 
Wealth,  and  Interefl:  in  his  Country,  (becaufe  (o)  Saul 
hifnfelf  declares  the  contrary)  yet  it  doubtlefs  denotes  his 
Strength,  and  Courage,  and  Fortitude  of  Mind,  which, 
in  a  great  Meafure,  he  tranfmitted  to  his  Son.  For,  who 
in  War  was  more  brave  and  undaunted  than  he,  had  he  but 
known  how  to  ufe  his  Vi6lories,  as  well  as  acquire  them  ? 
But  here  was  his  great  Misfortune,  that,  when  he  was  fuc- 
cefsful,  he  was  too  apt  to  be  unmindful  of  what  God  had 
enjoin'd  him.  Who  in  Peace  was  more  prudent,  and  po- 
litick, than  he,  till  his  Fears  and  Jealoufies  of  David, 
mix'd  with  an  utjhappy  Temper  of  Blood,  made  him  ma- 
licious and  implacable  ?  Nothing  can  be  fuppos'd  more  wife 
and  difcreet,    than  his  (p)  holding  his  Peace^  and  taking 

X  2  no 

(k)  I  Sam.  X.  24.  (I)  Ibid.  ix.  2.  [m)  In  the  Begin- 
ning of  his  Book  Tftfi  wa/Jiv  ayuyvi^-  («)  1  Sani;  ix.  t. 
{0)  Ibid,  Yer.  21.           {j>}  i  Sara.  x.  27. 


324  ^f  Btjiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  no  Notice  of  the  Slights,  which  were  put  upon  him  at  his 
ilt^  cS[ft  fi""^  Eleftion  ;  nothing  more  great  and  generous,  than  his 
1116,  ^f.  Anfwer  to  feme,  who  would  have  prompted  him  to  Re- 
From'i  Sam.  venge,  after  he  had  eftablifh'd  his  Throne  by  a  glorious 
^^'j"^-  Conqueft :  (q)  There  jhall  not  a  Man  he  put  to  Death  this 
'  ^'  '""  X)ay  1  pr  to  Day  the  Lord  hath  wrought  Salvation  in 
Ifrael. 

Nothing  certainly  was  more  different,  than  SauVs  mo- 
deflly  declining  the  Offer  of  a  Kingdom  j  when  elected, 
paffmg  by  Indignities,  and  returning  to  a  private  Life ; 
when  called  out  to  A£lion,  muftering  his  Forces,  leading 
out  his  Armies,  vanquifhing  his  Enemies,  relieving  his 
Friends ;  and,  when  fettled  in  Peace,  forgiving  Injuries, 
and  conferring  Benefits ;  and  the  fame  Sauly  fuUen  and  dif- 
contcnted  with  himfelf,  falfeto  his  Promifes,  jealous  of  his 
Friends,  liftening  to  Sycophants,  quarrelling  with  his  Re- 
lations, attempting  the  Life  of  his  own  Son,  murthering  a 
whole  City  of  God's  Priefts,  and,  inftead  of  confulting  the 
Divine  Oracle,  flying  to  the  Devil  for  Advice  in  his  Diftrefs : 
And  therefore  we  need  lefs  wonder,  that  we  find  the  Be- 
ginning of  his  Reign  fo  profperous,  and  the  latter  Part  of  it 
ending  in  fo  fad  a  CataJIrophe. 
Ttat  btde.  Whether  Saul  deferv'd  this  Fate,  or  no,  we  may  beft 
ferv'd  Ccd't  perceive  by  a  Review  of  fome  Inftances,  wherein  he  is  faid 
Severity  to  ^^  ^^^^  offended  God.  In  the  Beginning  of  the  third  Year 
of  his  Reign,  the  Philijiines  rais'd  fo  powerful  an  Army  a- 
gainft  him,  that  his  own  Forces,  for  Fear  of  theni,  deferted 
in  great  Numbers.  Gilgal  was  the  Place  of  their  Rendez- 
vous, and  Samuel^  who  had  hitherto  tranfaded  Matters  be- 
tween God  and  Saul,  had  given  him  affurance,  that,  in  fe- 
ven  Days  time,  he  would  come  thither,  (r)  to  offer  Sacri- 
fices and  Peace-Offerings,  and  to  Jheiv  him  what  he  was  to 
do  ;  but  (as  Jbarbinel  has  obferv'd)  every  one  of  thefe  Arti- 
cles he  tranfgrefs'd.  For,  (befides  that  he  diftrufted  Sa- 
muel's  Word,  or  thought  it  Scorn  perhaps,  that  the  King 
fhould  ftay  for  a  Prophet)  inftead  of  waiting  till  the  appoint- 
ed Days  were  expir'd,  he  call'd  for  the  Sacrifices  on  theyjr- 
venih  Morning  ;  inftead  of  ordering  a  proper  Perfon  to  of- 
ficiate, himfelf  adventur'd  to  offer  up  the  Sacrifice ;  and, 
inftead  of  enquiring  of  God  in  a  regular  Way,  he  was  de- 
termin'd  to  begin  the  War  without  any  previous  Confulta- 
tion  :  So  that,  in  this  Behaviour  of  his,  there  were  all  the 
Signs  of  Pride  and  Ingratitude,  Impatience  and  Diftruft, 
Nccleca  of  God,  Contempt  of  his  Prophet,  and  an  appa- 
rent 

f^)  Ibid.  xi.  13.        (r)  Ibid.  x.  8,. 


Ch A  p .  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        325 

rent  Invafion  of  the  prieftly  Office  ;  upon  v^hich  Accounts    A  M. 
Samuel  dcdzxts,  that  (/)  God  would  reject  him,  and  "c^Atft^'chrift 
continue  the  Kingdom  in  his  Family.  iu6,  &e'. 

God,  no  doubt,  by  his  divine  Omnifcience,  forefaw  ?"""Sani, 
what  other  Sins  Saul  would  commit,  and  might  therefore,  ^  °  ^ 
without  any  Breach  of  his  Mercy,  have  pronounced  a  pe- 
remptory Sentence  againft  him  j  but  the  Pafiage  before  us 
implies  no  fuch  Thing.  It  is  no  more  than  a  Threat,  or  a 
Ample  Denunciation  of  what  God  would  do,  if  he  were  not 
more  obfcrvant  for  the  future,  and  might  have  been  revok'd, 
had  he  not  perfifted  in  his  Difobediencc,  and  committed  a 
much  greater  Offence  againft  the  divine  Majefty,  in  the 
War  againft  Amalek, 

The  Oppofition,  which  thefe  People  gave  the  Ifraelites y 
while  they  were  on  their  Journey  to  the  Land  of  Canaany 
provok'd  God  to  fuch  a  Degree,  that,  (as  the  Hiftorian  re- 
lates the  Matter)  he  fwore,  that  {i)  he  would  have  War  with 
Amalekyrflw  Generation  to  Generation  ;  and  therefore  com- 
manded Mofes  to  write  it,  for  a  Memorial^  in  a  Book,  and 
10  rehearfe  it  in  the  Ears  of  Jofhua,  that  he  would  utterly 
put  out  the  Remembrance  of  Amalek  from  under  Heaven  : 
And,  when  they  were  upon  the  Point  of  entering  upon  the 
promis'd  Land,  they  were  reminded  of  the  fame  Divine  De- 
cree aginft  that  wicked  People  :  {u)  Remember  what  Amalek 
did  unto  thee  by  the  Way,  when  ye  were  come  forth  out  of 
Egypt,  how  he  met  thee  by  the  Way,  and  f mote  the  hindmo/i  of 
thee,  even  all  that  were  feeble  behind  thee,  when  thou  wafi 
faint  and  weary,  and  he  feared  not  God :  Therefore  it  Jhalt 
he^  when  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  given  thee  Reft  from  all  thine 
Enemies  round  about  in  the  Land,  wh'ich  the  Lord  thy  God 
giveth  thee  for  an  Inheritance  to  pojfefs  it,  that  thou  Jhalt 
blot  out  the  Remembrance  of  Amalek  from  under  Heaven, 
thou  Jhalt  not  forget  it.  In  this  Paflage  we  have  fome  Rea- 
fons  aflign'd,  why  God  was  fo  highly  incens'd  againft  the 
Jlmalekites.  {m)  They  were  Defcendants  of  Efau,  and 
therefore,  by  Pedigree,  were  allied  to  the  Ifraelites,  and 
of  the  Stock  of  Abraham,  (y)  They  feem  to  have  broke  oflF 
with  the  Edomites  very  early,  and  to  have  join'd  themfelves 
with  the  old  Horites,  a  Neft  of  Idolaters,  that  liv'd  on 
Mount  Seir  5  and  fo  turn'd  Apofiates  from  the  Religion  of 
Abraham^     Thefe  Apoftates  were  the  firft  that  drew  the 

X  3  Swdrci 

(i)  Ibid.  xiii.  14.  {t)  Exod,  xvii.  13,  14.  [u)  Dcut. 

XXV.  17,  i:Sc.        (a:)  Gen.  xxxvi.  12.        \J)  Scriptiir*  vindi- 
vated.  Part  ii. 


226  The  Wftory  of  //??<f  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

8S8  w    ^^^''^  againft  the  Jfraelitesy  who  were  their  Brethren  in 
Ant.  chrift.^^<^°<^»  ^"^>  without  any  Manner   of  Provocation,    took 
1116,  &c.  the  Advantage,  and  came  upon  theii^ear,  while  they  were 
^T^'h' e"^*-^^^^''^'  /^/«/,  ajid  weary y  which  was  not  only  a  great  Inhu- 
1,'  ,-  -„,_f  manity,  but  done  with  an  Intent  to  defeat  God's  defign  ia 
bringing  up  the  People  of  Ifrael,  and  to  hinder,  if  poflible, 
their  Entrance  into  Canaan  ;  for  which  Reafon  the  Impiety 
of  thefe  People  is  particularly  taken  Notice  of,  viz.   that 
they  feared  not  God^  but  that  their  Hand  was  lift  up  againfi 
the  Throne  ef  the  Lord-,  again/i  the  Throne  of  the  God  of 
Abraham,  their  Father,  which  was  no  fmall  Aggravation  of 
their  Crime.     'Twas  for  thefe  Reafons  then,  that  God  had 
determin'd  to  deftroy  the  whole  Race  of  Jmalek,  and  had 
made  Choice  of  Saul  to  put  his  Decree  in  Execution  :  And 
if,  to  indulge  his  own  Covetoufnefs,  he  thought  proper  to 
prevaricate  in  the  Matter,  he  became  guilty  of  the  like  Sin, 
(to  ofe  the  Words  of  the  learned  Dr.  Jackfon)  "  as  if  a 
**  J^dgCj  or  inferior  Magiftratc,  being  intruded  to  do  Ju- 
*'  Itice  in  a  Matter,  unto  which  his  Sovereign  had  peremp- 
'*  torily  and  determinately  fworn,  fhould,  upon  a  Bribe, 
**  or  other  fmifter  Refpedl,    neg!e61:  his  Duty,  and,    as 
**  much  as  in  him  lay,  make  his  Mafterforfworn."     And, 
as  a  Judge,  that  would  dare  to  do  this,  deferves  more  Deaths 
than  one ;  fo,  confidering  the  infinite  Difference  between 
God  and  Man,  and  the  long  Train  of  Wickednefs,  which 
5,3 «/ afterwards  ran  into,  the  Severity  can  hardly  be  thought 
exceffive,  in  God's  punifhing  his  Contempt  of  this  great 
Command,  by  the  Alienation  of  the  Crown  from  his  Fa- 
mily. 
Whytht  K-      **  But  why  fhould  the  Amalekites^  for  Offences  cora- 
tnakkites     tc  flitted  by  their  Forefathers  fo  many  Years  before,  de- 
"^Irliy  dealt  *'  fejve   this   Punifhment  ?  Or,    fuppofe   they   did,  why 
w(b.  <«  fhould  young  Children  and  Infants  fuffer  as  guilty,  for 

**  the  Crimes  of  their  Parents?"  Our  bleffed  Saviour,  in 
a  Cafe  fomewhat  like  this,  has  help'd  us  to  a  Solution  of 
the  former  Part  of  this  Queftion,  when  he  tells  the  fewf 
of  his  Time,  that  (a)  they  built  the  Sepulchres  of  the  Pro- 
phetSf  which  their  Fathers  had  killed  ;  thatf  in  fo  doings 
they  alowed,  or  approved,  of  their  Deeds  ;  and  that  there- 
fore the  Blood  of  all  the  Prophets,  which  had  been  Jhed  from 
the  Foundation  of  the  World,  /hould  be  required  of  that  Ge- 

neration.     From  whence  we  mav  draw  this  Inference, 

That,  when  any  particular  People  commit  the  fame 
Crimes,  thatr  their  Anceflors   did,  when  they  approve  of 

them, 
(«)  Luke  xi.  47,  iSc. 


Chap.  III.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  {«?<:.       527 

them,  when  they  imitate  them,  and,  by  the  like  Anions,     A-  M. 
declare,  that,  if  they  were  in  their  Circumftances,  they  ^^^  'chHft. 
would  purfue  the  fame  Steps,  they  are  juftly  puni{hable,i  116,  &>e. 
even  in  Virtue  of  the  Sentence,  which  pafs'd  upon  their  f"^"""' ^*"J' 
Anceftors;  and  that  the  divine  Sufpenfion  of  that  Sentence, 
in  order  to  try  whether  they  would  reform  and  amend,  is 
fo  far  from  being  an  Hardjhip,  that  the  longer  it  is  conti- 
nu'd,    the  more  it  is   an  Inftance  of  God's  Mercy,  and 
Patience,  and  Long-fufFering. 

Now,  whoever  looks  into  the  Conduft  of  the  Defcen- 
dantsofthefe  old  Amalekiies,  and  confiders  the  feveral  Op- 
preffions,  which  occalion'd  the  Exploits  of  Ehud^  Gideon^ 
Jephthahy  and  Saul^  will  foon  perceive,  that  thefe  later 
Generations  were  every  Moment  renewing  the  Rancour 
and  Hoftilities  of  their  Forefathers  againft  the  Children  of 
Jfrael^  and  confequently,  were  very  juftly  compris'd  un- 
der the  Sentence,  which  had  originally  pafs'd  upon  them. 

{b)  CHILDREN  indeed  Jhall  not  be  put  to  Death  for 
their  Fathers  :  But  this  Prohibition,  we  muft  obfervc,  re- 
lates to  Men^  and  not  to  God.  (c)  Men,  when  they  put 
a  Child  to  Death  for  the  Sin  of  his  Father,  aflume  an  Au- 
thority, that  they  have  no  Right  to.  The  Law,  which 
authorizes  them  to  punifti  the  Father,  gives  them  no  Power 
over  the  Life  of  the  Child  ;  f  but  God  is  Sovereign  Lord 
and  Mafter  of  the  Lives  of  both.  Men  who  kill  the  Child, 
to  aggravate  the  Punifhment  of  the  Father,  can  give  the 
Child  no  Equivalent  for  the  Lofs  of  his  Life ;  but  God, 
in  the  future  Difpenfation  of  Things,  can  render  him  an 
ample  Compenfation  for  it ;  and  therefore,  fincc  in  a  ge- 
neral Devaftation,  whether  of  War,  Famine,  or  Peftilcnce, 
without  a  divine  Interpofition  for  every  particular  Perfon, 
the  Innocent  muft  neceflarily  fufFer  with  the  Guilty,  'tis 
Satisfaction  enough  to  think,  that  thefe  innocent  Perfons  do 
not  finally  perifh  when  they  die,  but  are  the  nee- forward  ta- 
ken underGod's  immediateCare,and,  in  the  World  to  come, 
will  find  their  Retribution,  {d)  Thofe  of  all  others,  who  die 
in  their  Infancy,  (in  what  Manner  foever  it  be)  have  Rea- 

X  4  Ton 

{b)  Deut.  xxiv.i6.        {c)  Saurin's  Diflert.  30.  Vol.  IV. 

•f  Deus  quideoi  in  Lege  Hebraeis  data  paternam  Impietatem  in 
Pofteros  fe  vindicaturum  minatur :  Sed  ipfe  Deus  jus  Dominii 
pleniflimum  habet,  ut  in  res  noftras,  ita  in  vitam  noftram,  ut  mu- 
nus  fuum,  quod  fme  ulla  Caufa  &  quovis  tempore  auferre  cuivis, 
quando  vult,  poteft.     Grotius,  de  Jure  Belli,  Vol.  IL 

{d)  Le  CUrc't  Comment,  in  i  Sam,  xv.  3. 


32  8  The  Hijiory   of  the  ^\B  I.  E,     Book  V, 

A.  M.  fon  to  blefs  God,  what  Grief  foever  it  may  give  their  Pa- 
Ant/chriftJ-'^^s*  for  being  deliver'd  out  of  the  Miferies  of  this  Life, 
1116,  &-C.  in  order  to  be  made  happy  in  another. 
^'TtheEn?  ^^^'^^^L  of  the  7^ft/>  Doctors  are  of  Opinion,  that, 
^^^—J^  after  the  Death  of  Eli  and  his  Sons,  SamueU  by  God'5 
ff^j  Samud  particular  Eleiiion,  fucceeded  to  the  High-Prieft's  Office  j 
rmi^htcfftr  jm^j  x.\\n  they  arc  the  rather  induc'd  to  believe,  becaufe  they 
acrijuts.  j-g^jj^f  j^jg  offering  Sacrifices  in  Places  diftinfl  from  the 
Tabernacle ;  of  his  wearing  an  Ephcd^  which  was  a  Vcfl- 
ment  peculiar  to  the  Prieft  ;  of  his  confecrating  two 
Kings,  Saul  zv\d  David  I  and  find  (^)  the  P/a/ot//?  placing 
him  among  Perfons  of  that  Order  and  Diftindion.  But 
the  more  probable  Opinion  is,  that  he  was  no  more  than  a 
Levitt,  and,  by  Birth,  incapable  of  the  Priefthood,  which 
was  only  annexed  to  Aaron\  Family  ;  that  there  is  no 
Mention  made  in  Scripture  of  his  having  any  particular  De- 
iignation  to  that  Office  ;  that  there  is  no  Reafpn  to  think, 
that  God  would  break  through  his  own  Laws,  and  Ordi- 
nances, in  Favour  of  him,  when  there  was  no  Occafion 
for  it,  fince  Hophni  and  Phineas,  when  they  died,  f  might 
have  Sons  of  fufficient  Age  to  fucceed  them  ;  that  his  put- 
ing  on  an  Ephod,  was  no  more  than  what  David  did  ;  his 
iacrihcing  from  the  Tabernacle,  what  Gideon  and  Saul  d'ldi 
and  his  anointing  Kings,  what  both  Elias  and  Eli/ha  did  ; 
fo  that  thefe  little  Incidents  of  his  Life  could  never  give  him 
that  Charadler.  And  tho'  it  be  granted,  that  the  Pfalmiji 
has  thought  proper  to  place  him  in  Company  with  Mofes 
and  Aaron,  yet,  at  the  fame  Time,  he  has  taken  Care  to 
point  us  out  the  Difference  between  them ;  Mofes  and 
>^5?-3«  among  the  Priejfs,  and  Samuel  among  fuchy  as  caH 
upon  his  Namef  i.  e.  who  fing  God's  Praife,  which  was  the 
common  Emj-loyment  of  the  Levites.  Put  the  Cafe  then, 
that  Sainuel  was  no  Priefl,  yet  it  feems  to  be  a  Privilege 
indulg'd  to  fome  great  Men,  upon  fome  extraordinary  Oc- 
catlons,  to  offer  Sacrifices,  where  there  was  neither  the  Ta- 
bernacle, nor  any  Altar,  but  what  they  themfelves  ere£led. 

Thus 

le)  Pfal.  xcix.  6. 

f  It  is  generally  fupposM,  but  without  any  Grounds,  that 
the  Exerciie  of  the  High-PrielVs  Fundion  was  not  entered  upon 
till  fuch  an  Age,  and  that  £/;"s  Grand-Children  were  not  as  yet 
«^ualify'd  for  it:  ^nX.  Jo/ephus  (Antiq.  lib.  xv-  c.  2.)  informs  us, 
that  Arijiohulus,  the  Brother  of  Mariamne,  was  both  admitted 
into  that  Plac? ,  and  officiated  in  it,  when  he  was  no  more  thaij 
leventeen  Years  pld,  Qalmet\  Co;nment.  in  i  Sam,  xxv.   i . 


Chap. in.  from  the  Ifraelitcs  ^«/m»^  Canaan,  ^c.     329 

Thus  (f)  Gideon  and  Manoah  both,  by  the  Directions  of    A.  M, 
an  Angel,  made  their  Burnt- Offerings  juft  by  their  own ^nt. 'chHft, 
Habitations,  and  upon  no  other  Altar  than  a  Rockj  and  yet,  1 116,  9/c. 
that  they  were  accepted  by  God,  is  evident  from  the  mi*  ?''°"' '  ^^"l* 

,       -^  T,.  ,        1- 1        •'/.  ,  I.  to  the  End. 

raculous  r  ire,  that  did  confume  them.  «    —      j 

In  moft  Countries,  indeed,  the  Priefthood  was  a  Pri- 
vilege annex'd  to  the  regal  Dignity,  and  even  in  the  'Jew\fl> 
Oeconomy,  where  the  facerdotal  Office  was  diftindi.  Thus 
David,  upon  the  Reduction  of  the  Ark,  facrific'd  Oxen 
and  Fatlings  (g)y  and  Solomon,  in  the  Beginning  of  his 
Reign,  and  before  the  Temple  was  built,  facrific'd  in  high 
Places  (h).  But  there  is  much  more  to  be  faid  for  Samuel  i 
He  liv'd  in  a  Place,  that  was  an  Academy  of  the  Prophets, 
and  whither  much  People  reforted  to  be  infl:ru<Sted  in  the 
Law.  Shiloh  was  now  laid  defolate,  and  the  Ark,  which 
was  the  Tabernacle's  chief  Furniture,  was  feparated  from 
it ;  fo  that,  till  God  had  declar'd  his  Choice  of  fome  other 
Place,  the  People  were,  in  a  great  Meafure,  at  Liberty 
where  to  offer  their  Devotions  ;  and  Samuel  more  efpeci- 
ally,  in  a  City  of  fo  great  Concourfe,  and  where  he  him- 
felf  prefided,  was  oblig'd  in  Confcience  to  provide  the  Peo- 
ple, in  the  beft  Manner  he  could,  with  a  publick  Place  of 
Worftiip.  He  himfelf  did  but  rarely,  and  upon  extraordi- 
nary Occafions,  officiate  in  the  Sacrifice,  yet  that,  whenever 
he  did  it,  he  did  it  with  the  Acceptance  and  Approbation  of 
God,  is  plain  from  the  Teflimony  of  Scripture,  and  the 
Succefs  which  God  gave  him  againft  his  Enemies,  after  he 
had  perform'd  fuch  an  h&.  of  Devotion  ;  For  thus  the  Ac- 
count is,  (i)  And  Samuel  took  a  fucking  Lamb,  and  offered 
it  for  a  Burnt-Offering  wholly  unto  the  Lord^  fl«(/ Samuel 
cried  unto  the  Lord  for  Ifrael,  and  the  Lord  heard  him^ 
and  the  Lord  thundered  with  a  great  Thunder  on  that  Day 
upon  the  Philiflines,  and  difcomfited  them,  and  they  wen 
f mitten  before  Ifrael. 

*  The  y^wf  themfelves  acknowledge,  that  a  Prophet ^^  Sanu4 
is  not  fubjeft  to  the  ceremonial  Law,  but   may,  at  any  ^a\LTip7a% 
Time,  himfelf  facrifice  in  what  Place  he  pleafes:  And  there- Bethletenu 
fore,  when  Samuel  went  to  Bethlehem  to  anoint  David, 

it  cannot  be  quellion'd,  but  that  he  had  a  Right  to  facrifice 

there, 

(/)  Judg.  vi.  20.  and  xiii.  19.  {g)  2  Sam.  vi.  13, 

[h)  I  Kings  iii.  2,  3.         {:)  i  Sam.  vii.  g,  10. 

*  Authoritas  Prophetae  facit,  ut  facrificium,  ubicunque  is  adeft, 
imperat,  rite  fiat ;  fubfunt  enim  Prophetje  Imperio  Leges  ri- 

tualei,  fatentibm  Hebrseis,    Crgtinf,  in  i  Sam,  xvi.  2, 


330  The  Hijiory  of  the  BIBL  E,    Book  V. 

A-  1^  there,  tho'  there  was  neither  Ark  nor  Tabernacle  in  the 
Ant.  'chtift.^^^^^  *  '^^^  ^^"  ^^  ^^  deny'd,  but  that  one  Part  of  his  Errand 
T116,  &e.  was  to  offer  the  Sacrifice,  which  he  carry 'd  along  with 
?'*"" '  ^'"-  him.  He  had  indeed  an  Affair  of  greater  Confequence  to 
I  __^ltranfa6t  at  the  fame  Time;  but  I  cannot  fee,  under  what 
Obligation  he  was  to  difcover  that,  (i)  Secrecy  is  of  great 
Ufe  in  all  important  Negotiations,  and  the  concealing  of 
one  Dcfign,  under  the  Umbrage  of  another,  isasjuftand 
laudable  a  Practice,  as  the  drawing  of  a  Curtain  to  keep 
out  Spies.  ASis  of  Religion  indeed  are  fometimes  made 
Cloaks  for  Iniquity  ;  .but  'tis  hard  to  conceive  what  poflible 
Prevarication  there  could  be  in  performing  one  Adt  of  Obe- 
dience towards  God,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  Performance 
of  another.  The  fhort  of  the  Matter  is,  when  there  are 
two  Ends  of  any  Action,  (as  there  were  in  the  Cafe  now 
before  us)  a  Man  may,  without  any  Injury  to  Truth,  de* 
clare  the  one,  and  conceal  the  other  ;  nor  can  any  ImpU" 
fation  juftly  fall  upon  God,  for  fuggefting  an  Expedi- 
ent to  his  Servant,  in  the  Execution  of  which  there  con- 
fefTedly  was  no  Sin. 
Wbybemgbt  And  for  the  fame  Reafon,  becaufe  it  was  by  God's 
fiij  Agag.  Diredion,  or  the  Inftigation  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  that  Sa- 
muel cut  Jgag  in  Pieces,  we  cannot  fay,  that  this  Refent- 
ment  carry'd  him  beyond  the  Bounds  of  Refpedt,  that  was 
due  to  his  Sovereign,  ^gag  had  been  a  bloody  Tyrant, 
and  was  now  cut  ofF,  not  for  the  Sins  of  his  Anceflors 
only,  but  for  his  own  mercilefs  Cruelty.  His  Death  had 
been  predi(fled  above  400  Years  before,  (I)  hy  the  Pro- 
phet Balaam  ;  but  Saul,  out  of  a  miftim'd  CompaHion, 
and  in  Oppofition  to  the  exprefs  Commands  of  God,  had 
thought  proper  to  fpare  him.  Here  therefore  was  a  fit 
Occafion  for  Samuel  to  exert  himfelf,  and,  notwithftand- 
ing  the  Prefence  of  his  Prince,  to  vindicate  the  Honour  of 
his  God,  by  exprefling  a  Zeal  fuitable  to  {m)  that  of  Phi- 
iteasy  in  flaying  Zimri,  or  of  that  noble  Band  of  Levites^ 
{^)  who  deftroy'd  the  Worfhippers  of  the  Golden-Calf', 
tho'  it  does  not  neceflarily  follow,  that  he  flew  him  him- 
felf,  (0)  becaufe  what  he  commanded  might  be  called  his 
§wn  ASiy  tjio'  it  was  neverthelefs  done  by  the  publick  Exe- 
futioner  of  Juftice. 

Some 

{k)    Scripture  vindicated,  Part  ii.  {!)  Num.    xxiv.   7. 

^m)  Ibid.  XXV.  7.  [n)  Exod.  xxxii.  27.  [o)  Patriek's 

Comment,  in  i  Sam.  xii.  33. 


Chap.  IIT.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      331 

Some  Commentators  have  been  fo  far  carry'd  away  A.  m. 
with  the  Manner  of  the  Scripture  Expreflion,  -y/z.  that  (/')Ant.^'a^rU» 
an  evil  Spirit  from  the  Lord  troubled  Saul,  as  to  think,  it kj,  s^f,* 
that  he  was  really  poflefs'd  with  a  Devil,  which  at  certain? '^°"^ '  Sam. 
Times  came  ftrongly  upon  him,  and  threw  him  into  alll^^°^J_°^ 
the  mad  Fits  whereof  we  read  :  But  it  fhould  be  confi-  jp^,,,,  saur* 
der'd,  that  the  Word  Spirit,  in  the  facred  Language,  is  oiDifttmptr 
a.  very  extenfive  Signification,  and  denotes  frequently,  not'*""' 
only  the  Difpofitions  of  the  Mind,  (q)  but  thofe  of  the 
Body  likewife  j  that  the  Cuftom  of  the  Jews  was  to  ima- 
gine, that  every  Affliftion,  whofe  Caufe  they  were  igno- 
rant of,  proceeded  immediately  from  God  ;  and  that  it  is 
a  very  common  Thing  to  find  the  Scripture  Phrafe  accom- 
modating itfelf  to  this  vulgar  Prejudice.  Now  in  our  In- 
terpretation of  Scripture,  this,  I  think,  ftiould  be  a  Rule, 
That  when  a  Paflage  is  capable  of  two  Senfes,  where- 
of the  one  fuppofes  a  Miracle^  and  the  other  a  natural 
Event  only,  the  latter  fliould  take  Place,  efpecially  when 
there  are  no  Circumftances  to  determine  us  to  the  contra- 
ry. But  now,  in  the  Cafe  before  us,  (r)  the  frequent  Ac- 
cefs  of  Saul's  Malady,  the  Symptoms  that  attended  it,  and 
the  Remedy  made  ufe  of  to  afluage  it,  do  fufficiently  de» 
note,  that  it  proceeded  from  a  deep  Melancholy,  or  black 
Bile  inflam'd  ;  and  that  the  Man  was  hypochondriac^,  ra- 
ther than  pojefs'd.  Agreeable  to  this  bad  Complexion  of 
Body  was  the  natural  Temper  of  his  Mind,  which,  through 
his  whole  Conduct,  was  fufpicious,  diffident,  cruel,  paffi- 
onate,  and  vindi£live.  Add  to  this,  that  the  Remorfes  of 
his  Confcience,  the  Menaces  (»f  Samuel,  God's  Rejection 
of  him,  and  his  continual  Apprehenfions  of  being  either 
dethron'd,  or  put  to  Death,  by  his  Competitor,  confirm'd 
ftill  more  and  more  the  evil  Difpofitions  which  his  Diftem- 
per  engender'd,  and  carry'd  them  by  Fits  into  downright 
Madnefs  :  And  as  Madnefs  is  occafion'd  by  an  atrohilouf 
Humour  highly  inflam'd,  and  difFus'd  through  the  Blood, 
and  from  melancholick  Vapours,  which  afcend  to  the  Brain, 
and  make  an  Alteration  in  its  Temperature,  'tis  no  hard 
Matter  to  conceive,  that  the  agreeable  Sound  of  a  muftcal 
Inftrument,  which  occafions  Joy  and  Self-complacency, 
Ihould  diflipate  thefe  bad  Humours,  and  make  the  Blood 
and  Spirits  return  to  their  equal  and  natural  Motion. 

What 

(/)  I  Sam.  xvi.  14.      (f)Vide  Job.  xvii.  i.  andHofea  iv.  12. 
(r)  Celmet's  Comment,  in  i  Sam.  xvi.  14. 


332  'J'he  Hiftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  What  the  Power  of  Mufick  is,  to  fweeten  the  Tem- 
A^^^'ch  Wi  P^"^'  ^^^  ^^'*y  ^"^  compofe  the  Paflions  of  the  Mind,  we 
1116.  a^f.  ^^ve  fome  Examples  Uovc\  f acred  Hlftory,  but  many  more 
FronjiSam.from  the  prophane.  As  this  fame  Saul  was  returning  from 
\^°^^^;^  Samuel,  he  met,  at  the  Place,  which  is  called  (s)  the  Hill 
^ittPowcrof"/  God^  a  Company  of  Prophets,  playing  on  feveral  Inftru- 
Mvfick,  ments ;  and  fuch  was  the  Elfeft  of  their  Melody,  that  the 
Spirit  (as  the  Scripture  expreffes  it)  came  upon  hiniy  and  he 
was  turned  into  another  Man.  When  Elijha  was  defired 
by  Jehojhaphat,  to  tell  him  what  his  Succefs  againft  the  King 
of  Moab  would  be,  the  Prophet  requir'd  a  Minftrel  to  be 
brought  unto  him,  [t)  and  when  the  Minjlrel played^  'tis 
faid,  that  the  Hand  of  the  Lord  came  upon  him  :  («)  Not 
that  we  are  to  fuppofe,  that  the  Gift  of  Prophecy  was  the 
natural  Effect  of  Mufick,  but  the  Meaning  is,  that  Mufick 
difpos'd  the  Organs,  the  Humours,  the  Blood,  and,  in 
fhort,  the  whole  Mind  and  Spirit  of  the  Prophet,  to  receive 
the  fupernatural  Lnpreffion.  The  Truth  is,  common  Ex- 
perience, as  well  as  the  Teftimonv  of  the  graveft  Authors, 
does  prove,  that  there  is  in  Mufick  a  certain  Charm,  to 
revive  the  Spirits,  mellow  the  Humours,  allay  the  Paffions, 
and  confequently,  to  diilipate  that  Rage,  or  Melancholy, 
which  cither  fumes  up  into  the  Brain  in  Vapours,  or  over- 
fpreads  the  Heart  with  Grief,  and  Dejeclion.  We  need 
lefs  wonder  therefore,  that  we  find  {x)  the  Pythagoreansy 
whenever  they  perceiv'd,  either  in  themfelves  or  others, 
any  violent  Paflion  beginning  to  arife,  immediately  beta- 
king themfelves  either  to  their  Flute  or  their  Guittar ;  that 
we  find  [y)  Theophrajlus  declaring,  that  Mufick  is  an  ex- 
cellent Remedy  againft  feveral  Diftempers,  both  of  the 
Mind  and  Body  ;  {■£)  others,  that  Afclepiades,  a  renown'd 
Phyfician  among  the  Antients,  was  us'd  to  cure  Madnefs 
by  the  Power  of  Symphony  ;  and  (a)  others  again,  that 
the  moft  violent  Poifori,  that  of  the  Sting  of  the  Taran- 
iula^  has  been  expelled  very  frequently  by  this  Means,  The 
only  remaining  Difficulty  is,  how  David,  with  his  fingle 
Harp,  and  unaflifted  with  any  other  Inftruments,  could 
efFeit  fuch  a  Cure  upon  Saul?  And  to  fatisfy  this,  I  muft 
be  oblig'd  to  enquire  a  little  into  the  Nature  of  the  Jewiflj 
Mufick,  which  was  poffibly  in  Vogue  at  that  Time. 

MusicK, 

{s)  1  Sam.  X.  5,  iffc.  (/)  2Kingslii.  11;.  [u)  Calmefi 
Comment,  in  1  Sam.  xxtI.  17,  (.r)  jElianvsVar.  Hift.  lib.  xiv. 
c.  27.  iy)  In   Libro  irtpl  t-AHSMcy.x-j.  («)  CenforinuSf  dc 

Die  Natali,  lib.  xli.         («)  Vi^eSaurin,  Vol.  IV.  Diffcrt,  33. 


MusiCK,  tho'  an  Art  of  no  Neceflity  to  human  Life,    A.  M. 
was  certainly  of  a  very  early  Invention.     Before  the  De-^„^  '^hn^ 
luge,  'Jubal  is  called  the  Father,  or  Mafter,  of  thofe  when  16,  &t. 
play'd  upon  the  Harp,    and  f  antient  Organ,  as  the  two?"""'"  ^  ^™« 
Hebrew  Wox^s,  (^^  in  that  Place,  are  generally  tranflated.."    _       j 
In  the  Time  of  Jacobs  we  find   his  Father-in- Law   com- The  Nature 
plaining  of  him,  [c)  that   he  had  ftolen  away  from  him,''/'^^  J^^^i* 
and  not  given  him  an  Opportunity  of  difmrffing  him  ho-   '"■^'^ ' 
nourably,  with  Mirth,   and  with  Song,  with  Tabret,  and 
with  Harp. 

(d)  MOSES,  upon  his  PafTage  over  the  Red-Sea^  eotti- 
pos'd  a  Song,  which  was  fung  in  Parts  by  himfelf,  at  the 
Head  of  the  Men,  and  by  {e)  his  Sifter,  with  Timbrels 
and  Dancings  leading  up  the  Women.  Samuel,  upon  his 
Inftitution  of  the  Schools  of  the  Prophets,  introduc'd  fe- 
veral  Kinds  of  Mufick;  fo  that,  before  Saul's  Eleition  to 
the  Kingdom,  ( f )  we  read  of  the  Pfaltery,  and  Tabret, 
the  Pipe,  and  the  Harp,  in  Ufe  among  them.  The  Kings 
of  the  Eaji  made  it  a  Point  of  their  Grandeur  and  Mag- 
nificence, to  have  Men  to  play  to  them  upon  feveral  Oc- 
cafions ;  and  therefore  we  may  fuppofe,  that  Saul,  whefi 
he  came  to  the  Throne,  in  fome  reafonable  Time,  con- 
form'd  to  the  Mode.  Davids  who  was  himfelf  a  great 
Mafter  of  Mulick,  kept  in  his  Houfe  (^)  fome  Companies 
xA  fmging  Men,  zn^  finging  Women,  as  the  Words  of  old 
Barzillai  feem  to  imply  ;  and  Solomon,  who  deny'd  his 
Heart  no  Pleafure,  came  not  behind  his  Father  in  this 
Refpeft  ;  for  he  had  his  (h)  Men-Singers  and  IVomen-Sing- 
«rs  likewife,  and  mufical  Inftruments  of  all  Sorts.  'Jofs- 
phus  tells  us,  that  he  had  made  four  hundred  thoufand, 
merely  for  the  Ufe  of  the  Temple;  and  therefore  we  may 
well  fuppofe,  that  he  had  no  fmall  Variety  of  them,  for 
the  Ufe  of  the  Muficians,  that  attended  his  Perfon. 

M.  Le  Clerc  feems  to  be  of  Opinion,  that  the  Mufick 
of  the  antient  Hebrews  was  not  very  regular  :  "  They 
*'  were  a  Nation,  fays  he,  entirely  given  to  Agriculture, 
**  and  had  neither  Theatres,  nor  any  publick  Diverfions 

"  of 

•f  This  Inftrumcnt  in  Hebrenv  is  named  Hugab,  and  was  a 
Kind  of  Flute  compos 'd  of  feveral  Pipes,  of  a  different  Bignefs, 
join'd  to  one  another.  Calmet\  Diftionary,  under  the  Word 
Mufick. 

[b]  Gen.  iv.  21.  (f)   Ibid.  xxxi.  27.  (</)  Exod.  xv. 

(f)  Ibid.  ver.  20.  {/)  i  Sam  x.  5.  (f)  2  Sam,  xix.  35. 
\h)  Ecclef.  ii.  8, 


334  5"/&^  Hifiory  <?/  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  «  of  this  Kind ;  all  the  Ufe,  which  they  made  of  their 
Ant.'chrift."  Muficlc,  confifted  in  finging  fome  facrcd  Hymns,  which 
1116,  &■€.  *'  David  inftituted  ;  but  we  have  no  Reafon  to  think, 
From  I  Sam."  that  their  Performances  of  this  Kind  were  either  harmo- 
^^^^_J]j"  nious  or  methodical:"  But  now,  the  learned  Kircher 
has  confuted  all  this.  For,  (i)  It  is  not  probable,  fays  he, 
that  fuch  ah  innumerable  ^antity  of  mujtcal  Injlruments^ 
made  by  the  mojijkilful  Hands,  Jhould  ferve  only  to  produce 
fome  rude  and-,  inartificial  Sounds.  Jmong  the  Hebrews 
there  was  certainly  a  wonderful  Order  of  Songs  and  Chan- 
ters, a  wonderful  Diflribution  of  the  Singers,  and  a  won- 
derful Agreement  of  Words  fitted  to  harmonious  Notes  ;  nei- 
ther is  it  likely,  that  all  the  Inflruments  of  one  Choir  did 
perform  their  Parts  in  Unifon,  but  that  they  made  a  vari- 
ous Harmony,  with  an  admirable  and  accurate  Contexture  of 
the  upper  Parts  with  their  refpeSfive  Bafles. 

But  fuppofe  we,  (as  fome)  imagine,  that  they  wanted 
the  Harmony  of  a  Concert,  or  feveral  Parts  of  MuficIc 
going  on  at  the  fame  Time  ;  yet  it  is  much  to  be  quefti- 
on'd,  whether  that  Simplicity  of  Compofition,  which  re- 
fembles  Nature  moft,  is  not  a  greater  Beauty  and  Perfec- 
tion, than  that  Combination  of  feveral  Voices  and  Tunes, 
which  conftitutes  our  Concerts.  For  (to  ufe  the  Words 
of  another  Author,  in  a  Science  wherein  I  profefs  to  be  no 
Adept)  *'  The  Antients,  (k)  fays  he,  had  as  great  a  Num- 
**  ber  of  Inftruments  as  we  ;  they  had  their  Symphonies, 
*'  and  Voices  ot  all  Sorts,  as  well  as  we ;  but  then  they 
'*  had  this  Advantage  above  us,  that  their  finging  Voices 
*'  and  Inftruments  neither  drown'd  the  Words,  nor  de- 
**  ftroy'd  the  Senfe  of  what  they  fung.  While  their  Ears 
**  were  charm'd  with  the  Melody,  and  their  Hearts  touch'd 
"  with  the  Delicacy  of  the  Song,  their  Minds  were  tranf- 
*'  ported  with  the  Beauty  of  the  Words,  with  the  Live- 
*'  linefs.  Grandeur,  or  Tendernefs  of  the  Sentiments. 
"  So  that,  at  one  and  the  fame  Time,  they  had  all  the 
*'  pleafurable  Impreffions  and  Senfations,  that  the  moft 
**  exa£l  Imagery  of  Thoughts  and  Sentiments,  join'd  with 
*'  Symphony,  or  a  true  Harmony,  could  produce  in  their 
"  Breafts  ;"  and  for  this  Reafon  it  is  rightly  fuppos'd  by 
Jefephus,  that,  while  David  play'd  upon  his  Harp,  he  fung 
Pfalms  and  Hymns  to  King  Ssut,  whofe  Words  very  pro- 
bably were  adapted  to  the  Occafion,  and  that  both  thefe 

put 

(/)  Mufurgia  Univer.  lib.  ii.  C.  4»  [k)  Ca/met's  Diflert.  fur 
la  Mufique  des  Ancicns. 


i.  to  the  End. 


Chap.  III.    from  fbe  UrzcWtes  entering  Canzan,  ^fi.       ^^^ 

put  together  were  conducive  to  his  Cure  ;  tho'  God,  with-    A.  m. 
out  doubt,  who  gave  a  Bleffing  to  his  Endeavours,  was  the^^j^^^'^^^^^j^ 
principal  Caufe  of  it.  iii6,&c.' 

That  David's  Skill  in  playine;  upon  the  Harp,  jn  a^''**"* 'Sam. 
great  Meafure  remov  d  oaut  s  Melancholy,  is  manifeft , 
from  his  retiring  from  Cowt  to  his  Father's  Houfe,  and 
betaking  himfelf  to  his  ufual  Occupation  of  a  Shepherd. 
How  long  he  continued  with  his  Father  the  Scripture  is 
filent ;  but  a  fhort  Time  might  be  fufficient  to  impair  (he 
King's  Remembrance  of  him,  efpecially  when  he  appear'd 
in  another  Drefs,  than  what  he  wore  at  Court,  and  was 
juft  now  come  ofF  rough  from  a  Journey.  He  had  play'd 
to  the  King  indeed,  and  happily  reliev'd  his  piforder :  But 
who  knows,  but  that  he  then  wore  an  Habit  proper  for  his 
Profeflion,  as  a  Mufician^  and  (as  Cloaths  make  a  great 
Alteration  in  a  Man)  appear'd  now  quite  another  Creature 
in  his  plain  Shepherd's  Garb  ?  Who  knows,  but  that  the 
(/)  Minijier  (whoever  he  was)  that  recommended  him  to 
the  King,  finding  that  his  Mulick  prov'd  medicinal  to  h'lm, 
might  take  the  Freedom  to  fend  to  his  Father,  and  re- 
queft  that  his  Son  might  continue  a  little  longer  at  Court, 
even  without  the, King's  Knowledge  or  Direftion  ?  And  it 
feems  not  unlikely,  that  the  Office  of  Jrmour- Bearer 
(whatever  it  imported)  v/as  a  Place  of  Honour  and  Ref^ 
pedt,  more  than  ftri<St  Duty  and  Attendance,  becaufe  wc 
find  David  fometimes  retiring  to  his  Father's  Houfe,  as  not 
oblig'd  always  to  refide  at  Court. 

Without  our  fuppofing  then,  (as  fome  Commenta- 
tors have  done)  that  Haul's  Diftemper  had  diflurb'd  his 
Head,  and  impair'd  his  Memory,  we  need  but  confider 
the  Humour  and  Faftiions  of  a  Court,  the  Hurry  of  Bu- 
finefs,  the  Multitude  of  Servants,  the  Variety  of  Faces, 
and  the  Shoals  of  Comers  and  Goers,  that  are  every  Day 
feen  there;  and  withal,  confider  the  momentous  Iffue  of  a 
Battle  loft  or  won,  and  what  full  Employ  the  King  or  his 
chief  Commander  mufl  have  for  all  his  Thought  and  At- 
tention, when  an  Army  is  drawn  up  in  Array,  and  ready 
to  engage  ;  and  then  we  may  eafily  account  both  for  Sauly 
and  Jbners  wanting  Recolle£tion,  when  they  faw  David 
difguis'd  in  his  Shepherd's  Coat,  and  now  entering  upon 
an  A£lion,  that  was  quite  contrary  to  the  Charadter  of  a 
Mufician. 

{m)  But, 

(/)  Le  Clerc'i Comment,  in  i  Smm,  xxvii.  55, 


336  The  Hipry  <?/  Z/?*^  B  1  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  (^m)  But,  after  all,  the  Words  in  the  Text  fay  nothing 
Ant.  ^Chrift  ®^  SauVs  Forgetfulnefs  of  Davidy  or  that  he  enquit'd  who 
^ii6,  &c.  he  was.  They  only  intimate,  that  he  was  ignorant  of  his 
f'"'^^?^^'^- Family,  and  defir'd  to  be  inform'd  from  what  Parent  he 
)was  defcended  ;  and  confidering  how  many  Servants  there 
are  in  every  Court,  (efpecially  in  a  lower  Station)  whofe 
Pedigree  the  King  knows  nothing  of,  and  how  apt  we  are 
all  to  forget  the  Names  of  thofe,  who  live  at  a  Diftance, 
(as  Jejfe  did  from  Saul)  and  with  whom  we  hold  little  or 
no  Intercourfe,  we  need  not  much  wonder,  that  Saul^ 
who  had  no  Concern  for  David\  Family  before  this  Ad- 
venture, fhould  quite  forget  the  Name  of  his  Father,  living 
in  another  Country,  and  which  he  had  curforily  heard  per- 
haps, but  never  once  fix'd  in  his  Mind  :  But  now  that  the 
Son  was  going  upon  a  dcfperate  Enterprize,  and  was  (n) 
io  have  great  Riches,  as  well  as  the  King's  Daughter,  if 
he  came  off  viitorious,  it  did  not  a  little  behove  the  King 
to  know  fomethlng  more  of  the  Parentage  of  this  young 
Champion,  and  into  what  Family  he  was  to  match  his 
Daughter  :  And,  upon  this  Prefum.ption,  there  is  no  Mad- 
nefs,  no  Abfurdity ;  no  Incongruity  in  his  bidding  Abner, 
•'  {0)  enquire  whofe  Son  the  Stripling  is.  'Tis  a  brave 
*'  and  gallant  Youth.  I  am  charm'd  with  his  Courage, 
*'  and  Behaviour.  If  he  falls  in  the  Attempt,  he  fiiall  have 
*'  an  honourable  Interment ;  if  he  fucceeds,  and  flays  the 
**  Giant,  he  fhall  be  my  Son- in- Law." 
IPfcv  David  The  jfews  give  a  very  romantick  Reafon  for  David^s 
retreated  to  going  to  Achijhy  the  King  of  the  Philijiines,  viz.  that  it 
Achilh.  was  to  demand  an  Execution  of  the  Treaty,  (whereby  the 
Conqueror  was  to  have  a  fovereign  Power  and  Dominion 
over  the  Conauer'd)  which  Goliath  proposed,  when  he 
challeng'd  the  Ifraelites  ;  and  that,  upon  this  Account,  the 
chief  Minifters  about  that  King  were  fo  alarm 'd  at  hi-  Ar- 
rival, Is  not  this  David,  the  King  of  this  our  Land?  (p) 
as  fome  take  the  Words.  It  is  apparent,  however,  from 
the  Context,  that  the  Land,  to  which  thefe  Words  relate, 
is  "JudeOy  and  that  David,  at  this  Time,  was  in  no  Con- 
dition to  make  any  high  Demands. 

SAIJU%  Rancour  and  Rage  againft  him  was  fo  implaca- 
ble, and  now  that  fo  many  were  turn'd  Informers  againfl; 
him,  his  Power  to  apprehend  him  was  become  fo  great> 

that 

(jw)  Sauriris  DifTert.  fur  le  Combat  de  David.  [n]  i  Sam. 
xvii.  25.  (0)  Ibid  Ver.  56.  (/>)  Vid.  Sol.Jardi,  adi  Sam. 
xxi.  12. 


Chap.  III.    from  the  UrnditeseftUrwg Cansizny  ^c.       337 

that  there  was  no  flaying  any  longer  in  his  Dominions;  and     A.  M. 
therefore  David's  Bufinefs  was  to  find  out  fome    fafe  Re-  ^^^  'chtiiii 
treat.     All  the  other  neighbouring  Princes  were  at  Peace  md,  &>. 
with  Saul,  and  muft  have  deliver'd  him  up,  had  Saul  de-  ^™™ '  Sam. 
manded  him.     yfchij^  was  the  only   one  in  Hoftility  witht,'  ,-'     "^ 
him,  and  therefore  his  Kingdom  the  moft  proper  Place  for 
David's  Refuge,  where,    tho'  he  might   not  hope  to  lay 
long  conceal'd,  yet  he  might  neverthelefs   promife  himfelf 
kind  Quarter,  from  the  Advantages  that  would  accrue  to 
Achijh,  in  attaching  to  his  Intereft  a  Perfon,  that  was  evi- 
dently the  Strength  of  the  Jewifh,  and  Terror  of  the  Phi- 
tijiine.  Army.     Hard  was  the  Fate  of  David^  it  muft  be 
own'd,  when  he  was  forc'd  to  flee  for  Protedion  to  thofe, 
whom  he  had  Reafon  to  believe  were  his  bittereft  Enemies  j 
but   many    great  Men  have  been  compell'd  to   ihe   fame 
thing  ;  Themljiocles  to  go  over  to  the  Perjiansy  and  Alcibi- 
edes  to  the  Lacedemonians ,  without  turning  Apojiata  to  the 
Intereft  of  their  Country. 

Self-Preservation    is  one  of  the  firft   Laws  oi^hat  he 
Nature,  and  therefore,  if  David,  when  he  came  to  the  ^'f/'^'^** 
Court  oi  Achifh,  found  his  Life  in  manifeft  Danger,  I  can- Fool, 
not  fee  why  he  might  not  make  ufe  of  any  Means,    con- 
iiftent  with  a  good  Confcience,  for  the  Prefervation  of  it. 
He  chofe  to  perfonate  the  Fool,  becaufe  he  prefum'd  that 
Achijh  would  readily  conclude,  that  the  Troubles,  he  had 
fufFer'd  under  Saul's  Perfecution  of  him,  had  ftupify'd  his 
Senfes,  and  turn'd  his  Head.     But  he  was  not  the  laft  wife 
Man  who   put  on  that  Difguife ;  for,  \q)  did  not   Solotiy 
when  he  found  that  the  Athenians  were  going  to  furrender 
Salamine,  his  native  Country,  into  the  Hands  of  the  Peo- 
ple of  Megara,  counterfeit  the  Mad-Man,  that  he  might, 
with  more  Impunity,    take  the  Freedom   to  divert  them 
from  it  ?  And  (r)  Lucius  Brutus,  that  wife  Imitator  of  the 
Fool,  (as  he  is  call'd)  made  ufe  of  the  fame  Artifice,  to 
efcape  the  Sufpicion  of  Tarquin,  who  had  already  mur- 
ther'd  his  Father,  and  eldeft  Brother,  in  order  to  feize  on 
their  great  Riches. 

But  fuppofing  that  there  were  no  Examples  of  other 
Wife-Men  to  countenance  this  Practice  of  David's ;  yet, 
where-ever  did  we  read,  in  the  Word  of  God,  that  Strata- 
gems 

{q)  Diogen.  Laertius,  lib.  i.  in  Solone.         '  [>•)  Dionyf.   Hali- 
carn.  Antiq.   Rom.  lib.  4. 

Vol,  III.  y  ' 


338  The  Hijlory  of  the  BIBLE,      Book  V, 

988  '^  ^^"^^  ^^^^  "°^  allowable  againft  an  Enemy  ?  When  the 
^jit/chrift. //r^y^/Z/w  befieg'd  Ai^  God  himfelf  gave  them  Orders  to 
1116,  Sfc  make  a  Feint,  as  tho'  they  fled,  that  they  might  thereby 
f'°'V^draw  the  People  out  of  the  City ;  and  can  the  Difference 
,'be  fo  great,  in  pretending  to  a  Want  of  Courage,  and  in 
counterfeiting  a  Deprivation  of  Reafon  ?  A  Divine  Direc- 
tion indeed  was  in  the  one,  and  we  do  not  read  that  it  was 
in  the  other.  Cafe  j  but  why  might  not  God,  who  had  Dfl- 
vld  always  under  his  immediate  Care  and  Protection,  put 
him  upon  this  Expedient,  as  the  only  Efcape  he  had  for 
his  Life  ?  Or,  if  the  Expedient  was  Matter  of  his  own 
Invention,  fince  the  Circumftances  he  was  in  did  abfolute- 
ly  require  it,  it  cannot  deferve  our  Blame,  according  to 
that  common  Diftich,  that  goes  under  no  lefs  a  Name 
than  Cato's. 

Injipiens  ejioy  cum  7'empus  pojlulat,  aut  Res ; 
Stultitiamjimulare  Loco^  Prudentia  fumma  eji. 

This  might  be  fome  Apology  for  David*s  Conduft  at 
this  critical  Junfture,  fuppofmg  that  he  perfonated  the 
Fool,  or  Mad-Man :  But  if  we  look  into  the  Scripture- 
Account  of  this  Tranfadion  a  little  more  narrowly,  we 
may  poflibly  perceive,  that  David  did  not  diflemble,  or 
a<St  a  Part  upon  this  Occafion,  but  that  he  was  really  feiz'd 
with  a  Diftemper,  and  that  Diftemper,  in  all  Probability, 
was  an  Epiiepfy,  or  Falling  Sicknefs. 

For,  whereas  it  is  faid  of  David,  that  [s)  he  wasjiruck 
to  the  Heart  (for  fo  it  (hould  be  render'd  j  at  the  Words 
which  the  Officers  of  Achifl)  faid  to  their  Mafter,  and 
thereupon  wai  fore  afraid  of  the  King,  left,  at  their  Infti- 
gation,  he  fliould  put  him  to  Death;  nothing  is  known  to 
caufe  an  Epilepfy  fooner,  *  than  a  fudden  and  violent  Fright. 
Whereas  it  is  faid  in  our  Tranflation,  that  {/)  he  changed 
his  Behaviour  before  them  \  the  Words  in  the  Hebrew 
are,  his  Tajle  (whereby  fome  underftand  his  Reafonj  was 
changed;  but  the  Septuagint  feem  to  have  hit  upon  the 
right  Senfe,  viKhomot  rd  TptfacBTrov  «uTB,  his  Vijage,  or  Counte' 

nance^ 

(j)  I  Sam.  xxi.  1 2. 

*  The  Author  of  the  Book,  which  goes  under  the  Name  of 
Hippocrates,  written  profeffedly  upon  this  Subjeft,  ^^p-i  'l|pa?vo«-8) 
among  many  other  Caufes  of  this  Diftemper,  makes  mention  of 
a  fudden  Fright  as  one : 

(/)  1  Sam.  xxi.  13. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  irraelites  entering  Canaan,  6?<r.         539 

nance ^  tuas  changed ;    for  every  one  knows  what  a  fudden    A.  M. 
Alteration  a  Fit  of  this  Diftemper  occafions  in  any  one's  ^^^  ^l^^'^ 
Looks.     Whereas  it  is  faid   in  our  Tranllation,   that   hem^,  &v.  * 
feigned  himf elf  mad  in   their  Hands,  the  Settuannt  render  F'^°'"/^^«^ 

\t  M'  >  .       '     .     1      \         ;;   /        I  I.  CO  the  End* 

"■-,  Tapi(p;p£To  SI/  Toua  Xspciv  auTB ,  be  trembled^  and  was  con-, 
vuls'd  in  his  Hands,  as  having  no  Power  to  dircd:  tlieir 
Motions,  which  is  another  known  EfFe6l  of  an  Epilepfy. 
Whereas,  again,  our  Tranflation  fays,  that  he  fcrabled^  or 
(according  to  the  marginal  Note  )  made  Marks  upon  the 
Doors  of  the  Gate^  the  Septuaght  render  the  Words, 
tvnltv  £ t)  rkq  3upa^T;)5  tuAi^cj  he  fell  down  aga'injl  the  Door 
of  the  Gate,  and  the  Hebrew  Word  Tava  implies,  with 
fuch  Force  and  Violence,  as  even  to  leave  Marks  or  Prints 
upon  them  ;  fo  that  he  could  not  but  bruife  and  hurt  him- 
felf  very  much  by  thefe  Falls.  Nor  is  this  all ;  for  there 
IS  fomething  in  the  Words  of  Jchij^,  (if  we  will  but  ad- 
here to  the  Verfion  of  the  Septuagint)  that  fhews  David's 
Diftemper  to  have  been  the  Falling- Sicknefs  beyond  all 
Controverfy  :  For,  whereas  our  Tranflation  is,  Lo,  you 
fee  the  Man  is  mad,  wherefore  then  have  ycu  brought  him 
to  me  ?  I  have  no  need  of  Mad- Men  \     the  Words  of  the 

oepttiagint  are,    /Sa^   j'Stxe    aijpa  tTiA-^vlov,  tvccr)  eiaviy-iysrs  avrru 

•^pk  6  fi£ ;  ^>7  tKa.TliHi.ut  tTiA-^Trlm  syu  i  Why  did  ye  bring  this 
Man  before  me?  Te  fee  that  he  is  in  an  Epilepfy,  and epi- 
leptick  Men  1  do  not  want.  Why  then  did  you  bring  him, 
to  be  taken  with  a  Fit  in  my  Prefence  f  Had  David,  all  this 
while,  being  only  playing  the  Fool,  as  our  Tranflation  makes 
him,  he  might  poffibly  have  given  Jchijh  fome  Diverfion 
(as  *  Fools  in  great  Houfes  were  often  kept  to  give  Diver- 
fion) by  his  aukward  or  frantick  Tricks ;  («)  but  the  Hor- 

Y  2  rar, 

*■  Tarquin  the  Proud  keipt  L.  Jtniius  Brutus  as  a  Fool,  (for  fo  he 
pretended  to  be)  to  divert  his  Children  with  his  abfurd  Difcourfe 
and  Aaions.  But  Anacharfis,  who  liv'd  about  three  hundred 
Years  after  Da'vid,  complains  of  this  Cuftom  among  the  Gred-. 
ans,^  by  telling  us,  that  a  Manijjasa  Creature  too/erious  to  he  de- 
Jignd  for  fo  ridiculous  a  Purpof ;  and  (to  (hew  the  Continuance 
of  thisCuflom)  Pliny,  writing  to  one  of  his  Friends,  v/ho  had 
complain'd  to  him,  that,  at  a  great  Entertainment,  hs  had  paifed 
his  Time  but  very  difagreeably,  by  reafon  of  the  kept  Fools,  who 
were  always  interrupting  Converfation,  tells  him,  that  every  ore 
hai  his  Tafte,  but,  as  for  himfelf,  he  could  never  be  delighted 
with  fuch  Extravagancies,  though  fome  Complaifance  *^a3  cfue  to 
thofe  of  another  Way  of  Thinking.  Epiil  1 7. 
,     (»)  Saurin,  Vol.   IV.  Dilfert.    34.  in  Mr.  Dumont^  Letter, 


340  The  Bftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book:  V. 

a888  ^c  ''°^'  Virherewith.the  King  was  ftruck  at  the  firft  Sight  of  him. 
Ant.  'chriil.  ^^'^  ^'^  Indignation  againft  his  Officers,  for  bringing  him  in- 
1116,  &c.  to  his  Prefence,  are  enough  to  make  one  believe,  that  his 
F;°"J^'^J^7  Diftemper  had  made  him  ^  frightful  Ohjca  ;  and  therefore 
«  —  -  jthe  King  commanded  immediately  to  have  him  remov'd 
out  of  his  Prefence,  and  out  of  the  Palace. 

Upon  the  whole,  therefore,  we  may  conclude,  that,  as 
David  had  the  true  Symptoms  of  an  Epikpfy  upon  him, 
which,  in  all  Probability,  was  occafion'd  by  a  violent  Fright; 
God,  in  his  good  Providence,  might  permit  this  Diftemper 
to  befal  him  at  this  Juncture,  in  order  to  facilitate  his  E- 
fcape  out  of  the  Hands  of  Achijh^  and,  as  foon  as  the  Dan- 
ger was  over,  reftor'd  him  to  his  former  Health  again.  For 
this  Reafon  we  find  him,  in  thofe  Pfalms,  which  he  is 
thought  to  have  compos'd  upon  this  Occafion,  alluding  both 
to  the  Nature  of  his  Diftemper,  and  to  God's  Goodnefs,  in 
preferving  him  in  it,  and  delivering  him  from  it :  (a)  Great 
ate  the  Troubles  of  the  Righteous ;  but  the  Lord  delivereth 
him  out  of  all :  He  keepeth  all  his  Bones ^  fo  that  none  of  them 
is  broken  •,  and  therefore  [x)  unto  thee,  O  God,  will  I  pay 
my  Vows,  unto  thee  will  1  give  Thanks  ;  for  thou  baji  deli- 
vered my  Soul  from  Death,  ard  7ny  Peet  from  falling,  that 
1  may  walk  before  God  in  the  Light  of  the  Living. 
David'i  ri-  DA  VI D,  upon  his  Efcape  from  the  Court  of  Jtchifl), 
cti-ving  thofe  not  knowing  of  any  other  Place  of  Retreat,  betook  himfelf 
'timfufiifv'd^'^  the  Cave  of  Jdullam,  where  he  found  it  neceflary  to  pro- 
vide for  his  Security,  by  putting  himfelf  upon  fome  Foot  of 
Defence,  fonathan,  from  full  Conviction,  had  told  him, 
(as  himfelf,  from  frequent  Experience,  had  found)  that  his 
Father,  at  ail  Adventures,  would  endeavour  to  take  away 
his  Life.  His  Family,  by  this  Time,  were  fallen  under  the 
Difpleafure  of  Saul,  and  were  in  Danger  of  being  all  cut  ofF 
(as  lately  were  the  Priefts  of  l>Ioh)  under  Pretence  of  a  Con- 
fpiracy  againft  him  ;  and  therefore  it  is  no  Wonder,  that  his 
Brethren,  having  this  Apprehenfion  of  Danger  before  their 
Eyes,  reforted  to  him  for  their  own  Security  ;  no  Wonder, 
that,  in  *  Times  of  national  Difcord,  Refugees  of  all  Kinds, 

either 

{u)  Pfal.  xxxiv.  18.  [x)  Ibid.  Ivi.    12,   13. 

*  Though  there  be  no  Comparifon  between  the  Proceedings 
of  a  very  righteous,  and  a  very  wicked,  Man,  Daijid  and  Cati- 
line, yet  it  may  not  be  amifs,  upon  this  Occafion,  to  take  Notice 
of  what  Sallujr  fays  of  Manlius,  Catiline's  Agent  and  Ambaflador . 
Maiilius  in  Eturia  plebemfoUicitare,    egtjiate,  Jimul  ac  dolor e  in- 

juriee. 


i 


Chap.  III.    from  the  Krzelltes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     341 

either  through  their  private  Wants,  or  theOppreffion  of  their  ^^-  ^• 

Enemies,aDifaffe£le^ion  totheGovernment,oraZeal  for  the  Ant/chriit. 
next  Succeflbr,  fhould  flock  to  David:  Nor  was  David  any  "16,  &c. 

ways  blameable  for  receiving  them,  ()')fince  we  have  abundant  j''''^°"J^'^g^™' 
Reafon  to  prefume,  that  he  took  none  under  his  Proteftion,  but «  -  -  Jf 
fuch  as  wereforc'd  to  flee  from  Saul's  Injuflice  and  OppreflTion, 
nor  fcreen'd  any  Debtors,  but  fuch  as  were  under  a  real  In- 
ability to  fatisfy  their  Creditors,  and  were  therefore  necejft^ 
tated,  either  to  leave  their  Country,  or  lofe  their  Liberty. 
The  Submiffion  and  Difcipline,  wherein  he  kept  his  People, 
and  the  high  Notions  of  Refpe6l  and  Reverence,  which  he 
always  infus'd  into  them  for  the  Government,  and  Perfon,  of 
the  King,  are  an  ample  Teftimony,  that  he  meditated  no 
Defection  or  Revolt ;  and  the  Debtors,  whom  he  fecur'd 
from  cruel  Profecutions,  or  Slavery,  he  put  in  a  Condition 
to  pay  their  Creditors,  by  leading  them  againft  the  Enemies 
of  Ifraely  from  whom,  in  feveral  Expeditions,  they  re- 
turn'd  laden  with  rich  Spoils.  jji,  ponJua 

There  is  one  Part,  however,  of  David^s  Conduft, ««/«»< /<«- 
that  cannot  fo  well  be  vindicated  ;  and  that  is,  what  pafs'd-^^^J"'  *^* 
between  him  and  Achijh^  upon  his  fecond  Retreat  to  his 
Court.  We  may  fuppofe  indeed,  that,  during  this  Inter- 
val, an  Alliance  was  made  between  Achi[h  and  him,  (tho* 
the  facred  Hiflorian  makes  no  mention  of  it)  and  that  this 
ijiew  Ally^  hearing  how  violently  Saul  perfecutcd  him,  might, 
in  Hopes  of  making  the  Breach  wider,  and  of  exafperating 
David  againft  him,  voluntarily  invite  him  into  his  Domi- 
nions ;  but  certainly  we  cannot  but  fay,  that  David  (hould 
by  no  Means  have  gone.  God  had  exprefsly  commanded 
him  by  his  Prophet  to  return  into  the  Tribe  oijudahy  and, 

Y3  at        . 

juri/g,  novarum  rerum  cupidatn,  quod  Sulla;  dominatione  agros^ 
bonaque  omnia  amiferat ;  preterea  latrones  cujufque  generis,  quorum 
in  ed  regione  magna  copia  fuit,  8cc.  'Tis  not  improbable  how- 
ever, that  the  Ufage  now  prevail'd  among  the  Jt'ws,  which, 
Cafar  tells  us,  anciently  obtain'd  among  the  Gauls,  for  thofe, 
that  were  in  Debt,  opprefs'd  by  Tributes,  or  the  Tyranny  of 
the  Great,  to  betake  themfelves  to  the  Service  of  fome  eminent 
Man  for  Proteftion ;  By  him  they  were  maintain'd,  and  to  him 
f hey  devoted  themfelves,  under  a  folemn  Obligation  to  live  and 
die  with  him.  Thefe  were  call'd,  in  the  Gallic  Language, 
Soldurii,  from  whence  the  Word  Soldier  is  deriv'd;  and,  as 
they  might  be  honcft  and  good  Men,  tho'  they  had  the  Misfor- 
tune  to  be  in  Debt,  or  could  not  fubmit  to  tyrannical  Treatment ; 
fo,  in  all  Probability,  Da'vid's  Companions  were.  Vid.  Tl/i 
Life  of  David,  hy  the  Author  of  Revelation  examind.  - 
\y)  Caimffs  Comjnent.  ia  i  Sum,  xxii.  2, 


34i  '^^e  tiifiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

s^8  ^f  at  the  fame  Time,  gave  him  AfTurance,  that  he  would  be 
Ant,  Chffft  ^is  Safeguard  and  Proteftor :  It  was  therefore  an  apparent 

iu6,  &c  Diffidence  of  God's  Providence,  v^hich  had  been  fo  long 
From  I  Sam.        J     »^  >nhis  Prefervation,  to  make  an  Enemy's  Countiy 

i,  to  the  End.    .     ^  .^  r   i  •     r*     r  ,        -r.  ,     •  /-  '"r-        i  J 

I  the  place  or  his  Refuge ;  and  a  Breach  it  was  of  1  ruth  ana 
Fidelity  to  his  new  Ally,  to  make  him  believe,  that  he  was 
fighting  againft  his  Foesy  when  all  the  while  he  was  deftroy" 
ing  his  Confederates. 

But  what  can  we  fay  for  his  Condu£1-,  when  he  joins 
Forces  with  the  Enemies  of  his  Country,  takes  the  Field 
with  them,  promifes  \.o2jdioffenfivelyy  and  looks  upon  it  as 
a  Kind  of  Slight  and  Indignity  to  be  difmifs'd  ?  {a)  What 
have  I  done  y  izythtto  Jchi/h^  that  I  may  not  go  fight  againji 
the  Enemies  of  my  Lord  the  King  ?  One  would  reall}'  fuf- 
pe£t,  by  his  afking  the  Queftion,  that  he  had  an  Intention 
not  unlike  that  of  the  famous  Martins  CoriolanuSy  who,  to 
revenge  himfelf  of  the  Ingratitude  of  his  Country,  join'd 
with  the  Folfci  to  deftroy  it.  But  if  his  Intention  was  ei- 
ther to  ftand  neuter,  or  to  turn  agamft  the  Phili/tines  in  the 
Day  of  Battle,  his  Perfidy  and  Ingratitude  to  Achijh  muft 
be  open  and  confpicuous. 

In  lliort,  how  well  foever  we  may  wifh  to  David's  Cha- 
rafter,  there  is  no  vindicating  his  Conduft  in  this  Particular. 
Which  Party  foever  he  had  taken,  he  muft  have  been  cul- 
pable ;  and  one  Party  he  muft  have  taken,  had  not  Provi- 
dence fo  timely  interpos'd   to  preferve  his  Honour  without 
injuring  his  Confcience.     However^  if  we  would  fuppofe 
any  Thing  in  Extenuation  of  his  Fault,  we  muft  reprefent 
to  ourfelves  a  Fugitive,  purfu'd  by  a  formidable  Enemy, 
and,  every  Moment,  in  Danger  of  falling  into  his  Hands ; 
this  Fugitive  kindly  receiv'd  at  a  foreign  Court,  and  pro- 
tected by  a  Prince,  that  was  in  Hoftility  with  his  Perfecu- 
tori  this  Prince  expecting  of  his  Refugee,  in  Confideration 
of  the  Favours,  he  had  conferr'd  on  him,  that  he  fliould  at- 
tend him  to  the  War,  and  efpoufe  his  Caufe  againft  their 
common  Enemy  ;  and,  all  this  while,  the  other,  bound  in 
Gratitude  not  to  be  uncivil,  and,  confidering  the  dangerous 
Situation  of  his  own  Affairs,  not  daring  to  difcover  his  real 
Purpofes :  If  we  imagine  this,  I  fay,  we  muft  allow,  that, 
if  in  any  Cafe,  what  they  call  a  Fineffe  in  Policy  were  al- 
lowable, it  was  in  this  of  David's,  when  he  had  unhappily 
l)rought  himfelf  into  thefeCircumftances. 

It  may  feem  a  little  ftrange  perhaps,  that  David,  who, 
in  thefe,  and  feveral  other  grofler  Inftances,  could  not  but 

be 
[a)  I  Sam.  xxix.  8. 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        343 

be  culpable  in  the  Eyes  of  God,  fhould,  neverthelefs,  be  ^'  ^• 

ftil'd  in  Scripture  [b)   the  Man  after  his  own  Heart :  But,  am.  chriit. 

whoever  obferves  the  Occafion  of  that  Expreflion,  will  find,  ni5,  &c. 

that  it  ought  to  be  taken  in  a  comparative  Senfe  only,  and  in  ?'°™,'  ^'™* 
Tx  .-ij        0/         l/t^        r/Y-  /'..«.  to  the  End. 

Uerogation  indeed  to  oaul,  whole  1  ranfgreflion,  m  Iparing  y^,-      j 
Amalek,  the  Prophet  Samuel  was  then  reproving ;  that,  in  /indytt  in 
executing  his  Decrees  upon  the  idolatrous  Nations  round  a-  ^^"^  ^'"fi 
bout  him,    David  would  be  more  punctual,  and  not  fo  re-  ^^"JZr 
mifs  as  Saul  had  been  ;  and,  in  this  Refpedl,  would  con-  God'$  own 
form  to  the  Divine  Will,  or  be  the  Man  after  God's  own  """■** 
Heart.     This  feems  to  be  the  primary  Senfe  of  the  Words, 
tho'  the  common    Solution,  viz.  that,  tho'  David  was  a 
great  and  grievous  Sinner,  yet  the  Severity  of  his  Repen- 
tance clear'd  him  in  the  Sight  of  God,  and  made  an  Amends 
for  the  Enormity  of  his  Tranfgreflions,  be  not  much  amifs. 

It  cannot  however  with  Juftice  be  faid,  that  David  was  Rls  faving 
any  ways  culpable  in  fparing  the  Life  of  Saul,  even  when ^^a^l'.W* 
Providence  feems  to  have  put  it  in  his  Hand.  This  Trial''"^''" 
God  made  of  his  Virtue  and  Clemency,  and  a  glorious  Con- 
tjueft  it  was,  not  only  to  overcome  his  own  Refentments, 
which  were  juftly  enough  founded  againft  Saul,  but  the  Ar- 
guments and  Inftigations  likewife  of  thofe  about  him  -,  (bb) 
Behold  the  Day,  of  which  the  Lord  faid  unto  thee.  Behold 
1  will  deliver  thine  Enemy  into  thine  Hand,  that  thou  may- 
tji  do  to  him,  asit  jhall  feem  goodunto  thee.  God  had  de- 
liver'd  him  into  his  Hand  indeed,  but  had  given  him  no  Or- 
der, orPcrmilfion,  to  flay  Saul,  (c)  He  had  promis'd  him 
the  Kingdom  likewife,  but  would,  by  no  means,  allow  him 
to  afceiKl  the  Throne  by  Blood.  His  Title  to  the  Succeflion 
was  real,  and  inconteftable,  but  not  allow'd  to  be  put  in 
Force,  or  himfelf  to  attempt,  by  Ways  of  Violence,  the 
PofTeffion  of  the  Crown,  as  long  as  Saul  was  permitted  by 
God  to  reign,  and  recogniz'd,  as  Sovereign,  by  the  People. 
David  as  yet,  being  only  a  private  Man,  had  no  Authority 
to  wage  War  againft  Saul  j  and,  tho'  it  be  allowable  for  a- 
ny  one  to  defend  himfelf  againft  an  unjuft  Aggreflbr,  and  to 
repel  Force  by  Force,  yet  this  muft  be  done  only  in  order 
to  fecure  his  own  Life,  and  not  to  take  away  that  of  his 
Adverfary  j  for  what  the  Apoftle  fays  of  judging,  or  cen- 
furing,  is  much  more  forcible  in  the  Matter  of  billing  :  (d) 
HO30  art  thou  that  judgejl  another  Man's  Servant  f  To  his 

Y  4  own 

[h)  Ibid.  xiii.  14.  and  xv,  28.  (bh)  i  Sam.  xxiv.  4. 

{c)  Calmet's  Comment,  in  i  Sam.  xxiv.  4.  (</)  Rom.  xiv.  4. 

and  Jam.  iv.  12. 


344  '^e  Hijiory  of  the  ^I'Rh  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.     own  Mafler  he  ftandeth  or  falleth  ;  for  there  is  one  Lawgt' 
Ant. 'chrift.  "^^^j  w^(?  is  able  to  fave^  and  to  dejiroy  :  Who  art  thou  then 
ui5,  &c.  that  judgeji  another?  And  thefe  Rules,  which  ought  to  be 
^"^"^h  p*"!* o^^crv'd  by  private  Perfons,  are  much  more  extenfive,  when 
^  ^^  ^^thev  relate  to  a  Prince  and  his  Subje£l.     The  SubjeSf  is  o- 
blig'd  in  Duty,  even  tho'  he  be  innocent,  to  bear  patiently 
the  ill  Treatment  of  his  Prince.     Davidy  no  Doubt,  was 
confcious  of  his  own  Integrity,  but,  were  it  not  for  the  pre- 
ceding Promifes  of  God  in  his  Favour,  and  the  Orders^ , 
which,  from  Time  to  Time,  he  receiv'd  from  the  High- 
Prieft's  Oracle,  it  would  not  be  fo  eafy  a  Matter  to  juftify 
fome  part  of  his  Condu£l.     His  fleeing  from  his  Country, 
inlifting  Men,  and  putting  himfelf  in  a  Condition  of  De- 
fence, would,  even  under  our  mild  Government,  be  look'd 
upon  as  feditious  and  rebellious  Proceedings :  And  therefore 
we  may  fuppofe,  that  David  himfelf  might  not  have  fo  fa- 
vourable anOpinion  of  the  Courfe  of  Life,  he  was  compell'd 
at  that  Time  to  follow  ;  might  think  that   he  gave  fome 
Umbrage  to  Saul's  Jealoufy,  and  Sufpicion  of  him ;  and 
might  thereupon  be  the  more  inclinable  to  excufe  the  Vio- 
lence of  his  Perfecution,  and  to  make  no  other  Ufe  of  the 
Adv  ntages  he  had  againft  him,  than  to  demonftrate  his  own 
Innocence,  and  the  Groundleflhefs  of  the  other's  Sufpicions; 
for  fuch  feems   to  be  the  Senfe  of  his  own  Words,      (e) 
Wherefore  doth  my  Lord  thus  purfue  after  his  Servant  f  For, 
tuhat  have  I  done ,  or  what  Evil  is  in  my  Hand?  Wherefere 
heareji  thou  Mens  Words,  Jaying,  David  feeketh  thy  Hurt  ? 
Behold  this  Day  thine  Eyes  hove  feen,  how  the  Lofd  had  de- 
livered  thee  if/to  mine  Hand  in  the  Cave,  but  mine  Eye  fpa- 
red  thee  ;  therefore  curftd  be  they  before  the  Lord,  who 
make  this  Difference  betwixt  us ;  for  they  have  driven  me  »ut 
this  Day  from  abiding  in  the  Inheritance  of  the  Lord :  For 
herein,  he  not  only  pleads  his  own  Innocence,  and  good 
Intentions  towards  the  King,  but,  in  fome  Meafure,  ex- 
cufes  the  King's  Condu£l  towards  him,  as  being  under  the 
Influence  of  evil  Counfellors,  which  both  impos'd  upon  the 
King's  Credulity,  and  compell'd  him  to  fuch  a  Method  of 
Life,  as  was  far  from  being  agreeable  to  his  Intereft  or  In- 
clination. 
\A7tAbn  Re-     UpoN  many  Accounts  therefore,  it  was  an  A61  of  his 
iT/«7?  Nab'ii  fc''2^t  2nd  generous  Soul,  for  David  to  fpare  the  Life  of  his 
in  feme  Mea.  fcverefl  Enemy  :  But  tho'  we  cannot,  in  like  Manner,  ju- 
/■"■*>  '*"»*'/•  flify  his  Indignation  againfl  Nabal,  and  the  Oath  which  he 
fwore  to  deftroy  his  whole  Family  j  yet  fomething  may  be 

oflFer'd 
{e)  I  Sam.  xxiv.  9,  lo. 


Chap.  III.    from  ibelCrsLeVite^entermg  Cannzn^&c.       345 

ofFer'd  in  excufe  of  it,  if  we  attend  a  little  to  what  occafi-  A.  M. 
on*d  it,  and  the  too  common  EfFe£l,  which  fuch  Treat-  Am?  chrift 
ment  (as  Nabal's  was)  is  apt  to  have  upon  fuch  Spirits,  asuKj,  ^c/ 
we  may  fuppofe  David's  to  have  been.  David,  while  he^'^^'Sam. 
continu'd  in  the  Wildernefs  of  Paran,  had  given  his  Men'^'*"^  ^^^^' 
Charge,  not  only  to  do  no  Injury  to  NobaVs  Shepherds  and 
Herdfmen,  but  even  to  protedt  and  aflift  them,  in  cafe  they 
were  invaded  by  any  of  the  neighbouring  Arabians ;  and 
now,  that  their  Matter  was  {hearing  his  Sheep,  (which  was 
always  2ifeftival  Seafon)  not  far  from  the  Place,  where  Da- 
vid was  encamp'd  j  to  (hew  him  the  greater  Refpe6t,  he 
fent  no  lefs  than  ten  young  Men  of  his  Company,  to  make 
his  Compliments  to  him,  and,  in  the  moft  civil  Manner,  to 
requeft  fomething  of  him,  (as  it  was  the  Cuftom  to  be  ge- 
nerous and  liberal  at  fuch  a  Time  as  that)  for  the  Relief  of 
himfelf  and  his  Followers,  in  this  Form  :  {f)  Peace  be  to 
thee^  (as  the  young  Men's  Inftrudions  were)  and  Peace  be  to 
thine  Houfe,  and  Peace  be  unto  all  thou  haji.  Peace^  in 
the  facred  Language,  comprehends  all  Manner  of  Bleffings, 
both  fpiritual  and  temptral,  and  therefore  an  higher  Com- 
pliment, (as  we  fay)  or  a  more  affeflionate  Salutation,  could 
not  have  been  devis'd.  ^nd  now  I  have  heard,  that  thou 
haJi  Shear  en ;  and  thy  Shepherds,  which  were  with  us,  we 
hurt  them  not,  neither  was  there  ought  mijjing  unto  them,  all 
the  while  that  they  were  in  Carmel :  A  fufficient  Argument, 
one  would  think,  to  engage  Nabal's  grateful  Acknowledge- 
ment ;  becaufe  it  certainly  was  a  Matter  of  no  fmall  Cour- 
tefy,  for  a  Body  of  Men  in  Arms,  and  in  Want  of  the 
common  Neceflaries  of  Life,  not  to  take  by  Violence  what 
they  could  not  be  hinder'd  from.  Such  Men  claim  a  Kind 
of  Licence  to  do  Injuries  with  Impunity,  and  therefore  it 
ought  to  be  deem'd  a  great  Favour,  when  they  do  them  not. 
David,  and  his  Men,  however,  are  fo  far  from  magnify- 
ing their  Services  to  Nabal,  that  they  only  fay,  {g)  they  did 
them  no  Hurt ;  whereas  his  own  Servants  acknowledge,  that 
they  were  a  Defence,  and  a  Wall  to  them,  both  by  Night  and 
by  Day,  all  the  while,  that  they  were  with  them  keeping 
Sheep.  Upon  this  Prefumption,  the  Matter  of  their  requeft 
was.  Let  the  young  Men  find  Favour  in  thine  Eyes  ;  (for  we 
come  in  a  good  Day)  give,  I  pray  thee,  whatfoever  cometh 
unto  thine  Hand  unto  thy  Servants,  and  thy  Son  David. 
Words  can  hardly  be  invented  more  full  of  Refpecl  and 

Humility; 

(/)  I  Sam.  XXV.  6,  ^c.  {g)  Ibid.  ver.  16. 


34^  The  mjiory  <?/  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

2888  {5fr.  ^""li'Jty  »  (^)  for  he  pays  a  Deference  to  A^flAfl/,  either  up- 
Ant,  t-hritt.  on  the  Account  of  his  Seniority y  or  Defcent  from  the  faqag 
iii<J,  Sff.  Tribe,  and  defircs  no  Rarities,  no  Delicate s,  but  anyTh||H^ 
[\7the&S.'*^^^  firft  came  to  Hand,  and  what  he  could  moft  convem^^ 
'ently  fpare. 

NABAL  (as  we  juft  now  hinted)  was  of  the  fame  Tribe 
with  David,  and  could  not  therefore  be  fuppofed  ignorant 
cither  of  his  Exploits,  in  Defence  of  his  Country,  nor  of 
the  true  Caufe  of  Saufs  Indignation  againft  him  :  And  yet, 
obferve  the  Rudenefs  and  Infolence  of  his  Anfwer  to  fuch  a 
Civil  Meflage,  and  humble  Requeft :  {i)  l^Vho  is  Day'id,  and 
tuho  is  the  Son  of  Jefle  ?  There  are  many  Servants,  nowa- 
days, that  break  every  Man  from  his  Majier.  Shall  I  take 
the  Provifions  I  have  made  for  my  Shearers,  and  give  them 
vnio  Men,  whom  I  know  not  whence  they  are  ?  Nothing  cer- 
tainly could  be  more  provoking  than  fuch  an  Anfwer  as  this. 
The  charging  David  with  being  a  Vagabond,  and  Rebel  to 
his  Prince,  was  a  Reproach  infufFerable  to  a  Man  of  a  libe- 
ral Spirit,  who  knew  himfelf  innocent :  And  therefore  no 
Wonder  that  David,  upon  the  Report  of  the  Meffengers, 
who  were  themfelves  brought  under  the  fame  Predicamtnty 
and  therefore  had  no  Reafon  to  alleviate  Matters,  was  refol- 
ved,  in  bis  Paffion,  to  be  reveng'd  upon  Nabal.  For,  {k) 
there  were  four  Things  in  the  Matter  before  us,  that  feem 
to  have  inflam'd  his  Rcfentment,  and  put  him  upon  this  fan- 
guinary  Defign.  ift,  The  Want,  which  both  he  and  his 
Companions  at  prefent  Jabour'd  under,  but  hop'd  to  have 
reliev'd,  out  of  the  Abundance  of  a  wialthy  Man,  who 
might  eafily  have  done  it  without  hurting  himfelf.  2dly, 
The  Deception  he  was  under,  in  finding  no  Compenfation 
piade  him,  for  the  Care,  which  he,  and  his  People,  had  ta- 
ken of  Nabal's  Cattle,  tho'  perhaps  he  had  given  them  his 
Word  and  AfTurance,  thatfomething  of  this  Kind  would  be 
done.  3dly,  The  Refentment,  which  eafily  rifes  in  the 
Breaft  of  any  generous  Man,  when,  inftead  of  Thanks, 
and  a  grateful  Acknowledgement,  he  meets  with  Contume- 
ly and  opprobrious  Language.  And  4thly,  The  Vexation, 
which  an  innocent  Man,  confcious  of  his  own  Merits,  and 
the  Services  he  had  done  his  King  and  Country,  muft  nc- 
ceflarily  feel,  v/hen  he  perceives  himfelf  vilified,  and  treat- 
ed as  a  Scoundrel,     f  Fugitive  and  Slave  arc  Imputations  of 

the 
« 
{h)  Patrick''s  and  Calmet\  Commentaries.         (/)  i  Sam.  xxr. 
I  o,  1 1 .        [k]  Le  Clerci  Comment,  in  Locum.        f  The  Life 
of  KiniiT  David. 


cue 


Chap.  III.    /r^»? /^^  Ifraelites  ^»/m»^  Canaan,  6?f.      347 

the  groffeft  Nature ;  and,  when  retorted  by  an  ungrateful    ^'^ 
rfon  upon  his  Guardian  and  Benefador,  are  Provocations ^nj/qhrij^, 
ft  bearing.  mfi,  &c. 

Any  one  of  thefe  Things  fingly  was  enough  to  irritate  a ^'°™J' ?^^™* 
Manof  a  lofty  Spirit  J  but  all  put  together  could  hardly  fail  of^^,-  "j 
inflaming  the  Mind  to  fuch  a  Degree,  as  to  make  him  lofe 
the  Government  of  his  Paflion,  and  fall  into  the  moft  vin- 
didlive  Rage,  which  is  generally  more  obferveable  in  milka- 
ry  Men,  whofe  Courage  and  Spirits  run  high,  and,  being 
too  much  acuftom'd  to  Blood  and  Slaughter,  even  in  law- 
ful Wars,  have  not  that  Dread  and  Abhorrence  of  cruel  and 
outrageous  Executions,  as  the  reft  of  Mankind  have,  who 
live  more  retired  and  peaceable  Lives. 

*TwAS  to  the  fudden  Tranfport  of  David's  Paflion 
then,  and  perhaps  that  exafperated  by  the  Inftigations  of  his 
own  Men,  that  we  are  to  impute  his  Vow,  and  Defign  of 
deftroying  Nabal's  Family :  And  tho'  in  this  we  cannot 
commend  him,  yet  certainly  there  is  fomething  Praife- 
worthy  in  his  fpeedy  Reconciliation,  upon  Abigails  firft  Ad- 
drefs,  and  Application  to  him,  in  the  Room  of  her  Huf- 
band  :  (I)  Blejjed  he  the  Lord  God  of  Ifrael,  which  fent 
thee  this  Day  to  meet  me  j  and  blejfed  be  thy  Advice^  and 
blejfed  be  thou,  which  haji  kept  me  this  Da)  from  coming  to 
Jhed  Blood,  and  from  avenging  my f elf  with  mine  own  Hand. 
**  f  In  a  Word,  the  Refolution  againft  Nahal  (as  one  ele- 
**  gantly  exprefTes  it)  was  the  Refolution  of  a  zwor/^//,  not  to 
**  fay  a  military,  Man,  too  much  injur'd  and  provoked,  and 
**  urg'd  by  Neceflity  and  Self-prefervation :  The  Change 
**  and  the  Thankfgiving,  upon  being  averted  from  Evil, 
*'  were  the  Sentiments  of  an  Hero  and  a  Saint."  • 

The  Jews  indeed  (as  we  quoted  the  Objedtion  from  y<7- Saul's *f7/f»i^ 
fephhs)  give  us  an  high  Commendation  of  Saul,  and  kem^Jg{^^''jg 
to  prefer  him  before  David  himfelf ,  in  Regard  to  the  Mag-  tfCvwardku 
nanimity  of  his  Death.     But  it  is  much  to  be  queftioned, 
whether  Self  murther  (which  was  certainly  SauVs  Cafe)  be 
an  Aft  of  Magnanimity,  or'  not.     For,  befides  that  the 
Laws  of  all  Nations  have  condemned  it,  as  abhorrent  to  the        *" 
Dilates  of  Nature  and  Reafon,  of  Self-love  and  Self-pre- 
fervation ;  the  wifeft  of  the  Heathen  World  ever  look'd  up- 
on it  as  an  Inftance  of  Madnefs  and  Brutality,  and,  with 
great  Wifdom,  have  concluded,  that  fuch  an  Adion  is  fo 

far 

(/)  I  Sam.  XXV.  32,  33,        f  The  Life  of  YUmg  David. 


34S  "fhe  Eiftory  of  i^e  BI  EL  E,     Book  V. 


M*    far  from  favouring  of  true  Courage  and  Generofity,  that  * 

Chrifl 

?''°™J'|*"j-  confilts  in  fupporting  the  Evils  of  Adverfity,  and  not 


Ant/chriftJ^  IS  the  fure  EfFe^  of  a  weak  and  pufillanimous  Temper  o; 
II i6,  6-^.-,  Mind;  fince  true  Greatnefs  of   Soul   (as  they  juftly  argu 


(fliifting  them  off,  which  is  a  Mark  of  a  poor  impatient  Spi- 
rit, iinking  under  the  common  Calamities  of  Life,  and  not 
knowing  how  to  bear  the  Blows  of  bad  Fortune,  {m) 
Draw  thy  Sword^  and  thrujl  me  through  therewith^  left  the 
TJnc'ircumcifed  come  and  mock^  or  abuje  me^  *  was  the  Re- 
queft,  which  Sr^ul  made  to  his  Artmur-bearery  and  fliews 
that  it  was  not  Bravery  and  Courage,  but  the  Fear  of  /«- 
fults,  and  a  confcious  Inability  to  bear  them  with  a  becom- 
ing Superiority  of  Mind,  that  made  him  fhun  the  Storm, 
when  he  faw  it  approaching,  by  withdrawing  from  the  Stage 
of  Life, 
fi'niTced'i  ^^^^'s  C^^^  indeed  was  very  dolorous,  but  he  had  not 
Law.  therefore  any  Authority  to  deftroy  himfelf.  His  Life  was 
a  facred  Depofitum  of  God's,  and  not  to  be  taken  away 
without  invading  his  Right,  and  violating  his  Laws  at  the 
fame  Time.  For,  whatever  fome  may  think  of  the  Silence 
of  the  Scripture  concerning  Self-murther,  there  is  no  Que- 
ftion  to  be  made,  but  that  it  is  included  in  the  fixth  Com' 
mandment^  under  which  Saul  then  lived.  («)  The  Com- 
mandment forbids  Murther  in  general;  and  'tis  certainly  as 
much  Murther,  to  kill  ourfelves,  as  to  kill  another  Man : 
And  the  Reafon,  which  the  Scripture  gives,  why  we  are 
not  allow'd  to  do  it,  in  both  Cafes,  is  the  fame,  becaufe 
(o)  In  the  Image  of  God  made  he  Man,     For  if  I  muft  not 

fhed 

*  Si  ratlonem  redl^  confulas,  non  vera  animi  magnitudo  no- 
jninatur,  ubi  quifque,  non  valendo  tolerare  vel  quaeque  afpera, 
vel  aliena  peccata,  feipfum  interemerit :  Magis  enim  mens  in- 
f  rma  deprehenditur,  quae  ferre  non  poteft  vel  duram  fui  corporis 
fervitutem,  vel  ftultam  vulgi  opinionem  ;  majorque  animus  me- 
rito  dicendus,  qui  vitam  aerumnofam  magis  poteft  ferre,  quam 
fugere.  Aug  de  Civit.  Dei,  lib.  i .  c.  22.  And  to  the  ^ame  Pur- 
pofe  is  that  in  an  Heathen  Author  : 

Rebus  in  anguftis  facile  eft  contemnere  vitam  : 

Fortiter  ille  facit,  qui  mifer  effe  poteft.         Mart.  Epig. 
\m)  1  Sam.  xxxi.  4. 

*  How  much  nobler  was  that  Refolution  of  Darius,  who, 
finding  himfelf  betray'd,  and  that  he  was  either  to  be  murther'd 
hy  his  own  Subjects,  or  deliver'd  into  the  Hands  of  Alexa'nderj 
would  not  however  be  his  own  Executioner.  /  hai  rather,  fays 
he,  die  by  another  s  Guilt,  than  wy  oivn.      CuRT.  Lib.  v.  c.  I  2. 

(«)  FleittMood,    againft  Self-murLher.  (0)    Gen.   ix.  6. 


m 


Chap.  III.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     3-49 

ed  the  Blood  of  another,  becaufe  he  is  made  in  the  Image    A.  M. 

God'y  I  muft  not  Ihed  the  Blood  of  mine  own  felf,  be- J^^^^Jift. 
aufe  I  alfoam  a  Man,  and  made  in  the  Image  of  God,  asms,  &c. 
well  as  he.     The  Reafon  therefore  why  we  have  not  more  fromi  Sam. 

frequent  Prohibitions  againft  this  Sin  is  plainly  this, (p)  .^°_      ^ 

That  whatever  Sins  or  Offences  God,  as  a  Lawgiver,  pro- 
hibits, he  prohibits  with  a  Penalty,  /.  e.  he  affixes  fuch  a 
Punifhment  to  fuch  a  Crime,  and  he,  who  commits  the 
Crime,  is  to  undergo  the  Punifhment  in  this  World,  whe- 
ther it  be  Reflitution,  Lofs  of  Limb,  or  Lofs  of  Life  it- 
fclf.  But  now  this  can  never  happen  in  the  Cafe  of  Self- 
murther,  becaufe  Self-murther  prevents  all  Punifhment, 
(the  Man  being  dead,  before  any  Cognizance  can  betaken 
of  his  Offence  j  and  therefore  prevents  all  Laws  concerning 
it ;  and  can,  confequently,  only  be  included  under  gene- 
ral Commands,  and  forbidden  as  a  Sin,  v/hereof  God  alone 
can  take  Cognizance  in  the  World  to  come.  ' 

Since  upon  the  whole  then,  Saul  may  be  faid  to  have  ^^^^^^^^^ 
died  in  an  A<S1:  of  Cowardice,  and  in  the  Violation  of/,,  v,at  pr^. 
God's  Law,  whereof  he  had  no  Space  to  repent;  it  has /"f^ /'"^''^» 
been  a  Matter  of  fome  Enquiry,  what  we  are  to  think  of "' ''''' 
his  Salvation.  The  Scripture  indeed  tells  us,  that  (q)  Saul 
died  for  his  Tranfgreffion^  which  he  committed  againjf  the 
Lord^  and  alfo  for  ajking  Counfel  of  one  xvho  had  a  fami' 
liar  Spirit,  to  enquire  of  it,  and  enquired  not  of  the  Lord^ 
and  therefore  the  Lord  Jlevj  him  :  But  it  is  doing  a  mani- 
fefl  Violence  to  the  Senfe  of  thefe  Words,  to  apply  them 
(as  fome  have  done)  to  his /"«<j/ Perdition,  when  they  plain- 
ly relate  to  no  more  than  his  temporal  Death.  The  dan- 
gerous and  dcflrudive  Nature  of  Self-murther  is,  that  it 
makes  Repentance  (the  only  revealed  Condition  of  Man's 
Salvation)  impolTible ;  but  then  we  are  to  know,  that,  in 
that  inexhauflible  Fountain  of  Goodnefs,  there  may  be 
fome  uncovenanted  Mercy,  fome  fovereign  and  prerogative 
Grace,  that  may  make  favourable  Allowances  for  the  Di- 
llradlion  of  Men's  Thoughts  or  Paffions,  the  Violence  of 
their  Fears  or  Troubles,  or  the  over-bearing  Weight  of  an/ 
other  Temptation. 

But  (to  determine  this  Queflion  more  peremptorily) 
tho'  it  certainly  be  confonant  to  the  Mercy  and  Goodnefs 
of  God,  to  think,  that  no  Man  (hall  anfwer  for  any  Mif- 

carriage, 

{j>)  Fleetivood,  ibid.         [j)   i  Chron.  x.  13,   14, 


J 50  The  Hifiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book.  V. 

A.  1^    carriage,  which  is  wholly  occafion'd  by  the  Power  of  a^ 
Ant.'chtift.  ^{A'l/^'  ^"^  *^^  Diftraftion  of  the  Brain,  becaufe  wh^l|^^ 
1116,  &c.  ever  is  committed,  in  fuch  a  Cafe,  is  not  the  Man's  yr^^j^F 
^"^""V  f^'h  ^^»  and  confequently,  cannot  be  his  Guilt  j  yet  we  have 
1    _        ino  Reafon  to  prefumc,  that  the  Cafe  is  not  fo  with  thofe,    , 
who,  out  of  Pride,  or  Haughtinefs,    Fear  of  Miferies  to 
come,  or  Impatience  under  prefent  Sufferings,  diftruft  of 
God's   Providence,  or  defpair  of  his  Mercy,    lay  violent 
Hands  upon  themfelves  ;  becaufe  the  A£l  was  both  volun- 
tary and  vicious,  and  not  to  be  amended  by  Repentance : 
But,    without  limiting  thy  Goodnefs,  0  Lord,  unto   thy 
Mercy  we  commit  their  Souls  ! 
HtathenTef.     Thus  wc  havc  endcavour'd  to  fatisfy  mofl  of  the^a- 
timoniesin    pular  Objeftions,  which  have  been  raifed    againft  feveral 
^Ttm'pll^^^^''  o"""'"g  ^"  ^^^  iirftBook  of  Samuel;  and,  for  the 
fagis.         farther  Confirmation  hereof,  we  fhall  only  inftance  in  one 
or  two  ancient  Traditions  among  the  Heathens,  which,  ia 
all  Probability,  deriv'd  their  Original  from  this  Part  of  fa- 
cred  Hiftory.     The  Scythians,,  upon  their  Return  out  of 
Egypt,  pafling  thro'  the  Country  of  the  Phili/iines,  robb'd 
the  Temple  of  Venus  at  j^Jkalon,  and  for  their  Punifhment 
(as  (r)  Herodotus  tells  us)  they,  and  their  Pofterity,  were, 
for  a  long  while  after,  afflicted  with  Emerods :    Where- 
upon {s)  the  learned  Prideaux  remarks,  that  the  Philijiines 
had  till  then  preferv'd  the  Memory  of  what  they  had  for- 
merly fuffer'd  on  Account  of  the  Ark  of  God.     The  Athe^ 
nians,  when  the  Myfteries  of  Bacchus  were  brought  out 
of  Baeotia,  having  not  receiv'd  them  with  all  the  Pomp 
and  Solemnity  that  the  God  expelled,  were  fmitten  (t) 
with  a  Difeafe  in  their  fecret  Parts,  which  refembl'd  the 
Malady  of  the  People  of  Jjhdod,  and  fo  did  their  Cure  too  ; 
for,  having  confultcd  the  Oracle,  they  were  inform'd,  that 
the  Way  to  get  rid  of  their  Plague,  was  to  offer  unto  Bac- 
chus golden  Figures  of  the  Part,  wherein  they  were  afflic- 
ted.    The  Grecians,  at  the  taking  of  Troy,  difcover'd  an 
Ark  dedicated  to  Bacchus;  and  when  Eurypilus  f'as  Paufa- 
nias  (u)  tells  us^  adventur'd  to  open  it,  he  found  therein 
the  Image  of  the  God,  but  was   immediately  depriv'd  of 
his  Senfes  for  daring  to  look  into  it ;  which  feems  to  be  a 
plain  Tranfcript  from  the  Irreverence  and  Fate  of  the  Btth- 

(hemites, 

(r)  Lib.  i.        (;)  Connexion  of  the  Old  and  New  Teftament, 
Parti.  Book  i.  Page  44.  (t)  Vide  Ariftoph.  Scholiaft.  iji 

Acharn.  Act  II.  {»)  In  Achaic.  c,  19.  pag.  572. 


Chap.  III.   from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      351 

(hemites.     {x\  Clemens  Alexandrinus  has  obferv'd,  that  the    A.  M- 
Fable  of  Macus's  praying  for  Rain  in  a  great  Drought,  and^^^  Chiift. 
when  Greece  was  fadly  diftrefs'd  for  Want  ot  Corn,  wasin(j,  &c 
"borrow'd  from  that  Part  of  Samuel's  Hiftory,  where  he  is F'^o""  i  Sam. 
faid  to  have  call'd  down  Thunder  and  Rain,  in  the  Time  .'_^_  ^^  ^ 
of  IVheat-HarveJij  when  the  Sky  was  all  ferene  and  clear : 
And  therefore  we  need  lefs  wonder  at  the  Story  between 
Saul  and  the  Witch  of  Endor,  when  we  read  of  Circe^ 
JHedeay  Erichtho^  Manto,  Antono'i^  and  feveral  other  Wo- 
men, who,    in  the  Heathen  World,    became  famous  for 
their  Necromancy,  and  of  the  many  Votaries,  that  reforted 
to  them ;    when  we  find  Siatius  introducing  Tire  fas,  as 
raifing  Altars,  making  Libations,  and  offering  Sacrifices,  * 
with  folemn  Invocations  to  the  infernal  Gods;  and  Homer 
himfelf  fpending  a  great  Part  of  (y)  one  Book  of  his  Poem, 
in  reprefenting  Ulyjps  as  invocating  the  Ghoft  of  this  fame 
Tirejias,  and  attending  to  the  Oracles,  which  proceeded 
from  his  Moiilh.     Thefe  Things  had  their  Foundation  in 
feme  early  Traditions,  which  at  firft  arofe  from  the  Fa£ts 
contain'd  in  the  y^cr^<j^  Writings,  which  are  confefledly  the 
moft  antient  Records  we  have ;   and  in  this  Refpedl,  are 
an  Argument  of  their  Veracity s  fince  we  find  them  alluded 
to  by  fubfequent  Authors,  who  had  no  Regard  to  their 
Authority. 

DISSERTATION   III, 

Of  Samuel*j  Appearing  to  Saul  at  the  Witch  of 
EndorV. 

HOW  long  the  Profeflion  of  Necromancy,  or  the  Art  An  Account 
of  raifing  up  the  Dead,  in  order  to  pry  into  future "Z'*'^*- 
Events,  or  to  be  inform'd  of  the  Fate  of  the  Living,  hasf^^'J^^. 
obtain'd  in  the  World,  we  have  no  Indications  from  Hif-  c/. 
tory.     We  perceive  no  Footfteps  of  it  in  the  Ages  before 
the  Flood,  and  yet  it  is  ftrange,  that  a  People,  abandon'd 
to  all  Kind  of  Wickednefs  in  a  Manner,  could  keep  them- 
selves 

(x)  Stromat.  6. 

*  The  Words  of  his  Invocation  are  thefe, 

Solvite  pulfanti  loca  muta,  &  inane  feverae 

Perfephones,  vulgufque  cava  fub  node  repoftum 

Elicite,  &  plena  redeat  Scyga  Portitor  alnoi 

Forte  fimul  greffus,  ijc. 
(y)  Odyff.  xi. 


S5^  '^6  Hifiory  of  tbe  BlBh  E,     Book  V. 

8^8  ^     fclves  clear  of  this :    But  our  Account  of  thefe  Times  is 
Ant.  Chrift.  ^ery  fliort.  The  firft  exprefs  Mention  that  we  meet  with  of 
I II 6,  &=<:.  Magicians  and  Sorcerers,  is  almoft  in  the  Beginning  of  tlie 
rtTthe  B^' ^°°^  of  Exodusy  where  Mofes  is  folliciting  the  Deliverance 
«'    -  -  ^of   the  Children  of  Ifrael  out  of  Egypt  y    and    therefore 
Egypty  which  afFeded  to  be  the  Mother  of  moft  occult  Sci- 
ences, is  fuppos'd  to  have  been  the' Inventrefs  of  this.  From 
Egypt  it  fpread  itfelf  into  the  neighbouring  Countries,  and 
foon  infeded  all  the  Eaji :  For,  as  it  undertook  to  gratify 
Man's  Inquifitivenefs,  and  fuperjiitious  Curiofity,  it  could 
not  long  want  Abettors.     From  Egypt  'tis  certain  that  the 
Ifraelltes  brought  along  with  them  no  fmall  Inclination  to 
thefe  deteftable  Pra£licesj  and  were  but  too  much  addiiled 
to  them  ;    notwithftanding  all  the  Care  that  the  State  had 
taken  to  fupprefs  them,  and  the  Provifion  which  God  had 
made,  by  eftablifhing  a  Method  of  confulting  him,  to  pre- 
vent their  hankering  after  them. 

r72>ifjewifh       The  Injunftion  of  the  Law  is  very  exprefs. (z) 

Lawt  a.     When   thou  art  come  into  the  Land,  which  the  Lord  thy 

i^ainfitt.      God  giveih  thee,  thouj^alt  not  learn  to  do  after  the  AbominO' 

tions  of  thofe  Nations.     There  Jhall  not  he  found  among  you 

any,  that  itfeth  Divinationy  or  an  Obferver  of  Times,   or 

an  Enchanter,  or  a  Witch,  or  a  Charmer^  or  a*  Confulter 

with 

(z)  Deut.  xviii.  9,    £fff. 

*  What  our  Englijh  Tranflation  makes  %  familiar  Spirit,  the 
Septuagivt  and  Vulgate  render  the  Spirit  of  Python,  but  the  He- 
brew calls  it  the  Spirit  of  Oh.  The  Word  Oh,  or  Oboth,  in  its 
primary  Signification,  is  a  Bottle,  or  Veffel  of  Leather,  wherein 
Liquors  were  put ;  and  'tis  not  unlikely  that  this  Name  was  gi- 
ven to  Witches  and  Wizards,  becaufe,  when  they  were  in  their 
Fits  of  Enthujiafm,  they  fwelled  in  their  Bellies  like  a  Bottle. 
The  Occafion  of  this  Swelling  is  faid  by  fome  to  proceed  from  a 
Demons  entering  into  the  Sorcerefs  pe^  Partes  Gcnitales,  and  fo  af- 
cending  to  the  Bottom  of  her  Stomach,  from  whence,  at  that 
Time,  fhe  utter'd  her  Prediftions ;  and  for  this  Reafon  the  Latins 
call  fuch  Perfons  Ventriloqui,  and  the  Greeks  'Eyva^p-'faufloo  i-  e. 
People  ivho  fpeak  out  of  their  Bellies.  That  there  have  been  fuch 
People  as  thefe,  might  be  fhewn  by  feveral  Examples  both  in  antient 
and  modern  Hiftory  ;  but,  at  prefent,  we  fliall  content  ourfelvca 
with  one,  taken  from  delius  Rhodiginus,  (Ledtion.  Antiq.  lib, 
viii,  c.  10.)  His  Words  are  to  this  EiFeft  :  -'—  ■•—  "  While  I  am 
"  writing,  fays  he,  concerning  ventriloquous  Perfons,  there  is, 
'•  in  my  own  Country,  a  Woman  of  a  mean  Extradt,  who  has 
"  an  unclean  Spirit  in  her  Beily,  from  whence  may  be  heard  a 
"  Voice,  not  very  ilrong  indeed,  but  very  articulate  and  intel- 

«  ligible. 


Chap.UI.  from  the IfrsLt\ite^enferm^CaT\aa.n,  ^c.         ^53 

with  familiar  Spirits,  or  a  Wizard^    or  a  Necromancer  ;     A.  M. 
for  all  that  do  thefe  Things  are  an  Abomination  to  the  Lord :  Ant^'chriit. 

Jnd  therefore  thtir  Puniihment  was  this : [a)  A  Man^  mS,  (^c. ' 

or  a  Woman,  thai  hath  a  familiar  spirit,  or  that  is  a  Wi-  ^'om  '  Sam. 

%ard,  fhall  furely  he  put  to  Death.      They  Jhall  fl  one  them' 

•with  Stones,  their  Blood  Jhall  be  upon  them.     Nor  was  it 

only  the  Prai^icers  of  fuch  vile  Arts,  but  thofe  likewife, 

that  reforted  to  them  upon  any  Occafion,  were  liable  to 

the  fame  Punifliment ;  for  (h)  the  Soul  that  turneth  after 

fuch  as  have  familiar  Spirits,  and  after  Wizards,  to  go  a 

whoring  after  them,  I  will  even  fet  my  Face  agairfl  that 

Soul,    and  will  cut  him  off  from  among  his  People,  faith  the 

Lord. 

Such  was  ihe  Severity  of  the  Jewifo  Law  s  againft  thofe, 
who  either  pradis'd,  or  encourag'd,  any  Manner  of  ma- 
gical  Arts ',  and  it  muft  be  faid  in  Saul's  Commendation, 
that  he  had  put  the  Laws  in  Execution  againft  fuch  vile 
People,  he  had  deftroy'd  and  drove  away  (c)  thofe,  that 
had  familiar  Spirits,  and  the  Wizards  out  of  the  Land  ; 
and  yet,  (obferve  the  Weaknefs,  as  well  as  the  Wicked- 
nefs,  of  the  Man  ! )  when  himfelf  fell  into  Diftrefs,  and 
had  abundant  Reafon  to  believe  that  God  had  forfaken  him, 
he  flees  to  one  of  thefe  Creatures  for  Relief,  and  requefts 
of  her  to  raife  up  his  old  Friend  Samuel^  as  expedling  ve- 
ry probably  fome  Advice  from  him  :  But,  whether  this 
was  really  done  or  no,  or,  if  done,  in  what  Manner  it 

was 

"  ligible.  Multitudes  of  People  have  heard  this  Voice,  as  well 
"  as  myfelf,  and  all  imaginable  Precaution  has  been  us'din  exa- 
*'  mining  into  the  Truth  of  this  Faft.  ^ando  futuri  anjida. 
*'  portentus  Mens,  feepe  accerfitam  Vcntriloqua?n,  ac  exutani  aniic^ 
*'  tu,  nequid  fraudis  occidtaret,  infprilare  is'  audire  ccncupivif. 
"  This  Dtemon  (as  our  Author  adds)  is  called  Cincimattdus,  and 
*'  when  the  Woman  calls  upon  him  by  his  Name,  he  immedi- 
*'  ately  anfwers  her."  In  like  Manner  feveral  antient  Writers 
have  infoim'd  us,  that,  in  the  Times  of  Paganifm,  evil  Spirits 
had  Communion  with  thefe  --vcntriloqua  per  partes  fecretiores ;  but, 
at  prefent,  we  fhall  only  take  Notice  of  a  remarkable  Paffage  in 
St.  Chryfofiom,  which  we  chufe  to  give  the  Reader  in  Latin. 
Traditur  Pythia  Famina  fuiffe,  qu^  in  l^ripodes  fedens  expa:f  ma- 
Ugnum  fpiritum  per  interna  immifjum,  l^  per  Genitales  partes  fu- 
beuntem  excipiens.  Furore  repleretur,  ipfaque  refolutis  Crinibus  bac- 
charetur,  ex  ore  fpumam  emit  tens,  i^  fc  Fur  or  is  Hjerba  loquebatur, 
ice.  Saurin,  Vol.  IV.  DifTert.  36. 

(a)  Levit.  XX.  27.  (b)  Ibid.  ver.  6.  (c)  i  Sara, 

xxviii.  3. 

Vol.  III.  Z 


354  ^'  Hiftory  <?//-&<?  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  was  effe£ted,  are  Points  that  have  fo  much  exercis'd  the 
Ant.  Chrift.  Heads  and  Pens,  both  of  antient  and  modern^  both  of  "Jew'ijh 
1116,  &c.  znd  Chrt/Iian,  Writers,  that  little  or  nothing  «^to  can  be 
F^fof^^l^^faid  upon  them  j  and  therefore  all,  that  I  fhall  endeavour  to 
^  ^  — ,  ^do.  will  be  to  reduce  their  feveral  Sentiments  into  as  nar- 
row a  Compafs,  and  to  ftate  them  in  as  fair  a  Light,  as  I 
can,  by  enquiring  into  thefe  three  Particulars. 

1.  Whether  there  was  a  real  Apparition. 

2.  What  this  Apparition  ('if  real)  was;  and, 

3.  By  what  Means,  and  for  what  Purpofes,  it  was  ef- 

feded. 

7be  jirgur       I.  It  Cannot  be  deny'd  indeed,  but  that  thofe  whoex- 

rnents  of     plode  the  Reality  of  the  Apparition,  and  make  it  to  be  all 

'ttfe'the^'  fio'^^ifg  but  a  Cheat  and  Juggle  of  the  Sorcerefs,  have  found 

Wbote  fir  a  OMl  fome  Arguments,  that,  at  firft  Sight,  make  a  Tolera- 

Cheat  '//i'eble  Appearance.     They  tell  us,  [d)  that  the  facred  Hiftory 

never  once  makes  mention  of  SauPs  feeing  Samuel  with 

his  own  Eyes.     It  informs  us  indeed,  that  Saul  knew  him 

by  the  Defcription,  which  the  Woman  gave,  and   that  he 

held,  for  fome  confiderable  Time,    a   Converfation  with 

him  ;  but  fmce  it  is  no  where  faid  that  he  really  faw  him, 

'*  Why  might  not  the  Woman  counterfeit  a  Voice,  and 

*'  pretend  it  was  Samuel's  ?  When  Saul  afk'd  her  to  *  raife 

"him 

(d)  Scot  and  Wehfter  upon  Witchcraft. 
*  What  Forms  of  Inchantment  were  antiently  us'd  in  the 
Pradtice  of  'Necromancy,  we  are  at  a  Lofs  to  know,  becaufe  we 
read  of  none,  that  the  Pythonefs  of  £Wor  employ 'dj  but  this 
might  probably  happen,  becaufe  the  Ghoft  of  Samuel  came  up- 
on her  fooner  than  (he  expefted,  and  before  Ihe  had  begun  her 
Incantations.  That  however  there  were  feveral  Rites,  Spells, 
and  Invocations  us'd  upon  thefe  Occafions,  we  may  learn  from  al- 
mofb  every  antient  Author ;  but  from  none  more  particularly  than 
from  Lucan,  who  brings  in  Eriilho  animating  a  dead  Body,  in 
order  to  tell  young  Pompey  the  Fate  of  the  Civil  War.  The 
Ceremonies,  fhe  ufes  for  this  Purpofe,  are  thus  defcrib'd  in  our 
excellent  Tranflator  of  that  Poet. 

This  faid :  She  runs  the  mangled  Carcafe  o'er. 
And  wipes  from  ev'ry  Wound  the  crufty  Gore ; 
Now  with  hot  Blood  the  frozen  Breaft  flie  warms. 
And  with  flrong  Lunar  Dews  confirms  her  Charms. 
Anon  flie  mingles  evVy  monftrous  Birth, 
Which  Nature,  wayward  and  perverfe,  brings  forth. 
Nor,  Entrails  of  the  fpotted  Lynx  Ihe  lacks. 
Nor  bony  Joints  from  fell  Hy,xna\  Backs  i 

Nor 


Chap.  III.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.       355 

*'  him  up  SamutL  i.  e.  to  difturb  the  Ghoft  of  fo  great    A.  M. 
"  a  Prophet,  flie  might  think  he  was  no  common  Man ;  ^^^  '^i{tt 
*'  and  when  (e)  he  /ware   unto  her  by  the  Lord,  that  he  1116,  <;-f. 
"  would  defend  her  from  all  Danger,  he  gave  her  Inti-?"""'^'^^™* 
**  mation  enough  that  he  was  the  King.     (/)  The  crafty ,' 
**  Woman  therefore,  having  picked  up  the  Knowledge  of 
•*  this,  might  retire  into  her  Clofet  or  Cell,  and  there, 
**  having  her  Familiar,  i.  e.  fome  cunning  artful  Man,  to 
*'  make  proper  Refponfes,  in  a  different  Voice,  might  ea- 
**  fily  impofe  upon  one,  who  was  diftradled  with  anxious 
*'  Thoughts,  and  had  already  (hewn  fufficient  Credulity^ 

Z  2  in 

Nor  Deers  hot  Marrow,  rich  with  fnaky  Blood, 
Nor  Foam  of  raging  Dogs,  that  fly  the  Flood. 

Her  Store  the  tardy  Remora  fupplies, 

With  Stones  from  Eagles  warm,  and  Dragons  Eyes ; 

S-nakes,  that  on  Pinions  cut  their  airy  Way, 

And  nimbly  o'er  Arabian  Deferts  prey.  i^c. 

To  thefe  ftie  joins  dire  Drugs  without  a  Name, 

A  thoufand  Poifons  never  known  to  Fame; 

Herbs,  o'er  whofe  Leaves  the  Hag  her  Spells  had  fung. 

And  wet  with  curfed  Spittle,  as  they  fprurg. 

With  every  other  MIfchief  moft  abhorr'd. 

Which  Hell,  or  worfe  EriSiho,  could  afford. 
Having  thus  prepar'd  the  Body,    flie  makes  her  Invocation  ia 
thefe  Words : 

Ye  Furies  !  and  thou  black,  accurfed  Hell ! 

Ye  Woes,  in  which  the  Damn'd  for  ever  dwell ! 

Chaos,  the  World's  and  Form's  eternal  Foe ! 

And  thou,  fole  Arbiter  of  all  below, 

Pluto  !  whom  ruthlefs  Fates  a  God  ordaip. 

And  doom  to  Immortality  of  Pain.  ;J 

Ye  fair  Elyfian  Manfions  of  the  Bleft, 
*     Where  no  Thejfalian  Charmer  hopes  to  reft  ! 

Styx  !  and  Ferferphone,  compell'd  to  fly 

Thy  fruitful  Mother,  and  the  chearful  Sky  f 

Third  Hecate  !  by  whom  my  Whifpers  breathe 

My  fecret  Purpofe  to  the  Shades  beneath ! 

Thou  greedy  Dog,   who  at  th'  infernal  Gate, 

In  everlafting  Hunger  ilill  muft  wait ! 

And  thou,  old  Charon,  horrible,  and  hoar  ? 

For  ever  lab'ring  back  from  Shore  to  Shore,  i^c. 

Hear  all  ye  Poivers  !  if  e'er  your  Hell  rejoice 

In  the  lov'd  Horrors  of  this  impious  Voice,  if^c. 

Hear,  and  obey,  ^c. 

Pharfalia,  Lib.  vl, 
[e)  1  Sam.  xxviii.  lo.          ^  Vid  i^  C/trf 's  Comment,  in 
I  Sam.  xxviii.  paj/im. 


356  the  Hiftory  0/  /^/f  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    «  in  thinking  there   was  any  Efficacy  in   magical  Ope- 
Ant.'cMft."  rations  to  evocate  the  Dead. 

\\i6,  ere.  "  The  Controverfy  between  5^«/ and  2)^'yzW  every  ont 
^'^°"h^E^'d  "  knew;  nor  was  it  now  become  a  Secret,  that  the  Crown 
{_  -  -  ' "  was  to  devolve  upon  the  latter :  And  therefore  that  Part 
*'  of  the  Difcourfe,  which  pafs'd  between  Saul  and  Samuely 
"  any  Man  of  a  common  Genius  might  have  hit  ofF,  with- 
**  out  much  Difficulty.  Endor  was  not  fo  far  diftant  from 
*'  Gilboa  or  Shunem,  but  that  the  Condition  of  the  two 
*'  Armies  might  eafily  beknov/n,  and  that  the  Philijlines 
*'  were  fuperior  both  in  Courage  and  Numbers ;  and 
*'  therefore  his  Refpondent^  without  all  Peradventure, 
*'  might  prognofticate  Saul's  Defeat;  and,  tho'  there  was 
*'  fome  Hazard  in  the  lafl:  Conjedture,  viz.  that  he  and 
**  his  Sons  would  die  in  Battle  ;  yet  there  was  this  Advan- 
"  tage  on  the  Side  of  the  Guefs^  that  they  were  all  Men  of 
*'  known  and  experienc'd  Valour,  V'ho  would  rather  fa- 
"  crifice  their  Lives,  than  turn  their  Backs  upon  their 
*'  Enemies."  Upon  the  whole  therefore,  the  Maintainers 
of  this  Hypothefis  conclude,  that,  as  there  is  no  Reafon,  fo 
there  was  no  Neceffity,  for  any  miraculous  Interpofition  in 
this  AfFair,  fince  this  is  no  more,  than  what  any  common 
Gipfy,  with  another  in  Confederacy  to  affift  her,  might  do 
to  any  credulous  Perfon,  who  came  to  confult  her. 
^nhoer^it  They,  who  undertake  to  oppofe  this  Opinion,  lay  it 
ttbert.         down  for  a  good  Rule,  in   the  Interpretation  of  Scripture, 

That  wefhould,  as  far  as  we  can,  adhere  to  the  pri- 

mary  Senfe  of  the  Words,  and  never  have  Recourfe  to  any 
foreign  or  fmgidar  Explication,  but  where  the  literal  is  in- 
confiftent  either  with  the  Dilates  of  right  Reafon,  or  the 
Analogy  of  Faith.  Let  any  indifferent  Perfon  then,  fay 
they^  take  into  his  Hand  the  Account  of  SauVs  confulting 
th\s  Sorcerefs,  and,  upon  the  firft  reading  it,  he  mufl  confefs, 
that  the  Notion,  which  it  conveys  to  his  Mind,  is  that  of 
a  real  Jpparition  ;  and  fince  the  Paflages,  that  both  pre- 
cede and  follow  it,  are  confeffedly  to  be  taken  in  their  moft 
obvious  Meaning,  why  Ihould  a  ftrange  and  forc'd  Con- 
ftrudtion  be  put  upon  this  ?  (g)  Have  we  not  as  much 
Reafon  to  entertain  a  good  Opinion  of  the  Author  of  this 
Hiftory,  his  Ability,  his  Integrity,  his  Knowledge  of  what 
he  wrote  about,  and  his  undefigning  to  deceive  us,  as  we 
can  have  of  any  Critick  or  Commentator  upon  it?  And  there- 
fore,   when  he  gives  us  to  underftand  that  the  Woman 

faw 

/"i^;  The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  KingD^wV.    Vol.  L 


Ghap.  III.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     357 

Jaw  Samuel,  upon  what  Prefumptlon   arc   we  led  to  dif-    ^.  M. 
believe  it  ?  Saul  and  his  Companions  might  poffibly  be  de-  Ant.'chrift. 
ceiv'd   by  an  Impojlor  in  Samuel's  Guife;    but  was  the  1116,  &c. 
facred  Hifiorian  therefore  deceived,  or  did  he  mean  todc-f"^""^/??^* 

•'•  -^ii-  1-1   -A  r  K       I.  to  the  End. 

ceive  us,  when  he  gives  us  this  plain  Account  or  an  Ap- 
parition \  Saul  was  a  bold  Man,  and  too  fagacious  to  be- 
come a  Dupe  to  a  filly  Woman.  He  and  his  two  At- 
tendants came  upon  her  by  Night,  and  before  fhe  was  pre- 
par'd  to  ad:  any  Juggle  or  Impofture.  They  were  too 
well  acquainted  with  the  Voice,  and  Stature,  and  Figure 
o{ Samuel,  for  any  other  to perfonate  him,  without  being  de- 
tefted.  But  admitted  the  Cheat  pafs'd  upon  them,  how 
can  we  think,  but  that  the  Author  of  this  Account,  who 
pretends  to  relate  the  Tranfadtion  as  it  really  happen'd,  and 
IS  fuppos'd  to  have  wrote  by  the  Infpiration  of  the  Holy  Ghojl, 
would,  in  fome  Mcafure,  have  let  us  into  the  Secret  of 
this  Impofture.  His  Bufinefs  doubtlefs  was  to  expofe  fuch 
Pra6tices,  as  far  as  Truth  would  allow,  and  therefore  it 
is  unaccountable  (unlefs  he  meant  to  delude  us  with  a  falfe 
Perfuafion)  that  he  fhould  omit  every  Thing,  that  tended  to 
difcover  the  Fraud,  and,  in  his  Narration,  infert  every  Thing, 
that  tended  to  confirm  the  Reality  of  the  Prophet's  Appear- 
ance. 

(h)  That  Spirits  of  another  World  may  afTume  fuch 
Vehicles,  as  may  admit  them  to  a  fenfible  Commerce  with 
us,  in  like  Manner  as  our  Spirits  are  cloath'd  with  thefe 
Bodies  of  ours,  the  beft  Philofophy  will  admit ;  and  that 
they  have  done  fo  upon  extraordinary  Occafions,  {i)  the 
Appearance  of  Mofes  and  Ellas,  and  their  converfing  with 
our  Saviour  on  the  Mount,  do  abundantly  teftify.  And 
therefore  if  God,  for  wife  Reafons  of  his  Providence, 
thought  fit  either  to  appoint,  or  permit,  Samuel  to  appear  to 
Saul  upon  this  Occafion,  there  feems  to  be  no  more  Dif- 
ficulty in  the  Thing,  than  his  appearing  to  him  at  any  o- 
ther  Time,  while  he  was  alive,  and  fubfifting  in  the  World ; 
For  Saul  faw  his  Spirit  then,  no  more  than  he  did  now, 
and  his  Spirit  was  very  whit  as  able  to  bear  a  Body  as  it  was 
then. 

'Tis  own'd  indeed,  that,  according  to  the  Series  of  the 
Narration,  Saul  did  not  fee  the  Apparition  fbe  it  what  it 
will)  fo  foon  as  the  Woman  did,  becaufe  probably  the  Wo- 
man's Body,  or  fome  other  Obje£l,  might  interpofe  be- 
tween him  and  the  firft  Appearance  ;  or  perhaps  becaufe 

Z  3  the 

{h)  The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  David.  Vol.1.  (/)  Matth. 
xvii.  3. 


35^  5l»tf  Wory  of  /i-^  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.    the  Vehicle,  which   Samuel  aflum'd   upon    this  Occafion, 

Ant. 'chrift.  ^^^  not,  as  yet,    condensed  enough  to  be  vifible  to  Saul^ 

1116,  &f<r.  tho'  it  was  to  the  Woman  :  But  that  he  did  actually  fee 

^'°""h  p^")'^''^  ^5  manifeft,  becaufe  when  he  perceived  (which  Word  in 

^    -      Jithe  Original  fignihes  feeing  fo,  as  to  be  aflur'd  of  our  Ob' 

jeSI)  that  it  was  Samuel,  ■\  he  Jloopedwith  his  Face  to  the 

Ground,  and  bowed  himfelf ;  which  a  Man  is  not  apt  to  do 

to  ba;  e  Ideas  or  Imaginations. 

Per  TONS  of  this  Woman's  Charafter,who  are  under  the 
Difpleafure  of  the  Government,  generally  afFe£l  Obfcurity, 
live  privately,  and  are  little  acquainted  with  Afiairs  of 
State  :  But  fuppofe  her  to  have  been  never  fo  great  a  Poli- 
tician,  and  never  fo  intimate  with  wha*  had  p:Ts'd  between 
Saul  and  Saynuel  heretofore,  never  fo  well  aflur'd,  that 
God  had  rejeited  him,  and  ekcSled  David  in  his  Stead  ;  yet 
how  could  fhe  cotue  to  the  Knowledge  of  this,  vix.  That 
the  Battle  fhould  be  fought  the  next  Day,  the  Ifraelites  be 
routed,  Saul  and  his  Sons  flain,  and  their  Spoils  fall  into 
the  Enemy's  Hands;  fmce  each  of  thefe  Events  (even  in 
the  prefent  Situation  of  SauVs  Affairs)  were  highly  cafual 
and  uncertain  ?  For  might  not  this  Prince  lofe  a  Battle, 
without  lofmg  his  Life  ?  Or,  if  he  himfelf  fell  in  the  Ac- 
tion, why  muft  his  three  Sons  be  all  cut  off  in  the  fame 
Day  ?  Whatever  Demonftrations  of  innate  Bravery  he  had 
given  in  Times  paft,  after  fuch  fevere  Menaces  as  he  now 
received  from  the  Jpparition ;  Prudence,  one  would  think, 
would  have  put  him  upon  providing  for  his  Safety,  either 
by  chicaning  with  the  Enemy,  or  retiring  from  the  Field  of 
Battle,  without  going  to  expofe  himfelf,  his  Sons,  and  his 

whole 

•f-  That  SauPs  Jlooping  to  the  Ground,  and  honuing  himfelf,  was 
a  certain  Indication  of  \^%  feeing  Samuel,  is  apparent  from  feve- 
ral  Expreffions  of  the  fame  Nature  in  the  facred  Hiilory.  Thus, 
when  Jacob  met  Efau,  the  Text  tells  us,  that  the  Handmaids,  and 
Leah,  and  Rachel,  and  their  Children  bo^joed  themfel'ves.  Gen. 
xxxiii.  6,  7.  When  David  zrok  out  of  his  Hiding-place,  upon  the 
Signal,  that  Jotiathan  gave  him,  the  Text  tells  us,  that  he  fell 
ivith  his  Face  to  the  Ground,  and  bo^-wed  himfelf,  i  Sam.  xx.  41. 
'  And  when  the  Meffenger  from  Sauts  Camp  came  to  Da-vid  at 
Ziklag,  the  Text  tells  us,  thaX  he  fell  to  the  Earth,  and  didObei- 
fance,  2  Sam.  i.  2.  But  the  Text  takes  no  Notice,  either  of 
the  Me/Tenger's  feeitig  David,  or  David's  feeing  Jonathan  :  Or, 
Jacobus  Family  feeing  Efau.  This  is  fufficiently  imply'd  in  their 
making  their  Obeifance  to  them ;  becaufe  it  is  incongruous  to  fup- 
pofe, that  any  would  bovj,  and  fhew  other  Tokens  of  outward 
Reverence  and  Refpeft,  to  Perfons  they  did  not  fee.  Ihe  HiRory 
of  the  Life  of  King  David.  Vol.  I. 


Chap.  III.    from  the  Uradkcs  entering  C^Lnzzn,  ^c.      359 

whole  Army,  to  certain  and  inevitable  Death.     Thefe  are^g^g  ^-^ 
Things  which  no    human  Penetration  could   reach,    and  Ant. 'chriit. 
which  only  he,  who  is  the  abfoluteand  Almighty  Ruler  of  »"<s,  fefc, 
all  Caufes  and  Events,  could  either  forefee  or  foretell:  And  ,^'J,"Jj^'/™; 
how  unlikely  is  it,  that  God  Almighty  fhould  make  ufe  of  1 
this  Sorcerefs  (k)  as  a  Prophetefs,  and  give  her  the  Honour 
of  revealing  his  Counfels,    when  at  the  fame  Time,   he 
concurr'd  with  her  in  the  Impofition  put  upon  Saul,  by 
making  him  believe  that  Samuel  appear 'd  and  talk'd,  when 
there  was  no  Samuel  there  ? 

But  the  Truth  is,  thofe  menacing  Predidtions,  how 
proper  foever  for  a  Meflenger  fent  from  God  to  utter, 
were  highly  imprudent,  either  in  this  ^Pitch's,  or  her  Ac- 
complice's, Mouth  ;  For,  iinpe  they  knew  nothing  of  Fu' 
iurity,  and  were,  at  the  beft,  but  put  to  Conjecture,  it  is 
much  more  reafonable  to  believe,  that,  at  fuch  a  Juncture 
as  this,  {I)  they  would  have  bethought  themfelves  of  flat- 
tering the  King,  and  giving  him  Comfort,  and  promifing 
Succefs,  and  not  of  thundering  out  fuch  Comminations 
againft  him,  as  might  probably  incenfe  him,  but  could  do 
themfelves  no  good.  They  could  not  but  know,  that  the 
Temper  of  moft  Kings  is  to  hate  to  \\e2iT  Jhocking  Truths, 
and  to  receive  with  the  utmoft  Defpite  thofe,  that  bring 
them  ill  News  :  And  therefore  'tis  natural  to  fuppofe,  that 
l^ad  thefe  threatening  Replies  been  of  the  Woman's,  or  her 
Confederate's,  forming,  they  would  have  given  them  quite 
another  Turn,  and  not  run  the  Hazard  of  difobliging  the 
King  to  no  Purpofe,  by  laying  an  additional  Load  of  Trou- 
ble upon  him.  In  fliort,  (m)  the  whole  Tenor  of  Samuel's 
Speech  to  King  Saul  is  too  rough  and  ungrateful,  too  grave 
and  folemn,  I  may  add  alfo,  too  full  of  Truth  and  Reality, 
ever  to  have  proceeded  from  their  Contrivance  and  Inven- 
tion only. 

Th  e  Woman,  by  her  courteous  Entertainment  of  Sau/^ 
feems  to  be  a  Perfon  of  no  bad  Nature  ;  and  therefore,  if 
Ihe  had  any  Accomplice,  who  underflood  to  make  the  moft 
of  his  Profeflion,  his  Bufmefs  at  this  Time  muft  have 
been,  to  footh  and  cajole  the  King,  which  would  have 
both  put  Money  in  his  Pocket,  and  fav'd  the  Credit  of  his 
Prcdidions.  For,  had  he  foretold  him  of  Succefs,  and 
Viftory,  and  a  happy  Iflue  out  of  all  his  Troubles,  he, 
and  the  Woman,  had  been  fure  of  Reputation,  as  well  as 

Z  4  farther 

(k)  Waterland'%  Sermons,  Vol.  II.  (I)  Calmet's  DIflert, 
fur  TApparition  de  Samml.         (m)  Waterlandy  Ibid. 


'360  "The  Wflory  ef  the   B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    farther  Rewards,  in  Cafe  it  had  happen'd  to  prove  fo  ;  and 
Ant  Chrift  '^  ^^  ^^  "°'>  (fince  no  one  was  privy  to  their  Communi- 
1116,  Sfc   on)  the  Falihood  of    the  Predi6tion,  upon   5^w/'s  Defeat 
From  I  Sam.  and  Death,  muft,  in  Courfe,  have  been  bury'd  with  him. 
^  °_^_    ',     From  thefe  Reafons  then  we  may  infer,  that  the  Wo- 
man, in  this  Tranfa6Vion,  did  not  impofe  upon  Saul^  fmce 
he  had  a  Plain  Sight  of  the  Apparition:  What    the  Appa- 
rition foretold  him  was  above  human  Penetration  ;  and  (up- 
on the  Suppofition  of  a  Jt^gg^e)  the  TVitch^  and  her  Con- 
federate, would  have  certainly  a£ted  clean  contrary  to  what 
they  did.     And  fo  the  next 
The  Jrgu.       1.  Enquiry  meets  us,    namely,  What  this   JpParltion 
tnentiofthofc,i^^^  p  Some  of  the  2inc\ent  Do £fo  s^  both  of  ih<c  Jew'ijh 
dbis  Xf'^"'^-'^^^  C'/;r//?/a«  Church,  have  made  an  Evil  Jngel  the  Snh- 
tionw:sDi-']e.^oi  this    Appari'ion,  in  pure  Regard  to  the  Honour  of 
tboUcal.      God.    *«  God, /vj)' ^Z^^j',  had  fufficientlydeclar'd  his  Hatred 
"  againft   Necroin'-ncy^    and  all  Kinds    of  Witchcraft^  in 
*'  the   fevere  Laws,  which  he  enabled  againft  them ;  but 
*'  'tis  certainly  denying  himfelf,  and   cancel.ing  his  own 
'    "  Work,    to  feem  in  the   leaft  to  countenance,  or  abet 
**  them,  as  he  neccflarily  muft  do,  if,  upon  the  Evocation 
**  of  an  old  Hag^  ati    Meflenger  is  permitted  to  go  from 
•'  him.     Far  be  it  from  us  therefore  to  have  fuch  Concep- 
•*  tions  of  God.     He   is  holy,  and  jufl,  and  uniform  in 
**  all  his  Ways  ;  and  therefore  this  coming  at  a  Call,  and 
**  doing  the    Witch's  Drudgery,    muft    only  appertain  to 
•*  fome  infernal  Spirit,  Vk  ho  might  poffibly  find  bis  Ac- 
*'  count  in  it  at  laft.     'Twas  one  of   this  wicked  Crew, 
'*  that  either  afTumed  a  P^flw/ow,  or  a  real  Body,  appear'd 
'  '*  in  a  Mantle  like  Samuel,    fpake  articulately,  and  held 
"  this  Converfation  with   Saul ;    which,    confidering    his 
*'  Knowledge  and  Forefight  of  Things,  he  was  well  enough 
*'  qualified  to  do,  notwithftanding  the  fundry  Predictions, 
•*  relating  to  future   Contingencies y    which   are  contain'd 
««  in  it." 

How  far  the  Honour  of  God  is  concern'd  in  this  Trarif- 
^;;/'wfr'^,ij>a£l:ion,  will  more  properly  fall  under  our  next  Enquiry  :  In 
•^"""'^/'.  the  mean  Time,  I  cannot  but  obferve,  that,  whatever /«- 

VJas  not  toe  ,  '  ^     ]  r  n  t 

Dlvji.  congruity  may  be  fuppos'd  in  the  real  Appearance  of  Samuel^ 
it  is  not  near  fo  much,  as  to  find  one  of  the  apojiate  Spirits 
of  Hell  exprefling  fo  much  Zeal  for  the  Service  of  the  God 
of  Heaven^  and  upbraiding  Saul  with  thofe  very  Crimes, 
"which  he  himfelf  tempted  hitn  to  commit ;  as  to  find  this 
wicked  and  impure  Spirit  making  ufe  of  the  Name  of  God 

(that 


Chap. III.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        361 

(that  facred  and  tremendous  Name,  whofe  very  Pronuncia-     A.  M. 
don  was  enough  to  make  him  quake  and  fhiver)  no  lefs  than  ^^^  ^chrift. 
fevenTimes  in  this  Intercourfe  with5^«/,  without  any  Manner  1 1 16,  ere. 
of  Uneafinefs  or  Hefitation  ;  as  to  find  this  Angel  of  Dark-^'^"'"^  ^* 
nefs,  and  Father  of  Lies.,  prying  into  the  Womb  of  Futu-  .    ^       j 
rity,  and  determining  the  moft  cafual  Events  pofitively  and 
precifeli.     («)    VVe  do  not  indeed  deny,  but  that  the  De- 
vil's Knowledge  is  vaftly  fuperior  to   that  of  the  moft  ac- 
complifti'd  human  Underftanding ;  that  his  natural  Penetra- 
tion, join'd  with  his  long  Experience,  is  fuch,  that  the  great- 
eft  Philofophersy  the  fubtleft  Criticks,  and  the  moft  refined 
Politicians  are  mere  Novices  in  Comparifon  of  him  :  Yet 
what  Genius,  (however  exalted  and  improved)  without  a 
divine  Revelation,  could,  (as    we   faid  before)  be  able  to 
foretell  Things,  that  were  lodg'd  in  God's  own  Breaft ; 
viz.  the  precife  Time  of  the  two  Armies  engaging,  the  Suc- 
cefs  and  Confequence  of  the  Victory,  and  the  very  Names 
of  the  Perfons,  that  were  to  fall  in  Battle.     This  is  what 
the  Apparition  plainly  revealed  to  Saul :  And  yet  this,  wc 
dare  maintain,  is  more  than  any  fnite  Underftanding,  by 
its  own  mere  Capacity,  could  ever  have  been  able  to  find 
out. 

But  (without  this  Multitude  of  Arguments)  if  we  are  ^"'Samuel. 
to  take  the  Scripture  in  its  plain  and  literal  Senfe,  read  we 
over  the  Story  of  Saul  and  the  Witch  of  Endor  never  fo 
often,  we  fliall  not  fo  much  as  once  find  the  Devil  menti- 
oned in  it.  And  therefore  it  is  fomewhat  wonderful,  that 
he  ftiould  be  brought  upon  the  Stage  bv  many  learned  Men, 
merely  to  folve  a  Difficulty,  which,  upon  Examination,  ap* 
pears  to  be  none  at  all.  But  now,  on  the  other  Hand,  it 
appears,  that,  thro'  the  whole  Narration,  Samuelh  ihe  on- 
ly Thing  that  is  mention'd.  'Tis  Samuel,  whom  Saul  de- 
fires  to  be  call'd  up  ;  Samuel,  who  appear'd  to  the  Woman; 
Samuel,  whom  the  Woman  defcribes  j  Samuel,  whom  Saul 
perceives  and  bows  himfelf  to,  with  whom  he  converfes  fo 
long,  and,  becaufe  of  whofe  JVerds,  he  was  afterwards  fo 
fore  afraid. 

Th  e  Scripture  indeed  fpeaks  fometimes  according  to  the 
Appearance  of  Things,  and  may  call  that  by  the  Name  of 
Samuel,  which  was  only  the  Semblance,  or  Phantom,  of  him: 
But,  that  this  cannot  be  the  Senfe  of  the  Matter  here,  we 
have  the  Teftimony  of  the  wife  Son  of  Sirach,  (an  excellent 
Interpreter  of  canonical  Scriptures)  who  tells  us  exprefsly, 

that 

(«)  Saurin,  Vol.  IV.  Differt.  36. 


562  The  Hipry  of  ihe  BIBL  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    that  (9)  Samuel,  after  his  Death,  prophejied,  and  Jbewed 
Ant/chnA.'^'^  /^/w^  his  Etid'y  purfuant  to  what  we  read  in  the  Verfloa 
iii6,  &e.  of  the  Septuagint,  viz.  that  (p)  ^^\x\  ajked  Counfel  of  one,  that 
V°^}^^- had  a  familiar  Spirit,  anc/ Szmue\  anfwered him.     So  that, 
■1^  -      Jupon  the  whole,  we  may  be  allow'd  to  conclude,  that  it  was 
the  real  Soul  of  Samutl,  cloath'd  in  fome  vifible  Formt 
which,  at  this  Time,  appear'd  to  the  King  of  Jfrael :  But 
by  what  Means,  or  for  what  Purpofes,  it  appear'd,  is  the 
other  Queftion,  we  are  now  to  determine. 
That  Samuel     3,  S  E  V  E  R  A  L  of  the  (^ )  Fathers  of  the  Chrijiian  Church 
wJl'ft  b    ^^'^'^'^  ^^  Opinion,  that  the  Devil  had  a  certain  limited  Pow- 
the  De-vit.    ^r  over  the  Souls  of  the  Saints,  before  Jefus  Chrijt  descended 
into  Hell,  and   refcued  them  from  the  Tyranny  of  that 
Prince  of  Darknefs.     {r)  St.  Jujiin,  in  particular,  thinks, 
that  there  is  noAbfurdity  in  faying,  that  the  Devil  was  as  a- 
ble  to  call  up  Samuel's  Soul,  as  tie  was  to  prefent  himfelf 
among  the  Sons  of  God,  or  fet  our  Saviour  on  one  of  the  Pi' 
nodes  of  the  Temple;  and  a  [s)  learned  ^^w;/^  Doctor  fup- 
pofes,  that  Devils  have  fuch  a  Power  over  human  Souls, 
for  the  Space  of  a  Year  after  their  Departure,  as  to  make 
them  aflume  what  Bodies  they  pleafe ;  and  thereupon  he 
concludes,  (but  very  erroneoufly)  that  it  was  not  a  Year, 
from  the  Time  of  Samuel's  Death,  to  his  Appearance.  But 
thefe  are  fuch  wild  and  extravagant  Fancies,  as  deferve  noi 
ferious  Confutation.     'Tis  abfurd    to  fay,  that  the  Souls  of 
Saints  (fuch  as  we  are  now  fpeaking  of )  were  ever  in  Helly 
^nd  more  abfurd  to  fay,  that,  if  they  are  in  Heaven,  it  is 
in  the  Povi?er  of  any  magical,  nay,  of  any  diabolical  Incan- 
tations to  call  them  down  from  thence,     (if)  Great,  with- 
out all  doubt,  is  the  Power  of  opojiate  Angels ;  but  mifera- 
ble,  we  may  fay,  would  the  State  of  the  Blefled  be,  if  the 
other  had  any  Licence  to  difturb  their  Happinefs,  when,  .and 
as  long  as,  they  pleas'd  :  For  God  forbid,  (u)  fays  Tertul- 
lian,  that  we  Jhould  believe,  that  the  Soul  of  any  holy  Man^ 
much  lefs  of  a  Prophet,  Jhould  be  fo  far  under  his  Difpofal, 
as  to  be  brought  up  at  Pleafure,  by  the  Power  of  the  Devil. 
,    .         Since  the  Devil  then  has  no  Power  to  difturb  the  Hap- 
Wtich'i  £«-pinefs  of  Souls  departed,  this  Apparition  of  Samuel  could  not 
thintmenti,  pfocecd  from  any  magical  Enchantments  of  the  Sorcerefs, 

ht  by  Gtd't  L^ 

{0)  Eccluf.  xlvi.  20,  (/>)  I  Chron.  x.  13.  (y)  yujfia 
Martyr,  in  Dial.  cum.  Tryph.  and  Origex,  in  I  Sam.  Cap. 
xxviii.  (r)   De  Diver.  Quaeft.  lib.  ii.  p.  4.  {s)  R. 

Manaf.  Ben  Ifrael,  de  Refurr.  Mort.  {t)  Saurin,  Vol.  IV. 

Differt.  36.  («)  De  Anima,  c.  57. 


Ch  A  p .  III.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  £sfr.      3  6^ 

but  muft  have  been  effefted  by  the  fole  Power  and  Appoint-    A.  m. 
ment  of  God,  who  is  the  fovereign  Lord  both  of  the  Living  \^^^  'ci^-^\, 
and  of  the  Dead  :  And,  accordingly,  we  may  obferve  from  mg,  er-c. 
the  Surprife,  which  the  Woman  difcover'd  upon  5^wtt^/'sf'^°""iSani. 
fudden  appearing,  that  the  Power  of  her  Magick  was  not.'   -  -  "j 
concern'd  therein,  but  that  it  was  the  EfFeft  of  (orrie  fupe- 
rior  Hand.     The  Scripture  relates  the  Matter  thus :  (x) 
When  the  Woman  [aw  Samuel,  Jhe  cried  with  a  loud  Voice'y 
and  the  Woman  Jpake  unto  Saul,  faying.  Why  haji  thou  de- 
ceived me,  for  thou  art  Saul  ?   And  the   King  [aid  unto  her^ 
Be  not  afraid :  What  fawejl  thou  ?  And  the  Woman  faid 
unto  Saul,  /  faw  Gods  afc ending  out  of  the  Earth.     Now, 
it  is  plain,  from  this  Narration,  that  the  Woman  faw  fome- 
thing  (he  was  not  accuftom'd  to  fee.     (y)  Her  Necromancy 
had  ordinarily  Power  over  Damons  only,  or  fuch  wretched 
Spirits,  as  were  fubmitted  to  the  Devil's  Tyranny  ;  but,  on 
this  Occafion,  (he  faw  an  Object,  fo  auguft,  fo  terrible,  fo 
majeftick,  fo  contrary  indeed  to  any  thing  fhe  had  ever  rais'd 
before,  and  that  coming  upon  her  before  fhe  had  begun  her 
Enchantments,  that  (he  could  not  forbear  being  frighten'd, 
and  crying  out  with  a  loud  Voice,  as  being  fully  fatisfy'd, 
that  the  Apparition  came  from  God. 

"  But,  fince  the  Scripture  aflures  us,  that  God  had-^"^^-^^""''' 
*'  wholly  withdrawn  himfelf  from  Saul,  and  would  anfwer 
"  him  neither  by  Prophets,  nor  by  Dreams  ;  how  can  we 
"  imagine,  that  he  ftiould,  all  on  a  fudden,  become  fo 
•*  kind,  as  tofend  5fl/72«^/tohim,  or  that  5^ot«^/ fhould  be 
*'  in  any  Difpofition  to  come,  when  it  was  impoflible  for 
*'  him  to  do  any  Good  by  his  coming?" 

(z)  Now  there  feems  to  be  fome  Analogy  between  God's  yinfiver'J  hw 
dealing  with  Saul  m  this  Particular,  and  his  former  Treat-/&ewi«^-a/>oK 
ment  of  the  Prophet  Balaam.     Balaam  v/zs  for  difobeying*"^"'"^' 
the  Orders  which  God  had  given  him  to  blefs  the  Ifraelites  j  yvar  a  Mef- 
and  was  fearching  into  magical  Secrets  for  what  he  could  not Jfgf  toSwA 
obtain  ot  God,  viz    a  Power  to  change  into  Curfes,  the 
Bleffings  which  God  pronounc'd  by  his  Mouth.     In  this 
Cafe  there  was  but  fmall  Likelihood,  that  God  would  con- 
tinue to  communicate  himfelf  to  a  Perfon  fo  unworthy  of 
any  extraordinary  Revelation  ;  and  yet  he  did  it :  But  then 
it  was  with  a  Defign  to  reveal  to  him  thofe  very  Miferies, 
from  which  his  mercenary  Mind   was  fo  defirous  to  refcuc 
the  Midianites.     The  Application  is  eafy  :  And  it  farther 

fuggefts 

{x)  1  Sam.  xxviii.  12,13.        (y)  G?/w/A  DifTert.  fur  I'Ap- 
parit.  de  Samuel.         (s)  Sauritit  Vol.  IV.  Differt.  36. 


364  ^he  Hiftcry   of  the  B  I  BL  E,    Book  V. 

a888  ^'c.  ^"Sg^^s  t^'is  Reafon,  why  God  appointed  Samuel,  at  this 
Ant.  Chrift. Time,  to  appear  unto  Saul,  viz.  that,  thro'  him,  he  might 
iii5,  fiff.give  him  a  Meeting  where  he  leaft  of  all  expedted  one;  and 
i^'^^'^f^j. might  fhew  him,  that  the  Fate,  which  his  own  Difobedi- 
ence  had  brought  upon  him,  was  determin'd  ;  that  there 
was  no  reverfing  the  Decrees  of  Heaven,  no  procuring  Aid 
againftthe  Almighty's  Fowe.j  no  feeing  (tho'  it  werctoHell) 
from  his  Prefeitce,  no  hiding  himfelf  in  Darknefs  from  his 
Jnfpe£lion,  (a)  with  whom  Darknefs  is  no  Darknefs  at  all, 
hut  the  Night  is  as  clear  as  the  Day,  and  the  Darknefs  and 
Light  are  both  alike, 
JndiDlv  it  (^)  That  the  Souls  of  Men  departed  have  a  Capacity, 
wtfj Samuel,  and,  no  doubt,  an  Inclination,  to  be  eraploy'd  in  the  Service 
of  Men  alive,  as  having  the  fame  Nature  and  Affeftions, 
and  being  more  fenfible  of  our  Infirmities,  than  any  pure  and 
chflra£led  Spirits  are,  can  hardly  be  conteftcd ;  that,  in 
their  abfent  State,  they  are  embodied  with  aerial,  or  eethe- 
rial.  Vehicles,  which  they  can  condenfe,  or  rarify  at  Plea- 
fure,  and  fo  appear,  or  not  appear,  to  human  Sight,  is  what 
fome  of  the  greateft  Men,  both  of  the  Heathen  and  Chri- 
Jiian  Religion,  have  maintain'd  ;  and  that  frequent  Appari- 
tions of  this  Kind  have  happen'd,  fmce  the  World  began, 
cannot  be  denied  by  any  one,  that  is  converfant  in  its  Hifto* 
ry.  If  therefore  the  Wifdom  of  God  (for  Reafons  already 
aiTign'd)  thought  proper  to  difpatch  a  Meflenger  to  Saul, 
Vpon  this  Occafion ;  there  may  be  fome  Account  given, 
uhy  the  Soul  of  Samuel  (upon  the  Suppofition  it  was  left  to 
its  Option)  fhould  rather  be  defirous  to  be  fent  upon  that 
Errand :  For,  whatever  may  be  faid  in  Diminution  of  Saul's 
religious  Chara6ter,  'tis  certain,  that  he  was  a  brave  Prince 
and  Commander ;  had  liv'd  in  ftri6l  Intimacy  with  Samuel ^ 
profefs'd  a  great  Eftecm  for  him  in  all  things ;  and  (c)  was, 
by  Samuel,  not  a  little  lamented,  when  he  had  fallen  from 
his  Obedience  to  God.  Upon  thefe  Confiderations  we  may 
imagine,  that  the  Soul  of  Samuel  might  have  fuch  a  Kindnefs 
for  him,  as  to  be  ready  to  appear  to  him  in  the  Depth  of  his 
Diftrefs,  in  order  to  fettle  his  Mind  by  telling  him  the  Up» 
Jhot  of  the  whole  Matter,  viz.  that  he  ftiould  lofe  the  Battle, 
^nd  he  and  his  Sons  be  flain  ;  that  fo  he  might  give  a  Speci- 
men (as  the  Jews  love  to  fpeak  in  Commendation  of  him) 
of  the  braveft  Valour,  that  was  ever  atchiev'd  by  any  Com- 
mander 3  fight  boldly  when  he  was  fure.to  die  j  and  fell  his 

Life 

{a)  Pfal.  cxxxix.  12.  {i)  Vide  G/^wwrs  Sadducifmus 

Triumphatus.        (c)  i  Sam.  xvi.  i. 


Chap. IV.  from  the  Kv^tVitts  entering  tanaan,  ^c.      2^5 

Life  at  as  dear  a  Price  as  pofEble  ;  that  fo  in  his  Death,  he    A.  Bi. 
might  be  commemorated   with  Honour,  and   deferv^e  the^^^^  '(,j.j.j^ 
Threnodia,  whicli  his  Son  in-law  made  on  him ;  [d)  Theme,  &c. 
Beauty  of  Ifrael  is  JJain  upon  the  high  Places.      How  are  ^^^from  iSai^ 
Mighty  fallen  !  From  the  Blood  of  the  Slain^  from  the  Fat  of^ 
the  Mighty^  the  Bow  of  Jonathan  turned  not  back^  and  the 
Sword  of  Saul  returned  not  empty.     How  are  the  Mighty 
fallen  in  the  Midjl  of  the  Battle  ! 


CHAP.     IV. 

From  the  Death  of  S  a  u  l  to  that  <?/  A  b  s  a  l  o  m. 
In  all  Thirty  Three  Tears. 

'The    History. 

.■\ 

Tr\AVID  was  at  2iklag^  when  News  was  brought  him    a.  M. 
JL^  of  the  Defeat   of  the  Jfraelitijh  Army,  and  of  the  2949?  ^c. 
Death  of  Saul     The  Meffenger  was  an  Amalekite,  ^"'-  ^i'"*' 
f  who  pretended  that  he  was  the  Perfon  who  difpatch'd  theFromzSani. 
King,  after  he  found  himfelf  mortally  wounded  i  and  (how-'-t^o^v 

everb;     "^T""^ 

upon  toe 
Deaib  of 
(^  2  Sam.    i.    19.  Saul,  David 

f  By  the  Account,  which  we  have  of  King  SauPs  Death,  in  isprcclaim'i 
'the  Conclufion  of  the  foregoing  Book,  'viz.  that  he  fell  upon  his  ^'^^^{J^ 
tnvn  Sivord,  and  expir'd,   i  Sam.  xxxi.  4.  it  feems  very  evident,  bofheth  bat 
that  the  whole  Story  of  this  Amalekite  was  a  Fidlion  of  his  own  the  other 
inventing,  on  Purpofe  to  ingratiate  himfelf  'with  David,  the  pre-  ^ribez, 
fumptive  Succeffor  to  the  Throne  :  But  then  the  Queftion  is,  how 
he  came  by  SauFi  Crown  and  Bracelet,  ilnce  it  is  incongruous  to 
think  that  he  would  ever  wear  them  in  the  Time  of  Aftion,  and 
thereby  expofe  himfelf  as  a  publick  Mark  ?    As  therefore  it  is 
prefum'd,  that  they  were  carry'd  into  the  Field  of  Battle  by  fome 
of  his  Attendants,  in  order  to  put  on,  in  Cafe  he  had  obtain'd 
the  Viftory,  and  return'd  in  Triumph ;  fo  the  Jeivs  have  a  Con- 
ceit, that  Doeg,  the  infamous  Murtherer  of  the  Priefts  at  Nob., 
I  Sam.  xxii.  18.  who,  at  th's  Time,  was  his  Armour-Bearer,  had 
them  in  his  Pofleflion,    and,  before  he  killed  himfelf,  gave  them 
to  his  Son,  (this  young  Amalekite)  and  order'd  him  to  carry  them 
to  Danjid,  but  to  his  Coll  found,  that  Da^vid's  Reception  was 
quite  different  to  what  he  expected.    For,  being  fhortly  to  afcend 
the  Throne  himfelf,  he  was  willing  to  have  it  believ'd,  that  to 
flay  the  Lord^s  anointed,  upon  any  Account  whatever,  was  in  it- 
felf  an  execrable   Crime,  and  therefore,  to  clear  himfelf  from 
the  Imputation  ©f  being  any  Ways  acceffary  to  fo  foul  a  Fact, 

(as 


366  *rhe  Wfiory  of  ibeBlBL  E,     Book  V. 

304*  ^c  ^^^'^  ^^  ^^'"^  ^y  ^h^"^)  produc'd  Saul's  Crown  and  Bracelet 
Ant?'chrfft.to  verify  what  he  faid.  He  expeaed,  no  doubt,  an  ample 
105  s,  6ff.  Compenfation  for  this  Meflage  and  Prefent;  but,  inftead 
f!trj^^"'  of  that,  Dtfz;/V  order'd  his  Guards  to  fall  upon  him,  becaufe 
*>  -^-,_f  (according  to  his  own  Declaration)  he  had  been  acceflary  to 
the  King's  Death. 

Upon  this  Conjundlure,  David,   f  by  God's  Direfli- 
ons,  remov'd  with  his  Family  and  Forces  f  to  Hebron^ 
whither  the  Princes  of  Judah^  in  a  (hort  Time,  came  to 
congratulate  his  Return  into  his  native  Country,  and  to  of- 
fer him   the  Crown  of  their  particular  Tribe  ;  for,  bv  this 
Time,  Abner^  the  late  King's  Uncle,  and  General  of  his 
Army,  who  had  proclaim'd  his  Son  Ijkbojheth  Succeflbr  to 
the  Throne,  had  taken  up  his  Refidence  at  f  Mahanaimy 
on  the  other  Side  of  Jordan,  and,  by  his  Intereft  and  great 
Authority,  prevail'd  with  all  the  other  Tribes  to  recognize 
him. 
jiBattUbe.      DAVID  however,  at  the  Requeft  of  the  Princes  of^ihis 
niTRival  own  Tribe,  was  anointed  King  of  Judah.    For  two  Years 
Kings.  there 

(as  his  Enemies  would  have  been  apt  to  imagine,  had  he  given 
countenance  to  this  pretended  King-killer)  he  order 'd  him  imme- 
diately to  be  put  to  Death,  and  therein,  at  leaft,  afted  the  Part 
of  a  good  Politician,  if  not  of  a  righteous  Judge.  Le  Cure's 
and  Patrick\  Commentaries  on  2  Sam    i. 

f  Though  David,  after  Saul\  Demife,  had  a  Right  to  the 
Kingdom  by  Virtue  of  God's  Dejignation  ;  yet,  as  God  had  no 
where  declared,  at  what  Time  he  was  to  make  ufe  of  this  Right, 
he  would  not  enter  into  Pofleflion,  nor  take  the  Adminiftration 
of  publick  Affairs  upon  him,  without  having  firft  confulted  him. 
Patrick's  Commentary. 

f  Hebron  was  fituate  in  the  Midft  of  the  Tribe  of  Judah  ; 
and,  as  it  was  a  very  ancient  City,  the  Metropolis  of  the  whole 
Tribe,  and  the  PofTelTion  of  thofe  Prieftly  Families,  who  efpous'd 
David's  Intereft,  it  was  a  very  commodious  City  for  him  to 
make  the  Place  of  his  Refidence  at  this  Junfture ;  as  being  not 
infenfible,  that  the  Determination  of  the  Metropolis  in  his  Fa- 
vour would  be  of  great  Weight  to  influence  the  whole  Tribe  : 
And,  accordingly,  we  find,  that  he  was  foon  invefted  with  the 
Sovereignty  thereof.  For  the  Men  of  Judah  (faith  the  Text) 
came,  and  there  they  anointed  David  King  over  the  Houfe  of 
Judah,  2  Sam.  ii.  4.  The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  David. 
Vol.  II. 

f  This  was  a  Place  in  the  Tribe  of  Gad,  which  had  its  Name 
from  the  Appearance  of  an  Hoft  of  Angels  to  Jacob,  as  he  came, 
with  his  Family  and  all  his  Subftance,  to  Padan-aram,  Gen. 
xxxii.  I.  and  the  Reafons  for  Abner's  retreating  hither,  in  the 

Beginning 


Chap.  IV.    from  f be  Uraelkes  enteriiig  Csinzzn^  ^c.       ^6j 

there  were  no  Hoftilities  on  either  Side;  but,  not  long  after    A.  M. 
this,  a  War  commenc'd   between   the  two  Rival  Princes ^^^^^'^^^ 
in  which  there  were  feveral  Engagements,  but  none  fo  re- 1055,  &c. 
markable,  as  that,  which  was  occafion'd  bv  ^^«^r'sfendingP»^°"'2Sara. 
yoab  (who  was  the  General  of  David's  Forces)  a  Challenge  | 
f  to  fight  twelve  Men  with  an  equal  Number  of  his  in  fm- 
gle  Combat.     The  Men  met,  and  (to  a  Man)  kill'd  one 
another  upon  the  Spot ;  whereupon  a  fierce  Battle  enfu'd, 
in  which  Jhner  and  his  Men  were  defeated,  and  put  to 
Flight.     In  the  Purfuir,  Jfahel,  a  younger  Brother  of  Jo- 
ab^s,  being  very  nimble  and  fwift  of  Foot,  made  after  Ji- 
ner.     When  he  came  up  with  him,   Abner,  who  knew 
him,  defir'd   him  to  defift,  and  not  pretend  to  attack  him, 
becaufe  he  was  loth  to  kill  him  ;  but  the  young  Man,  am- 
bitious of  taking  a  General  Prifoner,  prefs'd  fo  hard   upon 
him,  that,  f  with  a  Back-ftroke  of  his  Spear,  Mner  gave 
him  a  Wound,  whereof  he  immediately  died. 

The  victorious  Army,  when  they  came  to  the  Place, 
where  AfaheVs  Body  lay  flain,  flood  ftill,  and  ceas'd  their 
Purfuit ;  fo  that  Abner  had  an  Opportunity  to  rally  his  fcat- 
ter'd  Forces,  and  making  a  Stand  upon  an  advanc'd  Ground, 
where  he  could  not  well  be  attack'd,  founded  a  Parly,  and 

reminded 

Beginning  of  the  new  King's  Reign,  were,  that  he  might  fecure 
the  People  on  that  Side  of  the  Jordan,  and  efpecially  the  gal- 
lant Inhabitants  of  Jahejh-gilead,  who  were  great  Lovers  of 
Saul,  and  attach'd  to  his  Family ;  thit  he  might  prevent  the 
Philifiines  from  faUing  upon  the  King,  whom  he  had  under  his 
Proteftion,  in  the  Infancy  of  his  Reign ;  and  chiefly,  that  he 
might  be  at  a  great  Diftance  from  Dawd,  have  the  new  King 
more  abfolutely  under  his  Command,  and  a  better  Opportunity 
of  raifing  Recruits  among  a  People,  not  only  brave  and  coura- 
geous, but  very  well  afFefted  to  the  Caufe,  which  he  had  ef- 
pous^d.     Calmet\  Commentary,  and  Pool\  Annotations. 

•f-  The  E«preflion  in  the  Text  is.  Let  the  young  Men  nonu  a- 
ri/e,  and  play  before  us  :  By  which  Abner  feems  to  have  meant, 
not  that  they  fhould  fall  upon,  and  deftroy,  one  another,  but 
merely,  that  they  Ihould  praftife  a  little  their  military  Exercifes, 
or  play  at  Sharps,  as  Gladiators  antiently  at  Rome,  and  now  a- 
mong  us,  are  wont  to  do,  not  with  any  Purpofe  to  kill  one  anow 
ther,  but  only  to  dimert  the  Speftators.     Calmeth  Commentary. 

f  The  Expreffion  in  the  1  ext  is, That,  nAjith  the 

hinder  Part  of  the  Spear,  he  f?note  him  under  the  fifth  Rib  ; 
which  Virgil,  fpeaking  of  a  mortal  Wound,  has  net  unhappily 
imitated : 

Haud  multa  moratus 

Excipit  in  latus,  &,  qua  fata  celerrima,  crudum 
Tranfadigit  coitas  ^'v;  cratCi  pevloris  cnftin.  ^£n.    xH, 


368  Hhe  Hiliory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.    reminded  Joab^  that  they  were  all  Brethren,  of  the  fame 
^t^  Chrift.  ^(itio^f  o^  the  fame  Religion,  fo  that  if  they  perfifted  in 
1055,     c.   Ho/Iilities,  both  Armies  would    have  Reafon    to    rue  it. 
From  zSam.  Whereupon  they  parted,  Abner,  (who  had  loft  three  hun- 
J    ._  ,.'  ^  dred  and  p.xty  Men  in  the  Engagement)  to  Mahanaim,  on 
the  other  Side  of  Jordan,  and  Joab,  who  (except  his  Brother 
_  .....      Afahel)  had  loft  no  more  than  nineteen,  to  Hebron. 
Abner  wry       DuRiNG  the  Courfe  of  this  Civil  War,  which  lafted  for 
l>efiiy,zvhich  {ome  Ycars,  David's  Forces,  in  moft   Rencounters,  had 
*/iwr«DaCid  '•^^  Advantage,  and  his  Intereft  in  ihe  Nation  increas'd,  as 
'that  of  JJhboJheth  fenfibly  declin'd.     Abner  indeed,  as  be- 
ing both  a  brave  and  experienc'd  Warrior,  and  a  Man  of 
great  Power  and  Influence  in  all  the  Tribes,  more  efpecial- 
ly  in  that  of  Benjamin,  was  his  main  Support ;  but  with 
him  he  unhappily  difFer'd,  upon  Account  of  Rizpah,  one  of 
Saul's  Concubines,  whom  Abner  had  debauch'd.     To  have 
any  Commerce  with  the  ReliSis  of  Princes  (of  what  Deno- 
mination foever  they  were)  was,  in  thefe  Days,  look'd  upon 
as  an  Indignity  offer'd  to  the  royal  Family,  and  an  f  Affec- 
tation of  the  Kingdom.     For  this  Reafon  Ijhbojheth  remon- 
ftrated  the  Matter  to  Abner ;  but  Abner,  who  was  an  hot 
Man,  and  impatient  of  Reproof,  was  fo  incens'd   at  what 
he  faid,  that  he  upbraided  him  with  Ingratitude,  and  threat- 
en'd  not  only  to  f  withdraw  his  own  Allegiance  from   him, 

but, 

-}•  What  Notion  the  World,  at  this  Time,  had  of  marrying 
any  Royal  Relidl,  is  evident  from  the  Cafe  of  Adonijah,  whom 
"  Solomon  put  to  Death  for  defiring  but  to  afk  for  Abijhag,  one  of 

Da'vicfs  Concubines,  tho'  he  had  employed  Bath-Jheba,  the 
King's  Mother,  to  be  his  Interceffor,  and  was  himfelf  his  Bro- 
ther, 1  Kings  11.  17.  It  may  be  faid,  perhaps,  that  Adonijah 
was  at  this  Time  afpiring  at  the  Throne,  which  Solomon  per- 
ceiving, took  Occafion  from  this  his  Requeft  to  fall  out  with 
him,  and  prevent  it.  But,  however  this  be,  a  general  Rule  it 
was,  not  among  the  Jews  only,  but  among  other  Nations,  that 
no  private  Perfon  ihould  prefume  to  marry  the  King's  Widow  ; 
for  this  made  him  appear  as  a  Ri'val,  and  Competitor  for  the 
Crown.     Calmct's  Commentary. 

•f-  Abner  is  an  Inftance  of  what  a  ftrange  Alteration  the  Study 
of  Revenge  will  work  in  a  Man.  It  was  butjuft  lately,  that 
we  found  him  going  about  the  Coantr)'-  to  confirm  the  Ifraelitei 
in  their  Attachment  to  the  Houfe  of  Saul,  and  Oppofition  to 
Dwvid;  but  now,  upon  a  flight  Difguft,  he  is  not  only  for  de- 
ferting  himfelf,  but  for  carrying  all  the  Strength  of  his  Intereft 
over  to  the  oppofite  Party ;  For,  fuch  is  the  Genius  of  jnany  great 
MiniJierSf  fays  one,  that  itponfiight  Occfijiom,  they  are  irritated, 

and 


Chap,  IV.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  i^c.       3  69 

but,  as  far  as   in  him  lay,  to  carry  all  Ifrael  over  to  Da^     A,  M. 
vid^s  Intereft.    And  as  he  threaten'd,  fo  he  did.     From  that  A^t\'^^ 
very  Moment  he  enter'd  into  2.  private  Correfpondence  with  1055,  ©"c  * 
David,  and,  not  long  after,  had  a  public k  Interview  with  ?'^°^"  ?  Sam. 
him.    At  this  Interview  David  entertain'dvf^w^r  and  his  At- 
tendants (which  were  in  all  but  twenty  Perfons)  very  fplen- 
didly ;  and,  in  Return,  Abner  afTur'd  him,  that  he  would 
ufe  his  utmoft  Endeavours  to  prevail  with  the  other  Tribes 
to  come  over  to  his  Side.     But,  no  fooner  was  he  gone, 
than  'Joab,  returning  from  an  Expedition  againft  the  Phili- 
Jiines,  wherein  he  had  been  fuccefsful  and  taken  abundance 
of  Spoil,  and  being  foon  inform'd,  that  Abner  had  been  there, 
and  how  kindly  the  King  had  receiv'd   him,  not  only  ex- 
poftulated  the  Matter  with  the  King  in  high  Terms,  as  hav- 
ing entertain'd  a  Man  that  came  only  as  a  Spy  upon  him, 
but  fent  likewife  a  Meflenger  after ^A«^r,defiring  him  to  re- 
turn, becaufe  the  King  had  fomething  more  to  communicate 
to  him  ;  and  fo,  having  way- laid  him,  under  Pretence  of 
faluting  him  he  ftabb'd  him  to  the  Heart,  *  out  of  Jealoufy 
partly,  and  partly  in  Revenge  of  the  Blood  of  his  Brother 
Afahel. 

DAVID  was  extremely  difpleas'd  at  this  cruel  and  inhof- 
pitable  AcStion ;  but  his  Affairs  were  in  fo  unfettled  a  State, 
and  Joab,  at  that  Time,  had  fo  much  Credit  with  the  Ar- 
my, that  he  could  not  call  him  to  an  Account  for  what  he 

had 

and  do  rather  rule  over  Kings,  than  are  ruled  hy  them.     Patrick^ 
Commentary. 

*  Abner  was  a  Man  longer  vers'd  in  military  Affairs  than 
himfelf,  who,  in  the  Time  of  Saul\  Diftraftion,  had  been  Re- 
gent of  the  Nation,  and  fmce  the  Time,  that  he  had  fet  up  IJh- 
bojheth  to  be  King,  Prime  Minifter  :    And  therefore  Joab  had 
Reafon  to  fufpeft,  that,  in  Cafe  he  once  got  into  Danjid^  Fa- 
vour, (as  the  Service,  he  was  able  to  do  him,  gave  him  a  Title 
to  it)  it  would  not  be  long  before  he  would  gain  a  fuperior  Af- 
cendant ;    and  therefore  he  took  this  wicked  Metiiod  to  prevent 
him.     For   (to  ufe  the  Refleftion,  which  Jofephus  makes  upon 
this  Occafion)  What  'will  not  Men  dare  to  do,  nvho  are  co=vetousy 
*  ambitious,  and  ivill  be  inferior  to  none  ?    They  prefs  forward  to 
the  End,  without  ever  confidering  the  Means,  and  nvill  co?nmit  a 
*rhoufand  Crimes  in  Purfuit  of  njuhat  they  dejire.     Nor  are  they  lefs 
bold  in  maintaining,  than  they  'were  in  acquiring,  their  Places  and 
Preferments   hy  e-uil  Practices  ;    infomuch  that,  rather  than  fuffer 
the  Difgrace  of  lofing  'what  they  ha've  wijujily  gotten,  they  'will 
plunge  themfel'ves  ftill  deeper  and  deeper  in  Wickednefs,  to  retain  it, 
'Je<u)ijh  Antiq.  lib.  vii.  C.    I. 

Vol.  III.  A  a 


ijo  The  Hiftory  of  the  BIBLE,      Book  V. 

^-  ^-  had  done :  And  therefore  contented  himfelf  with  declaring 
Ant^'chrift.  P"blickly  f  his  Deteftation  of  it,  and  with  making  a  mag- 
1055,  &c,  nificent  Funeral  for  Abner^  wherein  he  himfelt  follow'd 
From  2  Sam.  the  Cortfe^  as  chief  Mourner. 

!•    to   X1K> 

K_:^^~-  _j  DAVID  indeed  had  Reafon  to  lament  the  Death  of 
Upon  the  Abner,  which,  in  all  probability,  had  defeated  the  Mea- 
h'n!^h^-n'  ^^^^^  '^^^  were  concerted  for  the  Union  of  the  two  King- 
vid  )i  'made  ^o^is,  had  not  the  fudden  and  untimely  Death  of  IJhboJheth 
King  of  fl//pav'd  the  Way  for  it  afrefh.  IJhboJheth^  upon  the  Lofs  of 
Xfracl.  Abner,  began  to  defpair  of  his  Affairs,  grew  negligent  of 
himfelf,  and  fell  under  the  Contempt  of  his  Subje^s ;  fo 
that  Rechab  and    Baanah,  f  two  Benjamites,  that   were 

of 

f  And  Reafon  good  he  had  to  exprefs  his  Deteftation  of  fo 
foul  a  Fatl.  For,  befides  that,  Akner  was  himfelf  a  Man  of 
great  Power  and  Authority,  and,  at  this  Time,  the  Head  of  the 
contrary  Party,  it  carry'dan  Air  of  Sufpjcion,  that  ZJai^/V  might 
have  feme  Concern  in  the  Murder  ;  efpecially  fmce  Joab,  his 
FirftMinifter,  and  General  of  his  Forces,  was  the  wicked  Inftru- 
roent  of  it.  Abner  had  been  reconcipd  to  Damd  indeed,  but 
this  made  the  Matter  ftill  worfe,  and  added  the  Breach  of  Faith 
and  Hofpitality  to  the  Sin  of  Murder,  which  was  enough  to  ali- 
enate the  Minds  of  the  Ifraelites  from  him  for  ever  :  And  there- 
fore Jofephus  gives  us  this  Account  of  Da-vid's  Behaviour,  up- 
on fo  critical  an  Occafion,  not  only  to  teftify  his  Abhorrence  of 
fo  bafe  a  Praftice,  but  to  purge  himfelf  likewife,  upon  the  ftric- 
teft  Niceties  of  Faith  and  Honour,  that  he  had  been  true  to  Ab- 
«tr,  "  The  Moment  he  heard  of  Abner  s  Death,  he  ftretch'd 
out  his  Right  Hand  towards  Heaven  in  an  Appeal,  and  Pro- 
teftation,  tbat  he  ivas  7ieitfjtr  privy,  nor  confenting ,  to  the  FaSij 
and  curs'd  moft  bitterly  the  AJfaffin,  (whoever  he  was)  his  Fa- 
mily, and  Accomplices.  He  appointed,  by  Proclamation,  a 
publick  Mourning  for  him,  with  all  the  Solemnities  of  tearing 
Garments,  and  putting  on  Sack-Cloth,  ^c  Himfelf,  with 
his  great  Minifters,  and  Officers,  affifted  at  the  Funeral,  and 
gave  fufficient  Demonftration,  by  wringing  their  Hands, 
beating  their  Breafts,  and  other  Expreffions  of  Sorrow,  both 
of  the  Veneration  they  had  for  Abner  s  Memory,  and  the 
Senfe  they  had  of  fo  ineftimable  a  Lofs  ;  fo  that,  in  the  Con- 
clufion,  all  the  People  were  perfeftly  fatisfy'd,  that  Danjid 
was  far,  either  from  approving,  or  confenting  to,  fo  execrable 
a  Deed."  Jeivijh  Antiq.  lib.  vii.  c.  i .  and  Le  Clerc'%  Com- 
mentary. 

f  This  is  added,  to  (hew  us,  tliat  thefe  two  Regicides  were 
not  only  Officers  in  the  King's  Army,  but  of  the  fame  Tribe 
with  Saul,  and  therefore  had  more  Ties  than  one  upon  them,  to 
be  honeft  and  faithful  to  his  Family.  For  there  is  Reafon  to  be- 
lieve', that  Sciul,  who  liv'd  in  the  Borders  oi Benjamin,  conferr'd 

more 


Chap.  IV.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        371 

of  his  Houfhold,  came  upon  him,  as  he  was  afleep  in  the    A.  M. 
Heat  of  the  Day,  and,  having  cut  ofFhis  Head,  f  carry'd  A^nt^'chHtt. 
it  as  a  Prefent   to  David  at  Hebrcn  ;  but,  inftead  of  the  1055,  &c. 
Reward  which  they  expeded,  he  *  rebuk'd  them  feverely ,  F'^°'"  2  Sam. 
and  order'd  their  Hands  and  Feet  to  be  cut  off,  and  them- 
felves  hung  up  in  a  pubHck  Place,  for  the  Terror  of  all  Re- 
gicides 5  but  the  Head  of  Jpjbojheth  was   honourably  intcr- 
r'd  in  Jbner's  Tomb. 

A  a  2  When 

more  Favours  upon  that  Tribe,  than  any  other,  and  might 
therefore  juftly  expetl,  both  to  him  and  his,  a  greater  Efteem  and 
Fidelity  from  thofe  of  his  own  Tribe,  than  from  others.  This 
Patronymick  is  therefore  very  properly  prefixed  to  the  Names  of 
Rechab  and  Baanah,  to  fhew  what  vile  ungrateful  Villains  they 
were,  and  how  juftly  they  deferv'd  the  fevere,  and  exemplary 
Puniihment,  which  Da^vid  infiifted  on  them.  Le  Clerk's  Com- 
mentary. 

■f-  It  may  feem  a  little  ftrange,  that  thefe  two  Ruffmjis  were 
not  difcouraged  by  Danjicts  punilhing  the  Anudekite  for  killing  of 
Saul,  and  by  the  Deteftation  he  had  publickly  fhewn  of  Joab^ 
Bafenefs  in  murthering  Jbner :  But  the  former  of  thefe  Cafes, 
they  might  think,  was  not  parallel  to  theirs  ;  becaufe  Saul  was 
anointed  King  by  God's  immediate  Direftion,  whereas  JJhboJJ:ietht 
having  never  had  fuch  Jacred  Unftion,  was  no  more  than  an 
Vfurper  ;  And,  as  for  the  latter,  they  might  think,  that  Daaiid'i 
Conduft,  in  Relation  to  Jbners  Death,  proceeded  from  Art 
and  Policy,  rather  than  any  ferious  Diflike  of  the  Thing  itfelf ; 
and,  in  this  Opinion,  they  might  the  rather  be  confirmed,  when 
they  faw  Joab,  inftead  of  being  puniftied,  continuing  in  the 
very  fame  Poft  and  Power  that  he  had  before.  Poors  Annota- 
tions. 

*  The  Manner  in  which  Jofephus  makes  David  exprefs  him- 

felf,  upon  this  Occafion,  is  to   this   EfFeft  :  "  Wicked 

"  Wretches  that  you  are  !  prepare  yourfelves  immediately  to  re- 
**  ceive  the  juft  Reward  of  your  Villainy.  Do  not  you  know 
**  that  I  requited  the  Murder  of  Saul,  when  he,  who  had  taken 
*'  away  that  facred  Life,  had  the  Confidence  to  bring  me  his 
*'  golden  Crown,  for  an  Oftentation  of  the  Service  he  had  done 
*'  me  in  it  ?  And  yet  it  was  at  the  Inftance  of  Saul  that  he  did  it, 
**  and  to  prevent  the  Indignity  of  his  being  taken  alive  by  his 
"  Enemies.  And  am  not  I  the  fame  Man  now  that  I  was 
"  then  ?  Or  do  you  think  that  I  am  turn  d  fo  abandon'd  a  Wretch 
"  fmce,  as  to  countenance  the  moft  profligate  of  Men  and  Aftions, 
*' or  to  account  myfelf  under  any  Obligation  to  you,  for  cipp- 
"  ing  your  Hands  (upon  my  Account,  as  you  would  have  it 
"  thought)  in  the  Blood  of  your  Lord  ?  For  cutting  the  Throat 
"  of  a  Perfon  (and  in  his  Bed  too)  fo  juft,  that  he  never  did 
"  any  Man  Wrong,  and  fo  generous  a  Patron  and  Benefaftor  to 

"  your 


372  The  mpry  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

'  A,  M.  When  IJhhojheth  was  dead,  all  the  Tribes  of  Ifraelknx. 
A^ntf  Chrift.  ^^^^"^  Deputies  to  David,  acknowledging  his  Title,  and 
1055,  &c.  promifing  him  their  Allegiance,  upon  Condition  that 
FromaSam-i^g  would  reign  righteoufly  \  over  them;  fo  that  now 
,he  was  anointed  King  over  all  the  Tribes,  after  that  he  had 

reign' d  zt  Hebron,  over  T'hzt  of  Judah  only,  for  the  Space 

of  feven  Years  and  fix  Months. 
Be  takes  }t-     Being  thus  invefted  with  full  regal  Power,  and  having 
^enlJTesit"  X  ^  Multitude  of  brave  and  gallant  Soldiers  to  attend  him, 
^     '  he 

"  your  ungrateful  Selves,  that  all  the  Advantages  you  can  pre- 
"  tend  to  in  this  World,  are  but  what  you  ftand  indebted  for 
"  to  his  Bounty  and  Goodnefs.  You  fhall  therefore  now  be  fure 
"  to  pay,  both  for  your  Breach  of  Faith  to  your  Mailer,  and 
'*  the  Scandal  you  have  call  upon  me.  For  what  greater  Wound 
"  can  any  Man  give  me  in  my  Reputation,  than  to  expofe  me 
"  for  a  Perfon,  that  can  take  Pleafure  in  the  Tidings,  or  give 
*'  Countenance  to  the  committing,  of  fo  barbarous  an  Afiafli- 
"  nate  ?  "  Jc'voijh  Antiq.  lib.  vii.  c.  2.  Which  Speech  of 
Davids  has  a  good  deal  of  the  Spirit  of  Alexander  the  Great  in 
it,  whofe  exadting  of  Punifhment  of  Bejfus  for  his  Murder  of 
Darius,  drew  from  the  Hijiorian  this  Refleftion.  Reputabat 
enim,  non  tarn  hojiem  fuumfuiJfeT)2iri\xra,  quam  Amicum  ejus,  a 
quo  ejjet  occifus.     Juftin,  lib.  xii.  c.   6. 

-f-  This  was  David's,  Part  of  the  Covenant,  which  the  Elders 
of  Jfrael  fuggefled  to  him  in  a  very  elegant  Metaphor,  which 
here  occurs  the  lirll  Time,  though  afterwards  it  is  frequently 
us'd  in  facred  Writ,  efpecially  in  the  Prophets,  as  well  as  fome 
profane  Authors.     The  Expreflion  is,  Thou  Jhalt  feed  my 

People  Ifrael ;  which  was  the  rather  made  ufe  of,  to  put  David 
in  Mind,  that  he  was  created  a  King,  not  fo  much  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  his  own  Honour  and  Intereft,  as  for  the  Good 
and  Benefit  of  the  Community,  which  he  was  to  rule  with  all 
Tendernefs,  and  watch  over  with  all  Diligence.  The  very 
Manner  of  the  Expreflion  implies,  that  Kings  ought  to  have  the 
fame  Care  for  their  People,  as  the  Shepherd  has  over  his  Flock  ; 
and  that,  as  the  Shepherd  is  not  the  Owner  of  the  Sheep  he 
keeps,  fo  fhould  no  King  look  upon  his  Subjedls  as  his  own 
Peculium,  but  as  a  Flock  committed  to  him  by  the  only  true 
Xord  of  all  Mankind,  and  to  whom  he  mull  give  an  Account 
of  his  Adminiftration.  For  this  is  the  greateji  Grace  of  a  King, 
that  he  certainly  believes  hi  mf elf  to  be  made  a  King  by  God  for  the 
Sake  of  the  People  ;  and  let  hijn  often  call  to  Mind,  that  the  Peo- 
ple 'ujere  not  created,  or  ordain  d,  by  God  for  the  King,  fays  Conradus 
PJicarius  upon  tlicfe  Words.  Patrick\  Commentary,  and  PooP^ 
Annotations. 

+  In  this  Account  of  David\  WdNhies,    which  are  mention'd 
both  \x\  ilie  fecond  Bock  of  Samud,  and  the  hril  of  Chronichs, 

there 


Chap.   IV.    from flbe Kraelkes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     373 

he  made  his  firft  Expedition  againft  Jerufalem,  to  difpoflefs    A.  l^ 
the  Jebu/ites  of  the  Fort  of  Zion,  which  commanded  thcA^t^chfirt. 
City,  and  was  thought  fo  impregnable,  that,  when  he  fum-1055,  &c. 
mon'd  the  Befieg'd  to  furrender,  they,  in  Derifion,  re-J"'°^^.s»""- 
ply'd,  that  the  Meaneft  of  them  all(t  their  Blind  znALame)^ 
were  able  to  defend  it  againft  all  he  could  do.     This  in- 
cens'd  David  to  fuch  a  Degree,  that  he  caus'd  Proclama- 
tion to  be  made  through  the  Camp,   that,  whoever  firft 
took  the  Fort,  fhould  be  made  Clflp/^^m-G^w^r^/ of  all  his 
Forces;  whereupon  Joab,  who  was  a  bold,    puftiing  Man, 
undertook  to  ftorm  it,  and  carry'd  it  Sword  in  Hand.     Af- 
ter this,  David,  for  the  Reception  of  his  Guards  and  Do- 
mefticks,  enlarg'd  the  Buildings  of  the  Place,    and  made 

A  a  3  it 

there  is  a  great  Difference  of  Names,  and  the  Reafon  is,  becaufe 
the  Catalogue  in  Chronicles  V!Z.s  made  in  the  Beginning  oi  David's 
Reign,  that  in  Samuel,  at  the  latter  End  ;  and  fo  the  former 
mentions  thofe  Men,  who  had  help'd  Dwvid  to  his  Settlement  in 
the  Kingdom,  whereas  the  latter  takes  Notice  of  thofe,  who 
had  ftuck  to  him  all  the  Time  of  his  Reign,  and  died  in  his 
Service.     Bedford's  Scripture  Chronology,  lib.  v.  c.  5. 

-f-  The  Blind  and  the  Lame,  fays  Luther  upon  this  Place,  ivere 
the  Idols  of  the  Jebljfites,  nuhich,  to  irritate  David,  they  fet  upon 
their  Walls,  as  their  Patrons  and  Proteilors  ;  and  thefe  they  call 
blind  and  lame  farcajiically,  and  with  Refpeft  to  Danjid's  Opi- 
nion :  As  if  they  had  faid,  "  Thefe  Gods  of  ours,  whom  ye 
•'  Ifraelites  reproach,  as  blind  and  lame,  and  fo  unable  to  direifl 
*'  or  defend  us,  will  fecure  us  againft  you,  and,  to  your  Coft, 
"  make  you  find,  that  they  are  neither  hlin^  nor  lajne,  but  have 
"  Eyes  to  watch  for  us,  and  Hands  to  fight  againft  you,  fo  that 
"  you  muft  conquer  and  fubdue  them,  before  you  take  this  Place." 
But  this  Interpretation  feems  to  be  a  little  too  metaphorical  and 
forc'd,  for  which  Reafon  we  have  rather  chofen  the  Conftruftion 
which  Jofephus  (lib.  vii.  c.  z.)  puts  upon  this  Paflage,  viz. 
that  they  imagin'd  their  Fortrefs  to  be  fo  impregnable,  that,  by 
Way  of  Contempt,  they  told  David,  that  their  very  Bliitd  and 
Lame  would  be  able  to  defend  it  againft  him  and  all  his  Forces  : 
And  this  is  a  Senfe  fo  extremely  plain  and  obvious,  that  the  re- 
nown'd  Bochart  wonders,  why  any  Man  of  Learning  Ihould 
leek  for  any  other.  The  only  Exception  to  it  is,  that  thefe 
Blind  and  Lame  (which  were  rather  Objefts  of  Compaffion)  are 
faid  to  have  been  extremely  hated  by  David.  But  we  may  obferve, 
that  David  here  retorts  the  Sarcafm  upon  them  ;  The  Lame  and 
Blind,  i.  e.  thofe  who  are  fet  to  defend  the  Place,  and  who,  as 
they  pretended,  were  to  be  only  the  Lame  and  the  Blind.  And 
thefe  were  hateful  to  David,  becaufe  they  had  wickedly  and  in- 
folently  defy'd  the  Armies  of  the  living  God.  PooFi  Annota* 
tions,  Patrick's  and  Le  Ckrc's  Commentaries. 


374  ^^s  Hipry  of  the  BIBLE,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  it  his  Royal  Palace  ;  while  Joab  repair'd  and  beautify'd  the 
Ant!^Chrift.°^'^  City  Jebus^  OX  Jerufahn,  for  the  more  commodious 
1055,  &c.  Habitation  of  his  Subjects. 

From  2  Sam.      |  HIRAM,  who  had  lately  made  himfelf  King  of  Tyre 
^       _'_^and  Sidon,  hearing  how  profperous  David  was  in  all  his  Af- 
Sub,iuci  the   fairs,  fent  an  Embafly  to  congratulate  his  Acceffion  to  the 
Philiitine     Throne,  and  withal  a  Prefent  of  Cedar-Trees,  with  Car- 
"""'•       penters  and  other  Artificers  to  affift  him  in  his  Buildings.  But 
the  Phili/line  Princes  had  other  Notions  of  David's  grow- 
ing Greatnefs,  which  they  took  for  a  fure  Prefage  of  their 
own  13ownfal ;  and  therefore,  to  put  a  Stop  to  it  as  foon  as 
poflible,  they  rais'd  onegreat  Army,  (which  as  theyapproach'd 
to  Jerufalem)  he  defeated  ;  and,  the  next  Year,  when  they 
came  f  with  a  much  larger,  God  manifeftly  interpos'd  in 
his  Favour.     For,  inftead  of  advancing  directly  upon  them, 
he  order'd  him   to  take  a  Compafs  round  by  a  Wood  of 
Mulberry -Trees,  which  would  cover  and  conceal  his  March, 
and,  when  he  heard  a  Sound,  or  Rufhing,  in  the  Trees, 
(which  would  afFrighten  the  Philijiines)  then  to  fall  upon 
them ;  which  he  accordingly  did,  and  gave  them  fo  total  a 
Defeat,  that,  for  many  Years  after,  they  never  pretended 
to  give  Ifrael  any  more  Difturbance. 
And  brings       This  Time    of   Reft,    and    publick  Security,    David 
bme  the  Ark  thon^t  a  propcr  Scafon,  wherein   to  bring  home  the  Ark 
ro  Jerufalem,  of  Qq(j  (which  for  almoft  fifty  Years  had  continu'd  in  the 

but  21  not  at-  *  ■'  U       r 

icw'dtohuiid  tiouie 

.  «  Temfle, 

•f-  Ah'ihalus  was  his  primitive  Name,  but  before  he  enter'd  into 
a  League  of  Amity  with  Daaiid,  he  chang'd  it  to  Hiram,  that 
fo  it  might  be  the  ftanding  Name  of  him  and  his  Succejfors,  as 
Pharaoh,  and  after  that  Ptolemy,  in  Egypt,  Ahimelech  among  the 
Philijiines,  and  Cafar  among  the  Ro7nan  Emperors.  The  Name, 
in  their  Language,  figniiies,  he  lives  that  is  exalted  ;  or,  let  him 
live  ivho  is  exalted,  i.  e.  Let  the  Kiftg  live  for  ever  ;  and  his 
fending  to  David  only  under  this  Name,  is  the  true  Reafon  why 
no  other  Name  is  mentioned  in  Scripture.  Bedford's  Scripture 
Chronology,  lib.  v.  c.  4. 

f  It  cannot  well  be  fuppos'd,  that  the  Philijlijies)  out  of  their 
fmall  Territories,  could  produce  fuch  vaft  Numbers  of  Men  as 
they  brought  againft  the  Jfraelites  ;  and  therefore  the  Remark, 
which  Jofephus  makes,  helps  to  explain  this  Matter,  viz.  that 
Syria  and  Phoenicia,  as  vjell  as  feveral  other  voarlike  Nations, 
ixere  engaged  in  this  Confederacy  :  But  this  caniTtOt  be  meant  of 
Hiram,  who  w  as  in  a  League  of  the  ftriftdt  Amity  with  David, 
but  of  fuch  Phasnicians  only  as  would  not  fubmit  to  him,  and 
therefore  join'd  with  the  Philifines,  firft  to  fubdue  his  Ally,  and 
then  to  fubdue  liim,  before  his  Government  could  be  fettled. 
Bedford's  Scripture  Chronology,  lib.  v.  c.  4. 


Chap.  IV. /r^»?//&^irraelites  f«/m«g- Canaan,  ^c,        375 

Houfe  of  Jbinadab)  into  a  Place  which  he  had  prepar'd  for    ^-  ^ 
it  in  his  own  City.     To  this  Purpofe,  attended  with  the  Am^'chrlft. 
f  principal  Men  of  the  Nation,  and  the  chief  Officers  of  lo^s,  &c. 
his  Court,  together  with  a  ftrong  Guard  for  the  Convoy  .^'^°'"  ~.^^"'' 
of  the  Ark,  in  cafe  any  Enemy  Ihould  attempt  tofurprife/ 
them,    he   came  to   Kirjath-jearim :  But,  either   through 
Inadvertency,  or  Negledl  of  the  (a)   Divine  Law,  which 
oblig'd  them  to  carry  it  upon  Men's  Shoulders,  they,   in 
Imitation   of  the   Philijiines^  put  it  in  a  Cart,  and  when 
the  Cart  had  like  to  have  been  overturn'd,  Uzzahy  who 
was  one  of  its  Drivers,  taking  hold  of  the  Ark   to  pre- 
vent its  falling,  was  immediately   ftruck  dead   upon    the 
Spot;  fo  that,  David,  terrify'd  at  this  Judgment,  durll 
not  at  that  Time  carry  it  into  Jerufalem,  but  left  it  near 
the  City,  in  the  Houfe  of  Obed-Edom,  a  Levite,  whom 
God  blefled  with  a  large  Increafe  of  all  his  Subftance,  for  the 
little  Time  that  it  continu'd  with  him.     In  the  Space  of 
three  Months,  the  King  recollecting  that  none  were  to 
carry  the  Ark,  but  the  Levites,  tho'  they  themfelves  were 
exprefsly  forbidden  (b)  to  touch  it,  he  adventur'd  to  remove 
it  from  Obed- Edam's,  which  he  did    in  great  Form  and 
Solemnity.     The  Levites,  who  were  to  bear  the  Ark  on 
their  Shoulders,    he    caus'd   to    be   fanSiify'd;    Himfelf, 
cloath'd  in  a  Linen  Ephod,  and  f  dancing  before  it,  brought 
it  into  a  convenient  Place,  which  he  had  prepar'd  for  it ; 

A  a  4  offer 'd 

-}•  It  is  fuppos'd  by  feme,  that  this  bringing  back  of  the  Ark 
was  appointed  to  be  on  on'e  of  the  three  great  Fejiivals  ;  and  the 
Reafon,  why  Danjid  might  fummon  fo  many  of  his  principal 
Minifters  and  Officers  to  accompany  him  in  the  Expedition, 
might  be,  to  poiTefs  the  young  People,  who  perhaps  liad  heard 
little  or  nothing  of  the  Ark,  by  Reafon  of  its  having  been  ab- 
fent  fo  long ,  with  a  mighty  Veneration  for  it,  when  they  faw 
the  King,  and  fo  many  of  the  chief  Nobility,  waiting  on  it, 
with  fuch  a  Variety  of  Mufick,  and  fuch  publiek  Declarations 
of  Joy.     Miller's  Hiftory  of  the  Church.l 

[«}  Numb.  iv.   15.  (;^)  Numb.  iv.    15.  and  xviii.   3. 

-}■  Straho  tells  us,  that  it  was  cuftomary  among  the  Greeks  as 
well  as  other  Nations,  to  ufe  Mufick  and  Dancing  in  the  Pro- 
ceffions  before  their  Gods,  lib.  x.  CalUmachus  mentions  the 
Chori,  and  Dancings  of  the  Youth  at  the  Altar  of  Jpollo  1 
Plato  obferves,  that,  among  the  Egyptians,  all  Kinds  of  Mufick 
Songs,  and  Dances,  were  confecrated  to  their  Gods,  De  Lcgibus, 
Jib.  iii.  And  even  Lucia?!  [de  Saltatione)  exprefsly  fays,  that 
among  the  Ancients,  no  Ceremonial  of  Religion,  no  Expiation, 
no  Atonement  was   accounted  rightly   accomplifh'd  without 

Dancinii. 


31^  The  Hijiory  of  the  BIB  L  E,     Book  V. 

^'  ^   ofFer'd  a  great  Quantity  of  *  Sacrifices  upon  this  Occafion ; 
A^tf  Chrift!^"*^'  with  the  reft  of  the  Company  that  attended  this  So- 
X0S5,  sff.  lemnity,  feafted  and  rejoic'd. 
From  2  Sam.     ^  fjis  Wik  Michal,  who   was  5^«/'s  Daughter,  and 

>.    to    XIX.  '  °  1 

proud 

Dancing.  So  that  Da'vid  was  far  from  being  Jtngular  in  his 
Behaviour  upon  this  Occafion  ;  nor  was  his  Behaviour  in  this 
particular  any  Difparagement  to  his  Regal  Dignity.  His Danchig^ 
i.  e.  his  moving  in  certain  ferious  and  folemn  Meafures,  fuited 
to  Mufick  of  the  fame  Charafter  and  Tendency,  was  an  Ex- 
crcifejhighly  conducive  to  the  Purpofes  of  Piety,  and  his  mixing 
■with  the  publick  Feftivities  of  his  People,  was  a  Condefcenlion 
(as  Tacitus  relates  of  Augujius  the  Roman  Emperor)  not  unbe- 
coming the  greateft  Monarch.  Policy  taught  Augujius  to  put 
himfelfupon  a  Level  with  his  Subjedls,  in  their  publick  Rejoic- 
ings ;  Riety  taught  Da'vid,  that  all  Men  are  upon  a  Level  in  the 
Solemnities  of  Religion.  So  that  Da'vid  was  not  fingular  in 
his  Behaviour  upon  this  Occafion.  Patrick's  Commentary,  and 
the  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  David.  Vol.  II. 

*  The  Words  in   the  Text  are.  And  it  'was  fot  that 

nvhen  they,  that  bare  the  Ark  of  the  Lord,  had  gone  fix  Paces, 
he  facrificed  Oxen  and  Failings,  2  Sam.  vi.  13.  From  which 
Words  fome  would  infer,  that  Da'vid,  having  meafur'd  the 
Ground  between  Obed-Edom's  Houfe,  and  the  Place  he  had 
built  for  the  Reception  of  the  Ark,  had  Altars  rais'd,  at  the 
Diftance  of  every  f,x  Paces,  whereon  he  caus'd  Sacrifices  to  be 
ofFer'd,  as  the  Ark  pafs'd  by.  But  it  is  eafy  to  imagine,  what 
a  World  of  Confufion  this  would  create  in  the  Proceffion  ;  and 
therefore  the  more  rational  Conftruftion  is,  that  after  thofe, 
who  carry 'd  the  Ark,  had  advanced  fix  Paces,  without  any  fuch 
Token  of  Divine  Wrath  as  Uzzah  had  undergone,  then  did  they 
oiFer  a  Sacrifice  of  Thankfgiving  to  God,  which  might  confift 
of  feveral  living  Creatures,  all  facrificed  and  ofFer'd  up  at  once. 
But  even  fuppofing,  that,  at  fet  Diftances,  there  were  Sacrifices 
all  along  the  Way  that  they  went ;  yet  we  are  to  know,  that  it 
was  no  unufual  Thing  for  Heathens  to  confer  on  their  Gods, 
nay,  even  upon  their  Emperors,  the  fame  Honours,  that  we  find 
Da'vid  here  beflowing  upon  the  Ark  of  the  God  of  Ifrael.  For 
in  this  Manner  (as  Suetonius  tells  us)  was  Otho  receiv'd,  cum  per 
omne  Iter,  dextrd  finijirdque,  oppidatim  ViSlimee  caderentur: 
And  the  like  he  relates  of  Caligula  :  Ut  a  Mifeno  mo'vit,  inter 
Altaria,  ^  ViSlimas,  ardentefriue  tadas,  denfijfimo  ob'viorum 
agmine  incejjit.     Calmefs  Commentary. 

f  After  that  Da'vid  was  by  Saul  banifh'd  from  Court,  and 
forc'd  to  feek  for  Shelter  in  foreign  Countries  :  Saul,  to  cad 
the  more  contempt  upon  him,  gave  his  Wife  away  to  one  Phalti, 
.{or  Phaltiel)   Son  of  Lai/h  of  Gallim ;    but   Da'vid,    when  he 

came 


C  H  A  p .  I V.    from  the  Ifrae  1 1  tes  entering  Can  aan ,  ^c,       377 

proud  perhaps  upon  Account  of  her  Pedigree,  f  upbraided    ^'  ^ 
him,  upon  this  Occafion,  with  his  Humility,  as  a  Dimi- Ant.  Chrift. 
nution  of  his  regal  Dignity  ;  but  he,  in  Reply  to  thefarcaf- 1055,  ^■<:- 
tick  Manner  wherein  (he  fpake  it,  only  told  her,  «  That,^'°^  ^J""* 
*'  what  he  had  done  was  in  Honour  of  that  God,  who  had  ' 
**  chofen  him   to  govern    Ifrael,  rather    than  any  of  her 
*'  Family  ;  and  that  fuch  Condefcenfions  as  thefe,  would 
*'  never  bring  him  under  any  juft  Contempt." 

By  this  Time,  the  Palace,  which  Hiram,  King  of 
Tyre,  had  furnifh'd  David  with  Men  and  Materials  to 
build,  was  finifti'd  j  and,  as  he  was   refledjng  upon  the 

Meannefs 

came  to  the  Crown  of  Judah,  had  her  reftor'd  to  him  again  ; 
for  which  Purpofe,  he  fent  Meflengers  to  IJhboJheth,  who  then 
reign'd  over  the  Eleven  Tribes  at  Mahanaim,  to  demand  her, 
and  who,  according  to  that  Demand,  took  her  from  Phaltiet, 
and  fent  her  back  to  Dwvid.  The  Hebrews  pretend  that  Phaltiel 
never  came  near  Michal,  who,  in  Striftnefs,  could  not  be  his 
Wife,  becaufe  fhe  had  never  been  divorc'd  by  Da'vid;  but  others 
believe,  that  {he  had  five  Sons  by  Phaltiel,  which  were  given  up 
to  the  Gibeonites  to  be  executed,  as  is  related,  2  Sam.  xxi.  8,  9. 
But,  in  this  Place,  there  feems  to  be  an  Error  crept  into  the 
Text,  which  fhould  be  read  Merob,  inftead  of  Michal.  Calmet's 
Diftionary,  under  the  Word  Michal. 

•f-  The  Words  of  Michal,  wherein  fhe  upbraids  Damd,  are 
thefe  :  — — —  Honx}  glorious  ixjas  the  King  of  Ifrael  to  Day,  nvho 
uncovered  himfelf  to  Day,  in  the  Eyes  of  the  Handmaids  of  his 
Servants,  as  one  of  the  vain  Fellovus Jhameltfsly  uncovereth  himfelfl 
2  Sam.  vi.  20.  At  firft  reading,  they  feem  to  intimate,  that 
David,  in  his  Dancing,  had  expos'd  his  naked  Body,  and  afted, 
fome  Way  or  other,  immodeftly  :  But  thefe  Words,  we  are  to 
confider,  were  fpoken  in  a  fit  of  FafTion,  and  when  Michal  was 
niinded  to  aggravate  Matters ;  for  it  is  not  to  be  doubted,  but 
that  David  kept  himfelf  within  the  Bounds  of  Modefty,  how- 
joyous  foever  he  might  be.  It  was  a  Command  which  God 
gave  the  Ifraelites,  that  they  fhould  rejoice  in  their  Feafls,  Deut. 
xii.  7.  but  then,  their  Joy  was  not  to  be  lafcivious  or  petulant, 
but  pious  and  moderate.  In  the  Cafe  before  us,  David  was  in 
the  more  immediate  Prefence  of  God,  and  about  a  very  facred 
Bufinefs ;  and  therefore  it  is  incongruous  to  think,  that  he  would 
commit  any  Thing  immodeft  :  And,  that  he  could  not  expofe 
his  Nakednefs  (as  his  Wife  would  infinuate)  is  evident  from  his 
having  not  only  an  Ephod  on,  but  being  cloathed  vuith  a  Robe  of 
fine  Linen,  befidcs  his  ufual  Under-Garments,  i  Chron.  xv.  27. 
and  therefore,  tho'  his  putting  off  his  Regal  Robes  might  give 
fome  Occafion  to  Michafs  Expreffion  of  his  uticovering  himfelf, 
yet  it  mufl  be  own'd,  that  this  opprobrious  Term  proceeded  from 
nothing,  but  the  overflowing  Spleen  of  a  proud  paffionate  Wo- 
man.   Calmet^  and  Patriik\  Commentaries. 


3/3  ^    rhe  Eipry  of  the  BIB'L'E,     Book  V. 

•Z949,  &-C.  Meannefs  of.  God's  Habitation  in  Comparifon  of  his  own. 

Am  Chiifi.it  came  imo  his  Mind  to  build  a  noble  Fabrick  for  his  re- 

l°^'^\f'^'  '''gious  Worfhip,  which  Defign  he  communicated  tot  ■^^- 

i.'to  xix.   '  tl-"'n.     Nathan^    at  firft,  approv'd  of  it;   but,  the  Night 

v—vikJ following,  he  was  commanded  to  forbid  it,  with  this  A ffi;- 

rance,  that  God   accepted  of  his  fmcere  Intentions ;   pro- 

mis'd  that  his  Son  (hould  fucceed  him,  and  build  him  a 

Temple  ;    and  that  his   Pofterity  Ihould  reign  f  for  many 

Generations. 

Hit  v,nories     DAVID  was  a  Man  of  War,  and  therefore,  fmce  God 

abroad.        j^2^  refus'd  him   the  Privilege  of  building  him  a  Temple, 

and  had  referv'd  that  Work  for  his  Son  Solomon  (whofe 

Name  denotes  peaceable)  to  execute,  he  thought  himfelf 

bound  to  fubdue  all  his  Enemies  on  every  Side,  that,  when 

his  Son  came    to  undertake  that  great  Affair,  he  might 

meet  with  as  little  Moleftation  as  poffible. 

In  the  Beginning  of  his  Reign,  the  Pbillji'ines  bad 
twice  invaded  him,  and  therefore  he  began  with  them. 
Their  Ro}'al  City  of  Gath^  which  was  call'd  Me- 
iheg-^mmah^  or  the  Bridge  of  Ammah^  (becaufe  it 
'  ftood  upon  an  Hill  of  that  Name,  and  was  a  Bridle  to 
curb  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  and  keep  them  in  Obedience) 
he  took  and  made  it  a  Barrier  againft  themfelves.  The 
Mcabites  he  utterly  fubdu'd  ;  and,  having  difmantled  all 

their 

-f-  At  what  Time  this  Prophet  began  to  appear  in  Ifrael,  we 
are  no  where  inform'd.  This  is  the  firft  Time,  that  the  Scripture 
makes  mention  of  him.  He  was  a  Man  of  great  Temper,  Pru- 
dence, and  fine  Addrefs,  who  knew  how  to  mitigate  the  Rigour 
of  his  Reproofs  with  a  great  deal  of  Sweetnefs  and  Wifdom , 
which  qualify 'd  him  fo  well  for  the  Converfation  of  Kings,  and 
other  great  Perfons.  He  was  always  equally  efteemed  and  belo- 
ved by  David,  and,  in  his  Conduft  towards  him,  malntain'd  a 
juft  Medium,  between  an  inflexible  Aulterity,  and  a  fervile  Flat- 
tery.    Calmet's  Commentary. 

f  The  Words  in  the  Text  are, 1 ivill ejiablijh  the  Throne 

of  his  Kingdom  for  ever  ;  which,  in  their  primary  Senfe,  do  re- 
late to  the  terreftrial  Kingdom  of  Danjid'^  Family,  and  the  long 
Duration  of  it,  enough  to  juftify  the  Expreffion/w-  e'ver,  taken 
in  a  lefs  ftrift  Signification  :  But  if  we  take  it  in  a  more  fublime 
and  abfolute  SenTe,  it  can  belong  to  none,  but  that  Son  of  Da- 
'vid,  to  whom  God  the  Father  gave  an  fto;;«/ Kingdom  (properly 
Yo  called)  over  all  Things  bodi  in  Heaven  and  Earth,  which, 
tho'  it  was  not  fo  well  known  in  the  Times,  when  this  Prophecy 
was  utter'd,  was,  by  the  Event  afterwards,  made  plain  and  evi^ 
dent.     Le  C/erc's  Commentary. 


CttAP.  IV.    from  the  KntWtt^  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      379 

their  ftrong  Places,  he  f  flew  the  greater  Part  of   them,    ^  m. 
referving  fuch    only,  as  were  requifite  to  till  the  Ground.  ^^^^^'0^,1^, 
From  hence  he  mach'd  his  Army  to  fecure  his  Territories,  1055,  &e. 
which  border'd  upon  the  Euphrates,    The  Syrians  of  Zobah,Y'^°™  iSam. 
under  the  Command  of  f  Hadadezer^  came  with  a  ftrong , ' 
Force,  and  gave  him  Battle;  but  he  foon  routed  them,  and, 
befides  a  great  Number  of  Foot-Prifoners,  took  a  thoufand 
Chariots,  and  f even  thoufand  Horfemen  that  attended  them; 
but,  referving  to  himfelf  no  more  Horfes,  than  were  ne- 

ceflary 

f  There  is  no  fmall  Obfcurity  in  the  Words  of  the  Text» 
which  are  thefe  :  ■  He /mote  Moab,  andmeafured  them  ivith 

ti  Line,  cafting  them  donun  to  the  Ground ^  e'ven  in  tivo  Lines  meo' 
fured  he  to  put  to  Death,  and  ivith  one  Line  to  keep  ali<ve :  Which 
Words  feem  to  allude  to  a  Cuftom  among  the  Kings  of  the  Ea/i, 
when  they  were  thoroughly  incens'd  againft  any  Nation,  172:. 
to  make  the  Captives  all  come  together  in  one  Place,  and  prof- 
trate  themfelves  upon  the  Ground  ;  that,  being  divided  into 
two  Parts,  as  it  were  with  a  Line,  their  Conqueror  might  ap- 
point which  Part  he  pleas'd,  either  for  Death,  or  Life,  which 
was  fometimes  determined  by  cafting  of  Lots.  Some  are  of 
Opinion  that  Da'vid  mzde  three  Lots,  or  Parts,  of  thefe  Moabites^ 
two  of  which  he  order'd  to  be  flain,  and  one  Part  only  to  be 
kept  alive.  The  Reafon  of  this  his  Severity  againft  thefe  mife- 
rable  People,  the  Rabbins  affure  us,  was,  becaufe  they  had  llain 
his  Parents,  and  Brethren,  whom  he  had  committed  to  the  Cuf- 
tody  of  the  King  of  Moab,  during  his  Exile.  But  of  the  Reali- 
ty of  this  Motive,  there  is  no  Manner  of  Appearance;  and  fince 
this  Execution,  which  Damd  inflided,  may  relate  either  to  the 
whole  Nation,  or  the  Army  only,  to  clear  Da'vid  from  the  Im- 
putation of  too  much  Cruelty,  we  fhould  rather  conceive  it  of 
the  Third,  or  Half  Part  at  moft,  of  the  Army.  Le  C/en's  and 
Calmefs  Commentaries. 

-|-  In  the  Fragment  of  Nicholaus  Damafcenus  which  Jofephus 
has  preferv'd,  this  Prince  is  fimply  called  Adad,  which  was  the 
common  Name  of  the  Kings  of  Syria,  who,  according  ro  the 
Manner  of  other  eaftem  Princes,  took  their  Titles  from  the  ce- 
leftial  Bodies,  and,  in  their  Language,  Adad  fignifies  the  Sun. 
The  Fragment,  recorded  by  Jofephus,  is  to  this  EfFedl :  . 

A  long  'Time  after,  one  Adad,  a  •valiant  Man,  attd  a  Nati've  ofth^ 
Place,  had  the  Command  of  Damafcus  and  Syria,  Phoenicia  only 
excepted.  There  happened  to  be  a  War  betvjcen  the  fame  Adad,  arid 
David,  the  King  of  the  Jews,  and  fever  al  Eitcounters  bet'voeen  them ; 
but,  in  the  End,  Adad  -Mas  overcome  at  Euphrates,  behaving  him- 
felf with  the  Refolution  of  a  brave  Prince,  and  a  great  Captain. 
The  fame  Author,  fpeaking  farther  of  his  Pofterity,  fays,  ■..-■■ 
That  the  Government  vjas  handed  dovjn  from  Father  to  Son,  to  the 
Tenth  Generation,  and  that  the  Succeffor  fiill  received  the  Fathers 
Name  vjith  the  Empire,  as  the  Ptolemies  did  among  the  Egyptians. 
Jevjifif  Antiq.  Lib.  vii,  c.  6. 


380  "the  Hijiory  of  the  Bl'&l.  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    cefTary  for  an  hundred  Chariots,  the   reft  he  ham  /iring'd, 

Antf^Chrift.  ^^  make  them  unferviceable  for  War.     f  The  Syrians  of 

1055,  fife,   Damafcus^  hc';ix'mg  oi  HadadezerWW  Succefs,  came  to  his 

From  2  Sam.  Afliftance  :  But  David  put  them  to  the  Rout  likewife,  and, 

I  having  flain  two  and  twenty  Thoufand  of  them,  he  became 

Mafter  of  their  Country  ;  put  Garrifons  into  their  Fortify'd 

Cities,  and  made  them  Tributary  ;  and  (what  was  another 

Vidlory  in  this  Expedition)  in  his  Return  from  Syria^  he  en- 

gag'd    a  great  Body  of  EdomiUs  f  in  the  Falley  of  Salt ; 

flew  eighteen  thoufand  of  them,  and  brought  them  under 

the  like  Subje6^ion. 

Thus  loaded  with  Honours  and  Spoils  Z)tfwW  return'd 
from  this  Campaign  j  but  all  the  rich  Materials,  that  he 
had  compil'd  together,  viz.  Gold,  Silver,  and  Brafs,  he 
dedicated  to  the  Lord,  or  laid  them  up  for  the  future  Ufe 
of  the  Temple  :  And  (what  was  no  fmall  Addition  to  his 
Store)  Toi,  the  King  of  Hamah,  hearing  of  his  Vidtories, 
fent  his  own  Son  to  congratulate  him  thereupon,  and,  in  a 
large  Prefent  of  Veflels  of  Gold,  and  Veflfels  of  Silver,  &c. 
to  acknowledge  his  Kindnefs  in  breaking  the  Power  of 
his  moft  inveterate  Enemies. 
jtrd  chief  All  the  whllc  that  David  was  thus  engag'd  in  foreign 
Minifiert  tf'Wars,  he  took  Care  to  have  Juftice  adminifter'd  to  his 
Subjects  at  home,    and  a  certain  Number  of  very  great 

Men 

+  Jram  Damafek,  which  we  tranflate  Syria  of  Damafcus, 
was  that  Part  of  Syria,  which  lay  between  Lihanus  sindi  Antiliba- 
nus,  whofe  chief  City  was  Damafcus,  fituate  in  a  Valley,  called 
by  feveral  Names  in  Scripture,  and  water'd  by  five  Rivers,  the 
two  principal  of  which,  niiz.  Abana  and  Pharphar  (mention'd  in 
2  Kings  V.  12.)  defcended  from  Mount  Herman;  whereof  the 
latter  wafh'd  the  Walls  of  DaTiiafcus,  and  the  other  ran  through 
it,  and  divided  the  City  into  two  Parts.     Patrick's  Commentary. 

f  The  Valley  of  Salt  here  is  thought  by  many  to  be  the  Place 
adjoining  to  the  Dead-Sea  :  But,  as  the  Country  of  the  Edomites, 
whom  Damd  fubdu'd  in  his  Return  from  his  Expedition  into  Sy- 
ria, mull  neceflarily  lie  towards  the  Eafi  of  Canaan,  we  murt: 
look  for  feme  other  Valley  of  Salt  in  the  Confines  of  that  Coun- 
try. Now,  about  a  League  fouthward  from  the  City  of  Palmy- 
ra, or  Thadmor,  in  the  Road  to  Edom,  we  find  a  large  Plain, 
abounding  with  Salt-Pits,  whence  a  great  Part  of  Syria  is  fur- 
nifh'd  with  that  Commodity  j  and  therefore  it  is  very  probable, 
that  the  Battle  between  Da'vid\  Generals,  and  the  Edomites,  was 
fought  in  this  Plain  ;  which  is  about  two  Days  Journey  from 
Bozrah,  the  capital  City  of  the  euftern  Edom,  whence  the  People 
might  march  out  to  meet  Davids  Forces,  and  oppofe  them  '\\ 
their  Return  home.     Calmtt\  Commentary. 


Chap.  IV.  from  //&^  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     581 

Men  employ'd  in  the  higheft  Offices  of  Truft.     Joab  (as    A.  m 
wefaid  heioTe)-W2LS  Captain-General;   JehoJJjaphat  t  ^/-'^"-Antf'chrift. 
f^/Zor  of  the  Kingdomj  Jbiathar  wns  High-Prie/i;  Seraiah^  ioc,e,.  &c. 
Secretary    of    State  j  Benaiah,  f  Captain  of    his  Guard  ;  F"^"™  ^  S*^"- 
and  his  own  Sons,  the  Prime   Minifters  of  his  Houfhold, ,' 
fuch  as  Lord  Chamberlain^  Lord  Treafurer,  Lord  Steward^ 
as  we  call  them  ;  and  to  thefe  he  added  one  more,  Mephi- 

bojheth^ 

-f-  The  Word,  in  our  Tranflation,  is  Recorder,  which,  in  the 
Marginal  Note,  is  Remembrancer,  or  Writer  of  Chronicles ;  an 
Employment  of  no  mean  Eftimation  in  the  Eajlem  World,  where 
it  was  cuftomary  with  Kings  to  keep  daily  Regifters  of  all  the 
Tranfadtions  of  their  Reigns  ;  and  a  Truft,  which  whoever  dif- 
charg'd  to  Purpofe,  muft  be  let  into  the  true  Springs,  and  Secrets , 
of  Adlion,  and  confequently,  muft  be  receiv'd  into  the  inmoli 
Confidence.  For  whether  the  Office  of  a  Lord  Chancellor  was 
confiftent  with  the  Conftitution  of  the  Je<ujijh  State,  a  modern 
Author  feems  to  doubt.  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  Du'vidt 
Vol.  11. 

f  Thefe  Guards  are  called  in  the  Text  the  Cherethites,  and  the 
Pelethites,  but  who  they  were,  is  varioufly  conjedlur'd.  That 
they  were  Soldiers,  is  evident,  from  their  being  mentioned  as  pre- 
■fent  at  the  Proclamation  of  King  Solomon  againft  Adonijah,  which 
could  not  conveniently  have  been  done  withoutfome  arm'd  Force, 
to  proteft  the  Perfons  who  proclaimed  him  :  And  that  they  were 
not  common  Soldiers,  but  the  conftant  Guards  of  Danjid's  Per- 
fon,  is  manifeft  from  the  Title  of  EwpiaTo^uAaKE.:,  Keepers  of  the 
Body,  which  Jofephus  gives  them.  Some  are  of  Opinion,  that 
they  were  Men  of  a  gigantic  Stature  ;  but  we  find  no  Ground 
for  that,  tho'  they  were  doubtlefs  proper  and  robuft  Men,  (as  we 
fpeak)  and  of  known  Fidelity  to  their  Prince,  2  Sam.  xv.  1 8,  and 
XX.  7.  Others  again  think,  that  they  were  Philijiines  ;  but  it  is 
hardly  fuppofeable,  that  Da'vid  would  have  any  of  thefe  hated, 
uncircumcis'd.  People  to  be  his  Body-Guard ;  neither  can  we  be- 
lieve, that  the  Ifraelitijh  Soldiers  would  have  taken  it  patiently,  to 
fee  Foreigners  of  that  Nation  put  in  fuch  Places  of  Honour  and 
Truft.  Cherethite,  however,  is  certainly  but  another  Name  for 
Philijiine,  as  appears  from  Zephaniah  ii.  5.  and  therefore  the 
Queftion  is,  how  came  any  of  David's  Subjedts  to  be  called  af- 
ter that  Name  ?  And  the  Anfwer  to  this  is  obvious. They 

were  fo  called,  becaufe  they  went  at  firft  with  him  into  Philijiia, 
and  continu'd  there  with  him  all  the  Time,  that  he  was  under 
the  Protedion  of  Achijh.  Thefe  were  the  Perfons  who  accom- 
panied him  from  the  Beginning,  in  his  utmoft  Diftref;,  and  clave 
to  him  in  all  Calamities  ;  and  therefore  it  is  no  Wonder,  if  Men 
of  fuch  approved  Fidelity  were  made  Choice  of  for  his  Body- 
Guard;  nor  is  it  any  uncommon  Thing  in  Hiftory,  for  Legions, 
or  Bands  of  Soldiers,  to  take  their  Names,  not  from  the  Place  of 
their  Nati-vity,  but  tiieir  Rejidence,  and  very  frequently  from  the 

Name 


^82  The  llifiory  of  the  BIB  L  E,     Book  V. 

A-  M.  bo/heth,  the  Son  of  Jonathan,  to  whom  he  reftor'd  all  his 
A^^f  C^Ift  Grandfather  Saul's  Eftate  ;  and,  tho'  he  was  a  Cripple,  f 
1055,  6-f.  and  lame  of  both  his  Peet,  yet,  (for  the  Love  he  had  for  his 
FromaSam.pather)  he  entertain'd  him  with  great  Kindnefs,  and  or- 
I*  — ^"^,  ider'd  him  to  fit  with  his  own  Sons  at  the  royal  Table  every 
^       ^Day. 

Hisfubduirg     DAVID,  not  long  after  this,  hearing  that  his  f  old  Friend 

the  Ammo- Jsfah a Jh  was  dead,  fent  his  Compliments  of  Condolence  to 

Their   Totfty^^^  ^°"  ^^^  SuccefTor  Hanun ;  but  the  great  Men  that  were 

^ratet,       about  the  young   King,  made   him  believe,  that  the  fole 

Intent  of  David's  fending  this  Embafly  was  to  fpy  out  the 

Weaknefs  of  the  City,  and   in  what  Place  it  might  moft 

advantageoufly  be   aflaulted  :    So  that  the  too   credulous 

Prince  order'd  the  Ambafladors  to  be  treated  in  the  moft 

ignominious  Manner,  and,  with  *  their  Beards  half- fhav'd, 

and  their   Clothes  cut  fhort  even  to    the  Middle  of  theif 

Buttocks,  to  be  fent  about  their  Bufmefs. 

Thb 

Name  of  their  Captain  or  Commander.  Since  therefore,  in  i 
Cbron.  xii.  3.  we  find  mention  made  of  one  Pelet,  the  Son  of 
Azmu'veth,  who  reforted  to  Da-vid,  while  he  was  at  Ziklag, 
but  ftill  under  the  Proteftion  of  Achijh ;  'tis  but  fuppofing 
him  to  be  their  Captain,  and  then  we  come  to  the  Reafon, 
why  they  were  called  Pelethites,  unlefs  we  fuppofe  them 
rather  denominated  from  Peleth  Son  of  Jonathan,  who  was  of 
the  King's  own  Tribe.  Patrick''^  Commentary,  PocFs  Annotati- 
ons, and  the  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  Da^id. 

-f  Mcphibojheth  was  very  young,  when  his  Father  Jonathan 
was  killed  at  the  Battle  of  Gilboa,  which  put  his  Nurfe  into  {o 
great  a  Confternation,  that  Ihe  let  the  Child  fall,  as  fhe  was 
making  Hafte  to  efcape  with  him,  and,  from  that  Time,  he  was 
lame  of  both  Feet  ever  after,  2  Sam.  iv.  4. 

\  What  the  particular  Benefits  which  Dwvid  had  receiv'd  from 
Uahajh  were,  we  are  no  where  told  in  Scripture  ;  but  fome  of  the 
Jcvjs  fay,  that  he  fled  to  him,  when  he  durft  ftay  no  longer  with 
AcJnJh  King  of  the  Philijiines,  and  that  he  receiv'd  him  very  kind- 
ly ;  Others,  that  he  entertain'd  his  Relations,  when  the  King  of 
Moab,  to  whom  he  had  committed  them,  flew  fome  of  them  : 
But  the  moft  likely  Opinion  is,  that,  as  he  was  a  bitter  Enemy 
to  Saul,  who  had  given  him  a  great  Overthrow,  he,  for  that 
very  Reafon,  became  a  Friend  to  Da^vid,  when  he  perceiv'd  how 
Saul  perfecuted  him,  and  thereupon  might  fend  him  Relief  and 
Aihtlance,  and  perhaps  ofter  him  Proteftion  in  his  Kingdom. 
Patrick's  Commentary. 

*  This  was  one  of  the  greatefl:  Indignities  that  the  Malice  of 
Man  could  invent,  in  thofe  Countries,  where  all  People  thought 
their  Hair  fo  great  an  Ornament,  that  fome  would  have  rather 

fubmitted 


to  XIX. 


Chap.  IV.   from  ihe  l{ra.ditts  entering  Can3.ar),  ^c.       3S3 

The  Ambafladors,  being  afham'd  to  return  home,  were    A.  m. 
order'd  to  continue  at  Jericho,  until  their  Beards  grew  a-  A^t^  chr[(t. 
gain ;  but,  as  for  the  Indignity  put  upon  them,  David  gave  1055,  a-c. 
them  AfTurance,  that  he  would  refent  it  in  a  proper  Man-^!^°"^  2,Sai». 
ner.     Accordingly  he  lent  an  Army  under  the  Command 
of  Joab,  to  call   thefe  unhofpitable  Jmmonites  to  an  Ac- 
count.    The  /Ammonites  v/ere  appriz'd  of  his  Defign,  and 
therefore  provided  againft  the  worft,  by  procuring  three  and 
thirty  thoufand  Mercenaries  of  the  Syrians,  who  lay  en- 
camp'd  at  fome  Diftance  in  the  Fields,  whilft » their  oWn 
Forces  cover'd  the  City. 

Upon  this  Situation  of  the  Enemy,  Joab  divided  his 
Army  into  two  Bodies,  one  of  which  he  gave  to  his  Bro- 
ther Ahijhai,  to  keep  the  Ammonites  >.n  Play,  while  himfelf 
with  the  other,  which  confifted  of  his  choice  Men,  at- 
tack'd  the  Syrians.  Their  Agreement  was  to  relieve  each 
other,  in  cafe  there  was  Occafion :  But  Joab,  at  the  firfl  On- 
fet,  charg'd  the  Syrians  (o  home,  that  as  they  were  but  Mer- 
cenariesj  and  thought  not  the  Caufe  their  own,  they  foon 

gave 

fubmitted  to  die  than  part  with  it.  What  a  foul  Difgrace  and 
heavy  Puniftiment  this  was  accounted  in  antient  Times,  v/e  may 
learn  from  Nicholaus  Damafcenus,  as  mentioned  by  Stob^us 
(Tit.  42.)  who  fays,  that,  among  the  Indians,  the  King  com- 
manded the  greateft  Offenders  to  be  Jhan)cn,  as  the  heavieft  Pu- 
nifhment  that  he  could  inflift  upon  them  ;  and,  to  the  like  Pur- 
pofe,  Plutarch  (in  Ageftl)  tells  us,  that,  whenever  a  Soldier, 
among  the  Lacedemonians,  was  convifted  of  Convardice,  he  was 
obliged  to  go  with  one  Part  of  his  upper  Lip  fhav'd,  and  the 
other  not.  Nay,  even  at  this  Day,  no  greater  Indignity  can  be 
ofifer'd  to  a  Man  of  Perjia,  than  to  caufe  his  Beard  to  be  fhav'd  ; 
and  therefore,  Tavemier,  in  his  Travels,  relates  the  Story,  that 
when  the  Sophi  caus'd  an  Ambaflador  of  Aureng-zebe's  to  be  us'd 
in  this  Manner,  telling  him,  that  he  was  not  worthy  to  wear  a 
Beard,  the  Emperor  (even  in  the  Manner  as  David  here  did) 
moft  highly  refented  the  Affront  that  was  done  to  him  in  the  Per- 
fon  of  his  Ambaffador.  And,  as  Ihaving  Da'vid's  Ambaffadors 
was  defervedly  accounted  a  grievous  Affront,  fo  the  cutting  off 
half  the  Beard  (which  made  them  look  ftill  more  ridiculous) 
was  a  great  Addition  to  it,  where  Beards  were  held  in  great  Vene- 
ration ;  and,  where  long  Habits  down  to  the  Heels  were  worn 
(eipecially  by  Perfons  of  Diftinduon)  without  any  Breeches  or 
Drawers,  the  cutting  their  Garments,  even  to  the  Middle,  there- 
by to  expofe  their  Nnkedtiefs,  was  fuch  a  brutal  and  ihamelefs  In- 
fiilt,  as  would  badly  become  a  ?/Ian  of  David's  martial  Spirit,  and 
juft  Sentiments  of  Honour,  to  have  tamely  pafs'd  by.  Pair  id's 
and  Calmefs  Commentai"ks. 


From  2Sam 
i.  to  xix 


384  ^e  Hiftory  of  the  ^1^1.  E,     Book  V 

^'  ^-     gaveWay,  which  made  the  Ammonites^  who  depended  much 
Ant.  Chritt.  "Pon  their  Courage,  endeavour  to   fecure  themfelves   by 
1055,  ^C'  retreating  into  their  City  ;  for  the  Seafon  of  the  Year,  be- 
ing too  far  advanc'd,  made  it  impracticable  for  Joab  to  be- 
fiege  it. 

HADADEZER  had  affifted  the  Ammonites  with  fome 
Forces  the  laft  Campaign ;  and  being  apprehenfive,  that 
David  would  fall  foul  upon  him,  he  refolv'd  to  be  before- 
hand with  him.  To  this  Purpofe  levying  a  vaft  Army,  not 
only  in  Syria,  but  in  Mefopotamia  likewife,  he  fent  it, 
under  the  Command  of  Shobach  his  General  over  the  River 
Euphrates,  as  far  as  Helam,  a  Town  in  the  Borders  of  the 
half  Tribe  of  Manajfeh.  This  David  had  foon  Intelli- 
gence of,  and  therefore  uniting  all  his  Forces,  he  march'd 
with  the  utmoft  Expedition,  and  coming  upon  the  Enemy 
fooner  than  was  expe6ted,  flew  feven  thoufand  Men, who  at- 
tended feven  hundred  Chariots;  which  fodifhearten'd  the  reft, 
that  he  foon  difpatch'd  forty  Thoufand  more,  together  with 
their  General,  who  fell  in  the  Action,  and  died  upon  the 
Spot.  Upon  this  Succefs,  feveral  petty  Kings,  who  had 
aflifted  Hadadezer  in  this  Expedition,  fearing  fome  worfe 
Confequences,  made  a  Peace  with  David,  and  became 
Tributary  to  him;  and  even  Hadadezer  himfelf,  being  thus 
forfalcen  by  his  Confederates,  gave  him  AfTurance  that  he 
would  no  longer  efpoufe  the  Caufe  of  the  Ammonites,  but 
leave  them  to  (hift  for  themfelves  :  Whereupon  David  fent 
"Joab  againft  them  with  a  powerful  Army,  who  laid  the 
Country  wafte,  deftroy'd  all  that  came  in  his  Way,  and 
(to  make  Ihort  of  the  Matter)  laid  Siege  to  their  royal  Ci- 
ty of  Rabbah. 
Hit  falling  in  While  "Joob  was  Carrying  on  the  Siege  of  Rabbahy 
B'TinTh'^  2)«W(^  continu'd  in  Jerufalem,  and  walking  one  Evening 
and  murther- 1  o"  the  Top  of  his  Polace  to  take  the  frefh  Air,  he  chanc'd 
ing  her  Huf-  to  *  cfpy  a  beautcous  Woman  bathing  herfelf  in  her  Gar- 

band  Uriah.  tjgj,, 

*  The  Manner  of  Building,  in  all  eafiern  Countries,  was  to 
have  their  Houfes^«/-roo/V,  with  a  7Vrr«/},  and  Para/tV  Wall, 
for  the  Convenience  of  walking  in  the  cool  Air  ;  and,  as  Danjid^ 
Palace  was  built  on  one  of  the  higheft  Places  of  Mount  Sion,  ne 
might  eafily  look  down  upon  the  lower  Parts  of  the  Town,  and 
take  a  View  of  all  the  Gardens,  that  were  within  a  due  Diftance. 
Le  cure's  Commentary. 
'  *  Thus  Jupiter  is  faid  to  have  feen  Proferpina  wafhing  herfelf, 

and  expofing  her  whole  Body  to  his  View,    which  inflam'd  his 
Luft  after  her : 

•  But 


Chap.  IV.    fromfhelCmditesenferingCan^i^njCf^c.       385 

den.     The  unguarded  King,  as  foon  as  he  faw  her,  was    -^  ^ 
fmitten  ;  and,  enquiring  who  fhe  was,  was  inform'd,  that  ^ntf'chrift. 
file  was  Bathjheba^  the  Daughter  of  Ammiel^  and  Wife  of  1055,  h-c 
Uriah  f  the  Hittite,  an  Officer  in  his  Army,  who  was  then  ^'""^  ^^^""• 
with  Joab  at  the  Siege  of  Rabbah.     David  fent  for  her, 
lay  with  her,  and  difmifs'd  her :    But,  in  a  fhort  Time, 
finding  herfelf  with  Child,  flie  appriz'd  him  of  it,  and  de- 
fir'd  him  withal   to  confult  her  Honour  and  Safety  in  dc- 
vifing  fome  Means  to  conceal  it.     Hereupon  he  fent  a  Dif- 
patch   to  'Joab  for   Uriah  to  come  to  him,  as  if  he  had 
fomething  particular  to  enquire  of  him  ;  but  his  whole  In- 
tent  was  to  give  him  an  Opportunity   of  1\  ing  with  his 
Wife,  that  fo  the  Child,  when  it  was  born,  might  be  re- 
puted his.     Uriah  came  ;  and  after  the  King  had  afk'd  him 
fome  {tyff  Queftions  concerning  the  Condition  of  the  Ar- 
my, and  the  Advances  of  the  Siege,  he  order'd    him   to 
go  home,  f  and  refrefh  himfelf  after  his  Journey,  and  fent 

an 

But  whether  it  was  in  her  Garden,  or  Court- Yard,  overlook'd  by 
the  Palace,  or  in  fome  Apartment  in  her  Houfe,  whofe  Windows 
open'd  that  Way,  that  this  Woman  batli'd  herfelf,  is  not  fo  cer- 
tain. Tradition  points  out  the  Place  of  a  Fountain  ftill  called 
after  her  Name,  which  would  make  it  probable,  that  flie  bath'd 
in  a  Garden,  did  not  Jofephus  exprefsly  declare,  that  it  was  in  her 
own  Houfe,  as  indeed  the  natural  Modefty  and  Decency  of  her 
Sex,  as  well  as  the  Circumflance  of  the  Time  (for  then  it  was 
E'vening)  make  his  Account  more  probable ;  nor  can  it  be  doubted, 
but  that  the  declining  Rays  of  the  Sun,  {hooting  into  the  inmolt 
RecefTes  of  her  Chamber,  and  throwing  a  great  Luftre  around 
her,  might  difcover  her  very  clearly  to  very  dillant  Eyes,  without 
the  leaft  Sufpicion  on  her  Part,  of  any  Poflibilit)  of  being  feen, 
and,  confequently,  with  all  theReferve  of  Modeity  proper  to  her 
Sex.     The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  D^wd,  Vol.  III. 

•f-  Uriah,  though  an  Hittite  by  Nation,  was  profelyted  to  the 
JeiJoiJh  Religion,  and  fo,  marrying  with  a  Jenuijh  Woman,  liv'd 
in  Jerufahm ;  or,  as  he  was  one  of  the  King's  Life-Guard,  which, 
for  Reafons  above-mention'd,  feem  to  have  been  all  Natin;es,  and 
of  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  this  additional  Name  might  perhaps  be 
given  him,  for  fome  gallant  Aftion  atchiev'd  againft  the  Hit- 
tites,  in  the  fame  Manner  as  a  Roman,  in  After-Ages,  came  to  be 
called  Jfricanus,  Germavkus,  Parthicus,  &c.  upon  Account  of 
Vidlories  obtain'd  over  the  Africans,  Germans,  or  Parthians. 
Calmet's  Commentary. 

-f-The  Words  in  the  Text  are,  ' Go  donjon  to  thy  Houfe,  and 

iMaJhthy  Feet,  z  Sam.  xi.  8.  for  inthefe  Countries,  where  it  was 

not 

Vol.  III.  Bb 


386  rhe  Hiftory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

A-  M.^  an  handfome  Cdlation  after  him  for  his  Entertainment:  But 
Ant.'chrift/o  it  was,  that,  inftead  of  going  near  his  Wife,  hechofe  to 
1055,  &c.  fleep  in  the  Guard-Room. 

FromiSam.  DAVID  v/zs  inform'd  of  this  the  next  Morning ;  and 
I  was  therefore  refolv'd  to  make  ufe  of  another  Expedient. 
He  invited  him  to  fup  at  his  own  Table,  and  prevail'd 
with  him  to  drink  to  fuch  a  Pitch,  that  he  did  not  doubt 
but  that  the  Heat  of  the  Liquor  would  have  inflam'd  his 
Appetite.,  and  made  him  go  home  to  his  Wife  ;  but  ftill  he 
lay  in  the  Guard- Room^  and,  in  Excufeto  the  King,  faid, 
that  he  thought  it  was  his  Duty  fo  to  do,  while  the  reft 
of  the  Soldiers  were  encamp'd  :  So  that,  finding  himfelf 
ftill  difappointed,  the  King  order'd  him  at  laft  back  to  the 
Army,  and  *  fent  with  him  Letters  to  Joab,  wherein  he 

com- 

not  the  Cuftom  to  wear  Shoes,  but  Sandals  only,  and,  in  fome 
Places,  to  go  bare-foot,  walhing  the  Feet  was  a  great  Refrefh- 
ment  after  a  Journey,  and  a  common  Compliment,  that  the 
Mailer  of  the  Houfe  ufually  made  to  any  Stranger  at  his  firft  En- 
trance. But  this  Cuftom  of  wafhing  the  Feet,  was  not  only  af- 
ter a  Journey,  to  cleanfe  them  from  Dirt  and  Duft,  but  very  much 
us'd  likewife,  before  People  fat  down  to  Meat ;  and  therefore 
David's,  Meaning  in  the  Expreffion,  is,  that  Uriah  fliould  go 
down,  and  feaft  with  his  Wife  (for  which  Reafon  he  fent  a  Colla- 
iion  to  his  Houfe)  and,  after  fo  long  an  Abfence,  indulge  himfelf 
in  her  Company.  For  David's  Intention  hitherto  was,  neither  to 
murther  Uriah,  nor  marry  his  Wife,  but  only  to  Ikreen  her  Ho- 
nour, and  his  own  Crime.     Calmet's  Commentary. 

*  It  may  be  thought  perhaps,  that  Uriah  fufpefted  fomething 
of  his  Wife's  Adultery,  and  therefore,  refolving  that  it  fhould  be 
difcover'd,  would  not  be  perfuaded  to  go  down  to  his  Houfe  :  But 
if  he  did,  he  certainly  afted  the  Part  of  a  trufty  Servant,  when 
he  would  not  open  the  King's  Letter  to  know  what  was  in  it, 
though,  upon  Suppolition  that  he  fufpefted  his  crimitial  Commerce 
with  his  Wife,  he  had  Reafon  to  expeft  no  Good.  This  puts  one 
naturally  in  Mind  of  the  Story  of  Bellerophons  carrying  Letters 
from  Preetus  to  his  Father-in-law  J  abates.  King  of  Lycia,  with 
an  Order  to  kill  him ;  from  whom  it  came  into  a  Proverb,  to  car- 
ry Bellerophon'j  Litters,  or  a  Death-Warrant  againft  one's  felf, 
according  to  that  Paffage  in  Plautus  : 

Aha !  Bellerophontem  jam  tuus  me  fecit  Filius, 
Egomet  Tabellas  detuli  ut  vincirer.  Bacchid. 

For  the  Fate  of  Uriah  and  Belkrophon  are  fo  very  much  alike, 
that  the  Fable  of  the  latter  feems  to  be  founded  upon  the  Story 
of  the  fortner.  Btllerophon,  who,  as  fome  Scholiafls  think, 
fhould  be  read  BbuLpkeron  (a  Council-Carrier)  was  a  Stranger  at 
the  Coi^rt  oi  Pratiis,  as  Uriah  (being  an  Hittite)  was  at  the  Court 

of 


Chap.IV.  from  ^helfradkes  entering  CamsLU,  ^c.         387 

commanded  him  to  manage  Matters  {o^  that  Uriah  might    A.  M. 
be  kill'd  by  the  /Ammonites,  which  accordingly  came  to  pafs:  ^^n^^'chnft. 
For,  in  an  Aflault  upon  the  Town,  Uriah,  being  deferted  1055,  gfc. 
by  the  other  Soldiers,  who  had   private  Orders  to  retire  ^^°'''^Sani. 
when  the  Onfet  began,  *  fell  immediately  by  the  Enemies  ^  J^    '  ^ 
Sword. 

As  foon  as  Uriah  was  dead,  Joab  fent  an  Exprefs  there- '^'"'*"'^  ^/ 
of  to  the  Kino;,  who  return'd  him  Orders  to  carry  on  the ,";!  /^  '/" 
Siege  with  more  Vigour,  until  he  had  madehimfelf  Mafter/r. 
of  it ;  and   then  to  raze  it  even  to  the  Ground,  and  to  put 
all  the  Inhabitants  to  the  Sword,  without  fparing  fo  much 
as  one  Man.     Upon  this  Order,  Joab  advanc'd  his  Ap- 
proaches,   and  renew'd  his  Aflaults  every  Day,  until  he 
B  b  2  had 

of  David.  He  declin'd  the  Embraces  of  Sthevohaa,  as  Uriah 
did  the  Bed  of  Bathjheba ;   and  was,  for  that  Reafon,   fent  to  * 

jfobates.  General  of  Fra:tus%  Army,  with  Letters,  which  con- 
tain'd  a  Diredtion  to  put  him  to  Death,  z^Vriah  was  fent  to  Joaby 
Dai'icTs  General.  By  Jobates  he  was  fent,  with  a  fmall  Guard, 
upon  an  Attack,  in  which  it  was  intended  he  Ihould  be  {lain,  as 
Uriah  was  by  Joah,  to  that,  in  which  he  fell.  The  main  of  the 
Hiftory  is  the  fame  in  both  ;  the  Similitude  of  Jobates  and  Jo- 
ab\  Name  is  very  remarkable  ;  and  the  Variation  in  the  whole 
only  lies  in  fome  fuch  0;-»^wf»^<^/Embellifliments,  as  might  well 
be  expected  in  a  Poetical  Compofition.  Calmct\  Commentary, 
and  The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  Da'vid. 

*  The  Fate  and  Fall  of  the  gallant  Uriah  is  thus  related  by 

Jofephus  : "  Joab  put  t/r/fli' upon  adefperateFw/a;-/?,  and, 

"  to  cover  his  Defign,  gave  him  feveral  brave  Men  to  back 
*'  him,  with  a  Promife  to  fupport  him  with  the  whole  Army,  in 
^*'  Cafe  there  was  any  Poflibility  of  entering  the  Town ;  and,  at 
*'  the  fame  Time,  recommended  it  earneftly  to  him,  to  main- 
"  tain  the  Reputation  he  had  already  acquired  with  the  King  and 
*'  the  Army,  by  acquitting  himfelf  gallantly  upon  this  Occafion. 
"  Uriah,  with  great  Chearfulnefs,  undertook  the  Poft,  while 
"  ^oab  give  his  Companions  private  Orders  to  withdraw,  and 
"  leave  him,  as  foon  as  they  found  themfelves  in  Danger.  The 
"  Hebrews  prefs'd  hard  upon  the  Wall,  and  put  the  /bninonitcs 
"  under  a  dreadful  Apprehenfion,  that  they  would  force  the 
*'  Town ;  whereupon  the  Befiegd  threw  open  their  Gates,  and 
"  made  a  defperate  Sally,  which  was  as  good  as  a  Signal  to  thofe, 
"  that  were  with  Uriah,  to  abandon  him ;  which  accordingly 
"  they  did,  and  left  him  to  be  cut  to  Pieces.  He  did  all  the 
"  Execution,  that  was  poffible  to  be  done  by  one  fingle  Man 
"  againft  Numbers,  and,  after  feveral  Wounds  receiv'd,  fell  like 
"  a  Man  of  Honour,  with  his  Face  to  the  Enemy."  Jcv.-iJ/? 
"  Antiq.  lib.  vii.  c.  7. 


3^S  The  Hiftory  of   the^l^h  E,      Book  V. 

^-  ^     had  got   Pofleflion  of  *  the  JVater-JVorksy  which  fupply'd 
Ant.  Vhxiit.  ^'"'^  Town ;  and  then  fent  a  Courier  to  acquaint  the  King, 
1055,  &ff,  that  the  City  was  reduc'd  to  the  utmoft  Extremity;  was 
From  iSam.  j;^  „q  Condition  to  hold  out  much  longer,  and  therefore  he 
1^,— ^— ,'_;defir'd  him  to  come  In  Per/on^  that  he  might  have  the  Ho- 
nour of  taking  it.     The  King,  according  to  his  General's 
Delire,  went  with  a  ftrong  Re-inforcement,  took  the  Place 
by  Storm,  gave  the  Plunder  of  it  to   his  Soldier?,  but  re- 
ferv'd  tohimfelf  what  belong'd  to  the  King,  among  which 
was  the  Crown  of  ineftimable  Value.     Having  thus  wafted 
the  City,  and  divided  the  Spoil,  he  put  the  Men,  who  had 
held  it  out  againft:  him,  to  the  mofl:  exquifite  Torments ; 
and  other  Places,  that  would  not  immediately  furrender,  he 
treated  with  the  fame  Severity. 
Nathan  re-        UpoN  the  Death  of  Uriah,  his  Wife  *  Bathjheba  pre- 
i^'CL'ei  him,  tended  to  mourn  for  him  ;  but  it  was  not  long  before  Da- 
T/rV'^'d  Tent  for  her,  f  and  declar'd  her  his  Wife  :  And  in  this 

mer  ts  upon  otate 

him  j or  Hi 

^eccodl^l'^  *  ^""^^  learned  Men  are  of  Opinion,  that  this  royal  City  of 
•were  ,Je^  ^oh'tah  was  likewife  called  the  City  of  Waters,  either  becaufe  it 
cuud.  ftood  upon  a  River,  or  was  encompafs''d  with  Water  both  for  its 

Defence  and  Delight.  But  Junius  renders  it,  that  he  cut  off  the 
Winters,  njchich  fiipplyd  the  'Ton.vti ;  which  Tranflation  not  only 
5^(7/?/>^i<.y  feems  to  favour,  by  telling  us,  that  yo^?^  feiz'd  on  all  tlie 
Aqiieduds  which  led  into  the  City  ;  but  Polybius  (lib.  v.)  likewife, 
fpeaking  of  the  Siege  of  this  lame  Place  by  Antiochus,  relates 
the  Story,  how  a  certain  D.fcrter  difcover'd  to  that  Prince  a  fub- 
terraneoiis  Paflage,  through  which  the  Bejiegd  czmt  to  draw  Wa- 
ter, which  Antiochus  ftopp'd  up,  and,  by  Reafon  of  their  Thirll, 
compell'd  them  to  furrender.  PWs  Annotations,  and  Calmet\ 
Commentary. 

*  How  long  Widows  were  to  mourn  for  their  Hufbands,  there 
is  HP  exprefs  Precept  in  the  Law;  but  the  uual  Time  for  com- 
mon Pvlcurners  was  no  more  than  feven  Days ;  and  we  cannot 
fuppole  that  Bathjheba  was  much  longer,  confidering  the  Reafon 
we  have  to  apply  to  her  the  Words  of  Lucan  : 

• Lacrymas  non  fponte  cadcntes 

EfFudit,  gemitufque  expreffit  pedlore  lasto. 
•{■  According  to  tLe  Jcnisip  Doctors,  it  was  utterly  unlawful 
for  any  to  marry  another  Man's  Wife,  in  Cafe  he  had  defiled  her 
before.  The  ccmoniad  L  aw  declares  fuch  Marriages  null  and 
void,  as  are  contracted  between  an  adulterous  Man,  and  a  Wo- 
man, tliat  was  Partner  with  him  in  the  Crime;  and,  tho'  the 
I.av,-  of  MgJcs  does  not  exprefsly  forbid  them,  yet  we  may  not 
thence  infer,  that  they  wee  permitted  among  \.Y.tJcRvs.  For 
tiiefe  Reaibas  fome  have  thought,  tiiat  this  Marriage  of  David 

and 


Chap.  IV.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  l^c.       389 

State  he  continu'd  without  any  Moleftation,  or  Apprehen-     ^-  ^^ 
fion  of  having  done  wrong,  for  the  Space  of  feveral  Months,  Xnt.  chriit. 
till  at  length  God  fent  f  Nathan  the  Prophet  to  rouze  him  1055,  (^''^• 
out  of  his  adulterous  Lethargy,  and,  by  *  an  elegant  Para-^'°'J'  *^'"^" 
Bb3  hle,^       '"■ 

and  Bathjhcha  was  null  and  invalid ;  but  others,  upon  better 
Grounds,  have  fuppos'd,  that,  though  there  were  many  crimi- 
nal Circumftances  attending  it,  yet  thefe  did  not  vacate  its  EfFe£l, 
and,  in  fhort,  though  it  ought  not  to  have  been  done,  yet,  being 
done,  the  Marriage  was  good,  and  the  Children,  which  were 
afterwards  born,  were  legitimate.  Calmcf's  and  Patrick'i  Com- 
mentaries. 

f  We  learn  little  more  of  this  great  Man  in  the  facred  Wri- 
tings, bat  that  he  was  David's  Prophet,  intimate  Counfeller,  and 
Hiftoriographer.  Jofephus  lays  of  him,  that  he  was  a  polite  and 
s.  prudent  yidio.,  one  who  knew  how  to  temper  the  Severity  of 
Wifdom,  with  Sweetnefs  of  Manners.  And  Grotius  compares 
him  to  Manius  Lepidus,  of  whom  Tacitus  fays,  that  he  had  a 
Talent  of  turning  away  Tiberiush  Mind  from  thofe  cruel  Purpo- 
ses, to  which  the  vile  Flattery  of  others  inclin'd  him,  and  was, 
at  the  fame  Time,  in  equal  Favour  and  Authority  with  him. 
Nathan,  certainly  knew  the  Art  of  reproving  Kings  with  Au- 
thority, and  yet  without  giving  Offence.  So  far  from  that,  he 
grew  in  his  Prince's  Favoyr  and  Eftimation,  as  long  as  he  liv'd  ; 
infomuch,  that  Da'vid  {2&  Tradition  tells  us)  called  one  Son  after 
liis  Name,  and  committed  another  (even  his  beloved  Solomon)  to 
his  Care  and  Tuition.  The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  Daiiid, 
Vol.  IIL 

*  There  is  a  Paflage  of  Seneca,  (Epift.  59.)  where  he  treats 
of  tlie  Stile  fit  for  philofophick  Writing,  which  fuits  fo  well  with 
this  Parable  oi Nathan  s,  that  I  chufe  to  give  it  in  his  own  Words, 
as  a  fit  Preamble  to  the  fliort  Comment,  which  follows,  of  it. 
Invenio,  \n(\\xii.  Imagines,  quibus  Ji  q^uis  nobis  uti  itctat,  i^  Poet  is 
illas  folis  judicat  ejje  concejfas,  neminem  mihi  ruidetur  ex  ahtiquis 
legijfe,  apud  quos  nondum  captabatur  plaujibilis  Oratio.  Illi,  qui 
fimpliciter,  l^  demonjirandts  Rci  caujd  loqiiebantur,  Parabolis  rt- 
ferti  futtt,  qiias  exijiimo  necejfarias,  non  ex  eadem  Cau'd,  q:id 
Pcetis,  fed  ut  Imbecilitatis  nojlr.e  adminicula  fint,  ^  ut  difrintan 
tS"'  audientem  in  rem  prefentem  adducant  :  For  Parables,  like  liif- 
tories,  wherein  we  have  no  Concern,  are  heard  with  more  Atten- 
tion, and  are  fo  contriv'd,  as  to  give  no  Offence,  even  tho'  they 
provoke  the  Man,  to  whom  they  are  addrefs'd,  to  condemn  him- 
lelf.  There  luere  t-ivo  Men  in  one  City,  the  one  rich,  and  the  other 
poor  :  And  the  rich  Man  had  exceeding  many  Flocks  and  Herds ;  as 
Da<vid  had  many  Wives  and  Concubines,  with  whom  he  might 
have  been  well  fatisfy'd,  without  violating  another  Man's  EeJ  ; 
but  the  poor  Man  had  nothing,  fa've  one  little  Eive  Lamb,  n.vhi<.h 
he  had  bought  and  nourijhed  up.     Bathjheha,  very  lil<ely,  was  t  ss, 

O  ill)' 


S90  ^be  Hiftcry  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V, 

A.  M.    ilc^  to  reprefent  the  Bafenefs  and  Vv^ickednefs  of  what  he 
Ant^  ChrLR.  ^^'^'^  done,  and  to  make  him  pronounce  Sentence  againft  his 
guikv  felf. 

DAVID  accordingly  condemns  himfelf,  and  confefles 
,his  Guilt,  and  humbly  begs  Pardon  for  what  he  had  done  • 
Whereupon  Nathan  was  fent  again  to  inform  him,  that  f 

God 

only  Wife  that  Uriah  had,  with  whom  he  was  highly  pleas'd  and 
delighted,  and  Ihe  very  probably  with  him,  until  Dwvid's  Temp- 
tations had  perverted  her  Mind.  J-nd  it  greiv  up  together  nvith 
hitn,  a7id  nvith  his  Children  ;  it  did  eat  of  his  o'vjn  Meat,  and  drink 
of  his  Q<von  Cup,  and  lay  in  his  Bofom,  and  n.vas  unto  him  as  a 
Daughter.  Nathan,  in  his  Refemblance,  cannot  be  faid  to  have 
furpafs'd  the  Truth,  conlidering  how  fond  many  Perfons  were 
anciently,  not  only  of  Lambs,  but  of  feveral  other  Creatures, 
which  they  fuffered  to  eat  with  them  at  their  Tables,  and  lie 
v/ith  them  in  their  Beds ;  and  that  even  at  this  Day  it  is  a  Cuftom 
in  Arabia,  (which  is  contiguous  to  Judaea)  to  have  one  of  the 
fineft  Lambs  in  the  Flock  brought  up  in  the  Houfe,  and  fed  with 
the  Children.  And  there  came  a  T^ra-veller  to  the  rich  Man : 
This  denotes  Da'uid's  ftraggling  Appetite,  which  he  fufFer'd  to 
wander  from  liis  own  home,  and  to  covet  another  Man's  Wife  : 
And  of  this  Appetite  the  Jeixjijh  Doftors  have  this  Obfervation, 
that  "  In  the  Beginning  it  is  but  a  Traveller,  but  in  Time  it  be- 
"  comes  aGueft,  and  in  Conclufion  is  the  Mafter  of  the  Houfe." 
And  he  fpared  to  take  of  his  own  Flock,  and  his  onvn  Herds, 
wherewith  he  might  have  fatisfy'd  his  Appetite,  but  took  the  poor 
Matis  Lamb,  and  dreffed  it  for  the  ^way-faring  Man,  that  nvas 
come  to  him.  Moft  Commentators  here  take  Notice,  that  Na- 
than did  not  go  fo  far  in  the  Parable,  as  to  fay  any  Thing  of  the 
rich  Man's  killing  the  poor  Man.  This  certainly  would  have 
made  the  Refemblance  more  compleat,  but  it  is  therefore  omitted, 
that  David  might  not  fo  readily  apprehend  Nathans  Meaning, 
and  fo  be  induc'd  unawares  to  pronounce  a  Sentence  of  Condem- 
nation upon  himfelf ;  whereupon  the  Prophet  had  a  fair  Oppor- 
tunity, to  (hew  him,  that,  if  the  rich  Man,  who  took  away  the 
poor  Man's  Lamb,  deferv'd  Death,  according  to  his  own  Judg- 
ment, how  much  more  did  he  deferve  it,  who  had  not  only  taken 
another  Man's  Wife,  but  caus'd  him  to  be  flain  Hkewife  by 
the  Enemies  of  Ifrael.     Patrick's  Commentary. 

f  It  may  very  well  be  aflc'd,  how  God  fo  readily  came  to  for- 
give Da'vid,  when  he  acknowledg'd  his  Tranfgreffion,  and  yet 
did  not  forgive  Saul,  tho'  he  made  the  like  Confeffion,  /  have 
(l7ined?  But  the  Anfwer  is  obvious,  that,  be  the  Form  of  Ex- 
prefiion  what  it  will,  unlefs  it  proceeds  from  the  Sincerity  of  the 
Heart,  the  great  Searcher  of  Hearts  will  not  regard  it.  The  true 
Reafon  therefore,  why  Saul  could  not  obtain  a  Revocation  of  his 
Sentence  of  Rejedtion,  was,  becaufe  his  Repentance  was  not  fm- 

cere ; 


Chap.  IV.    from  the Ura-eYiiGs  enteringCznasin,  i^c.       391 

God  had  pardon'd  his  Tranfgreilion,  viz.  the  eternal  Pu-     A.  M. 
nilhment    due   to  his    Tranfgreffion    God    had  remitted,  ^^■Jf^.^tlft. 
but  the  *  temporal  fliould  be  inflidted  on  him  :  That  there- 1055, 6«c 

Bba.  foj.ef'°™!'^=^"'- 


,  to  XIK. 


cere ;  it  did  not  proceed  from  an  humble  and  contrite  Spirit.  At 
the  fame  Time  that  he  acknowledged  his  Sin,  he  defir'd  Samuel 
to  honour  him  before  the  People,  and  perfifted  in  his  Difobedience 
ever  after  :  Whereas  Da'vid,  on  the  contrary,  humbled  himfelf, 
wept,  and  lamented  for  his  Sin,  and  of  his  Penitence  has  left  us 
a  perpetual  and  eternal  Monument  in  Pfalm  li.  Have  Me^cy  upon 
me,  O  God,  after  thy  great  Goodnefs ;  according  to  the  Multitude 
ef  thy  Mercies,  do  aavay  mine  Offences ;  ivajh  7ne  thoroughly  from 
my  Wickednefs,  and  cleanfe  me  frommySin,  Sec. 

•   In  the  Threats  which  God  orders  Nathan  to  denounce 

againft  David,  the  Expreffions  are, /  nvill  raife  up  E-uil 

again ji  thee  out  of  thine  oivn  Houfe,  and  I  fAlltake  thy  Wives  be- 
fore thine  Eyes,  and  give  them  unto  thy  Neighbour,  and  he  fhall 
lie  luith  thy  Wives  in  the  Sight  of  the  Sun ;  for  thou  didfl  it  fe- 
cretly :  but  I  '■Mi  I  I  do  this  Thing  before  all  Ifrael,  and  before  the 
Sun,  2  Sam.  xii.  ii,  12.  Where  the  Words,  I ^Mill  raife  up,  I 
voill  take,  I  iiill  do,  do  not  denote  any  pofitive  Adtions  of  God, 
as  if  ha  prompted  wicked  Men  to  do  the  fame  Things,  where- 
with he  threatens  David.,  infomuch  that,  without  fuch  Prompting, 
they  would  not  have  done  them,  but  by  it  were  necelfitated  to 
do  them :  Such  a  Conftrudlion  as  this  is  injurious  to  the  Divine 
Attributes,  and  makes  God  the  Author  of  Evil.     But  the  true 

Meaning  is, That  God,  at  that  Time,  faw  the  perverfe 

Difpofition  of  one  of  his  Sons,  and  the  crafty  Wilinefs  of  one 
of  his  Counfellors,  which,  without  reftraining  them,  would  not 
fail  to  create  David  no  fmall  Uneafinefs :  And  therefore,  becaufe 
David  had  violated  his  Law,  and,  to  gratify  his  Lull,  had  com- 
mitted both  Adultery  and  Murther,  God  would  not  interpofe, 
but  fuffer'd  the  Tempers  of  thefe  two  wicked  Perfons  to  follow 
their  own  Courfe,  and  have  their  natural  Swing ;  whereupon  the 
one,  being  ambitious  of  a  Crown,  endeavours  to  depofe  his. 
Father,  and  the  other,  wiUing  to  make  the  Breach  irr;  parable, 
advis'd^the  mofl  detefted  Thing  he  could  think  of.  This  indeed 
was  the  very  Thing  that  God  had  foretold,  but,  without  any 
Imputation  upon  his  Attributes,  we  may  fay,  that  God  can  fo 
difpofe  and  guide  a  Train  of  Circumftances,  that  the  Wicked - 
nels  of  a!  y  Aftion  fhall  happen  in  this  Manner  rather  than  ano- 
ther, \\\y  he  do  not  infufe  into  any  Man  the  Willxa  do  wickedly. 
Torrenti  nequitiar,  ut  fie  loquar,  (for  I  give  you  the  Commenta- 
tcr"'s  own  Words,  becaufe  there  is  fomething  very  accurate  in 
them)  nullas  vires  addit,  fed  impedit,  ne  hac,  potius  quam  iliac, 
perrumpat ;  circumfiantiafque  omnes  {qua  nihil  vitii  in  fe  habent) 
ita  dirigit,  ^  moderatur,  ut  certum  quendam  eventmn  confequan- 
tur,     Sunt  autem  innumera  ejufmodi  circmnjiautiisF,    quihus  nihil 

inefi 

Vol.   III. 


392  rhe  Hipry  of  ihe  BlhL  E,       Book  V. 

A.  M.  fore  the  Son  (for  by  this  Time  Bathjheba  was  brought  to 
^tfchrift.^^'^  of  a  Sonj  begotten  in  this  adulterous  Congrefs,  fhould 
1055, sff.  not  live;  that  feveral  of  his  Family  fhould  come  to  an 
rtTxk^'™'  ""t'^^^'y  Death ;  that  fome  one  of  his  Sons  fhould  rife  up 
I  in  Rebellion  againfl  him  ;  and  his  own  Wives  be  defil'd 
publickly,  and  in  the  Sight  of  all  the  World,  becaufe  he 
had  given  fuch  Scandal  to  his  own  People,  and  f  fuch  Oc- 
cafion  to  the  Enemies  of  God  to  blafpheme. 

Nor  was  it  long  before  Part  of  this  Sentence  beo-an  to 
be  executed  upon  him  :  For  the  Child,  which  he  had  by 
Bathjheha^  was  taken  Tick  and  died.  While  it  was  fick,* 
David  fafted  and  pray'd,  if  poifibly  he  might  appeafe  the 

divine 

hiejl  mall,  ^  qiiibus  tamen  res,  pro  Dei  arbitrio,  <variantur  j 
deoque  funt  non  pauciores  nila:,  quibus  omtiia  regat,  Jine  ulld  njirtu- 
tum  fuarum  imminutione,  ^  ita,  ut  libertatem  interea  peccandi 
aut  parendi  homtnibus  relinquat.  So  that  from  fuch  Scripture- 
Phrafes  as  thefe,  we  may  not  infer,  that  God  either  does,  or 
can  do,  Evil,  but  only,  that  he  permits  that  Evil  to  be  done, 
which  he  foreknew  would  be  done,  but  might  have  prevented, 
had  he  pleas'd ;  or,  in  other  Terms,  that  he  fufFers  Men,  natu- 
rally wicked,  to  follow  the  Bent  of  their  Tempers,  without  any 
Interpofition  of  his  Providence  to  reftrain  them.  Le  Clerc\ 
Commentary. 

-f-  Du'-vids  Crime,  which  at  firft  was  fecret,  was  in  Time  dif- 
cover'd,  and  the  Report  of  it  carry 'd  to  the  neighbouring  Na- 
tions. The  Syrians,  the  Ammonites^  the  Moabites,  the  Edofnites, 
the  Fhilijiines,  People  whom  he  had  fubdu'd,  and  who,  out  of 
pure  Malice,  had  always  a  jealous  Eye  upon  his  Condudl,  would 
not  fail  upon  this  Occafion  to  murmur,  and  fay,  "  How  could 
"  God  thus  favour  an  Adulterer  and  Murtherer  ?  Where  is  his  Juf- 
"  tice  and  his  Providence  ?  Is  this  the  God,  who  is  faid  to  be 
**  fo  equitable  in  his  Dealings  with  Men,  and  fo  fevere  an  Aven- 
"  ger  of  Iniquity,  and  yet  makes  Choice  of  fuch  a  Monfter  as 
"  this  to  govern  his  People  ?  This  is  the  David,  the  Man  after 
*'  Gods  onxin  Heart,  whom  he  preferred  before  Saul,  on  whom  he 
"  hath  pour'd  down  innumerable  Bleihngs,  and  for  whom  he 
"  hath  many  rich  Promifes  in  Referve  ;  and  yet  did  Saul  ever 
"  commit  fuch  horrid  Enormities  as  this  Man  has  done,  and 
*'  ftill  continues  to  be  the  Favourite  of  God?"  Such  Refledtions 
(we  rr^ay  reafonably  imagine)  \so\AQ.David\  Tranigreffions  Jiave 
occc;!;  n'd  among  Strangers,  andEncmies,  who  might  thence  be 
indue '.^  tO  defpife  a  Religion  they  were  unacquainted  with,  and 
whicn  lie,  who  Ihould  have  been  its  main  Support,  fo  little  re- 
garded.    Cahnefs  Commentary. 

*  iJa'vidi,  Afts  of  Humiliation  for  his  Sins  are  thus  deicrib'd 
by  Syhian,  (de  Gubern,   Dei)  "  He  put  ofF  his  Purple,  threw 

"  away 


Chap.  IV.    from  ihe  Ur2Le\\tes  efilering  Canaan,  &c.       393 

divine  Wrath,  and  intercede  for  its  Life ;  but  when  it  was  A,  m. 
dead,  he  acknowledge  the  Juftice  of  God,  and,  chearful- ^^^-J^'^^^J^^ 
\y  fubmittingto  his  Will,  made  his  ardent  Supplications  to  1055,  ^c.' 
him,  that  the  Remainder  of  his  Affli6tions  might  be  mix-.^'^°™2Sam. 
ed  with  Mercy.  This  in  fome  Meafure  was  done  ;  for,'|J^JJ|^^ 
in  a  proper  Space  of  Time,  he  had  another  Son  f  By  Bath- Salomon  it 
fheba^  who  was  nam'd  f  Solomon^  in  Confidence  of  the *<"••». 

Promife 

"  away  his  Royal  Ornaments,    laid  down  his  Diadem,  wholly 
"  ftripp'd  himfelf  of  his  Kingfliip,  and  appear'd  as  a  Penitent, 
"  in  a  fquallid,  rueful  Garb,  falling,  lying  on  the  Ground,  con- 
"  feffing,  mourning,  repenting,  deprecating,  iSc.  and  yet,  with 
"  all  his  Humiliation  and  Compunction,  he  could  not  obtain  a 
"  Revocation  of  this  Punilhment."     But  why  fhould  the  Death 
of  this  Child,  who,  had  he  liv'd,  would  have  been  a  perpetual 
Monument  of  Guilt,  and  a  Brand  of  Infamy  upon  his  Parents, 
be  accounted  by  David  fo  great  a  Punilhment  ?  The  true  Way 
to  account  for  this»  is  to  afcribe  it  to  Dwvidh  Excefs  of  Paffion 
for  Bathjheba,  which  fo  ftrongly  attach'd  him  to  every  Offspring 
of  her's,  and  made  him  forget  every  Thing  in  this  Child,  but 
that  Motive  of  Endearment.     Belides  this,  there  is  fomething  in 
human  Nature,  which  prompts  us  to  rate  Things  after  a  Manner 
feemingly  unaccountable  ;  and  to  eftimate  them,  not  according 
to  their  real  Worth,  but  according  to  the  Expence  or  Trouble, 
or  even  the  Diftrefs,  they  coll  us.     Nor  ftiould  it  be  forgot,    that 
this  exceffive  Mourning  did  not  proceed  fimply  from  the  Fear  of 
the  Lofs  of  the  Child,  but  from  a  deep  Senfe  of  his  Sin,  and  of 
the  divine  Difpleafure  manifefted  in  the  Child's  Sicknefs,  and 
particularly  from  a  juft  Apprehenfion  of  the  Injury,  which  he  had 
done  the  Infant  by  his  Sin,  and  which  he  thought  himfelf  bound 
in  Juftice,  by  Prayer  and  Interceffion,  as  much  as  he  was  able, 
to  repair.     Patricks  Commentary,  and  PWs  Annotations. 

f  It  is  very  obfervable,  that,  in  the  whole  Compafs  of  this 
Story,  there  is  not  a  Word  faid  either  of  Bathfacba^  Guilt  or 
Punifhment ;  but  this  might  be,  becaufe,  as  to  the  Matter  of  her  Huf- 
band's  Death,  fhe  was  innocent;  to  the  Adultery,  which  fhe  com- 
mitted, fhe  was  intic'd  by  the  OiFers  of  a  powerful  King ;  and 
in  the  Calamities  which  befel  him,  fhe,  no  doubt,  had  her  Share, 
and  felt  her  Punifhment.     Patrick^  Commentary. 

-f-  The  Word  Solomon  is  properly  deriv'd  from  Schalom,  which 
lignifies  Peace,  intimating,  that  his  Reign  fhould  be  peaceable  j 
but,  by  God's  Appointment,  Nathan  gave  him  another  Name, 
viz.  Jedidiah,  i.  e.  the  Belo'ved  of  God.  The  Scripture,  how- 
ever, never  calls  him  by  this  Name,  but  only  by  that  of  Solo- 
mon ;  for  what  Reafon  we  cannot  tell,  unlefs  we  may  fuppofe, 
that  the  People,  being  long  harrafs'd  in  War  during  his  Father's 
Reign,  might  be  pleas'd  with  this  Name,  and  ufe  it  rather  than 
the  other,  to  intimate  their  Hopes  and  longing  Defu:e  of  Peace. 

And 


394  1'ke  Hiftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  Promife  which  God  had  made,  that  his  Reign  fliould  be 
Am^cS[ft!  crown'd  with  Peace  :  But  this  did  not  hinder  the  Divine 
io£5,  frc.  Juftice  from  being  true  to  its  Threats^  as  well  as  its  Pro- 

'l,°r-'-J     DAVID  had  feveral  Sons,  but  only  one  Daughter,  that 

Amnon  ra-  we  read  of,  whofe  Name  was  Tamar,  f  Sifter  to  Abfaloni^ 

Hiipa  his     by  Maacha,  the  Daughter  of  Talmai  King  of  f  Gefhur)  a 

i>ifierTa-     Princefs  of  excellent  Beauty,  and  with  whom  Jmnoriy  his 

eldeft  Son  by  another  Queen,  fell  defperately  in  Love,  and 

pin'd  away  with  an  f  hopelefs  Defire  of  obtaining  her  ;  till 

at  Length,  by  the  Advice  and  Contrivance  of  Jonadab,  his 

intimate 

And  for  this  Reafon  (among  others)  it  may  be  inferr'd,  that  So- 
lomon  was  born  after  the  Conclufion  of  the  Aynmonitijh  War, 
the'  tae  facred  Hiftory  takes  Occafion  from  the  Death  of  Bath- 

Jhehas  firft-bcrn,  to  relate  that  Event  firft.  Not  long  after  this, 
Da^oid  had  another  Son  hy  Bathjheha,  (2  Sam.  v.  14.  and  1 
Chron.  iii.  5.)  whom  he  called  Natha?!,  after  the  Name  of 
the  Prophet :  and  of  thefe  two  Chriji  was  born,  tho'  in  differ- 
ent Lines  :  For  Jofeph,  his  fuppos'd  Father,  came  from  Solomon, 
as  Matthenv  (Chap.  i.  Ver.  6,  7.)  relates  it;  and  Mary,  his 
real  Mother,  came  from  Nathan,  as  it  is  in  St.  Luke,  Chap.  iii. 
Ver.  31.  Le  C/ars  Commentary,  and  Bedford^  Scripture  Chro- 
nology, lib.  V.  c.  4. 

-{-  Tlie  Borders  of  the  Gefhm-ites  and  Maacathites  (as  we  read 
yojk.  xiii.  II,  13.)  were  given  by  Mo/^^  to  the  Ifraelites,  that 
feated  themfelves  on  the  Eajl  of  Jordan ;  neverthelefs  the  Chil- 
dren of  Krael  expelled  not  the  Gefnurites  and  Maacathites,  but 
ihe^  divelt  a?nong  the  Ifraelites  unto  this  Day  :  From  whence  it  is 
evident,  that  the  Cities  of  Gejhur  and  Maacah,  the  two  Capitals 

'  of  two  fmall  Kingdoms,  lay  within  the  Borders  of  the  Land  of 
Jj'rael :  and  tho'  it  does  not  appear  how  they  were  fituated  in  ref- 
pe£t  of  each  other,  yet  it  is  certain,  that  they  both  lay  on  the 
South  Side  of  Mount  Libanus,  in  the  North  Part  of  the  Half  Tribe 
of  Manafeh,  and  on  the  Eajl  Side  of  the  River  Jordan.  WeU\ 
Geography  of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  IIL 

•f-  Virgins  of  the  Blood-royal  were  kept  feclufe  in  Apartments 
feparate  from  the  Commerce  of  Men,  into  which  not  only 
Strangers,  but  even  their  own  Fathers,  were  not  permitted  to 
enter.  Amnon  however,  at  fome  Time  or  other,  had  feen  the 
beautiful  Tamar,  or  otherwife  he  could  not  have  conceiv'd  fo 
ftrong  a  Paffion  for  her.  Upon  fome  certain  Ceremonial  Oc- 
cafions  indeed,  it  was  cuftomary  for  the  young  Women  to  walk 
out,  and  fliew  themfelves ;  but,  confidering  their  clofe  Confine- 
ment at  other  Times,  it  was  hardly  poflible  for  Am7ion  to  find  an 
Opportunity  of  declaring  his  Pafilon,  much  more  of  gratifying 
it ;  and  therefore,  out  of  pure  Defpair,  he  pin'd  himfelf  into  a 
Confimption.     Caimeis  Commentary. 


Chap. IV.  from  the  UraelitQS  enkring  CscndL^n,  ^c.      395 

intimate  Friend,  and  f  Coufm-gnman^  he  found  Means  to    A.  m. 
decoy  her  into  his  Apartment,  where,  f  notwithftanding  all^^^^' ^"5' 
her  Intreaties  and  Expoftulations  with  him,  he  firft  ravifti'd  1055,  ©=". ' 
her,  and,  when  his  brutifh  Paffion  was  fatisfy'd,  in  afullen'^'^°'"2Sam. 

Humour  ;''°.^'": 

\  Jonadah  was  the  Son  oiShimeah,  the  Brother  oi  Dwuid. 

•f  There  is  fomething  fo  moving,  and  the  Arguments  are  fo 
ftrong,  in  Tamars  Speech  to  Amnon,  that  one  would  almoft 
wonder  why  it  did  not  prevail  with  him  to  defift.  Nay,  my  Bro- 
ther, do  not  force  tne.  Here  fhe  reminds  him  of  his  Relatioti  to 
her,  for  which  fhe  hop'd  he  would  have  fuch  a  Reverence,  as 
not  to  meddle  with  her,  tho'  fhe  herfelf  were  willing,  much  lefs 
to  oiFer  Violence  to  her,  which  it  was  abominable  to  do  even  to 
a  Stranger,  much  more  to  one  of  the  fame  Blood.  For  no  fuch 
Thing  ought  to  be  done  in  Ifrael.  Whatever  other  Nations  did, 
who  had  not  the  Knowledge  of  God's  Laws,  fhe  begs  of  him 
to  confider,  that  they  both  belong'd  to  a  Nation,  which  was 
God's  peculiar  People,  had  been  inftrudled  better,  and  therefore 
fliould  acl  otherwife.  Do  not  thou  this  Folly.  She  prays  him 
(befides  the  Scandal  it  would  give)  to  refleft  with  himfelf  on 
the  Heinoufnels  of  the  Crime,  and  how  highly  ofFenfive  it 
would  be  to  the  Divine  Majefty.  Jnd  I,  ^whither  Jhall  I  caufe 
my  Shame  to  go  P  She  befeeches  him  (befides  the  Sin  againft  God) 
to  confider  the  Difgracc  it  would  be  to  her,  who,  after  fuch  a 
foul  Adl,  muft  be  afham'd  to  look  any  one  in  the  Face.  Jnd 
as  for  thee,  thoujhalt  be  as  one  of  the  Fools  in  Ifrael.  Laftly,  She 
puts  him  in  Mind  of  his  own  Reputation,  which  fo  vile  an 
Aftion  would  tarnifh  for  ever,  and  make  him  be  look'd  upon  as 
a  Man  void  of  all  Senfe,  Religion,  Honour,  and  Humanity. 
JVo^jv  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  fpeak  to  the  King  ;  for  he  ivillnot 
ivith-hold  me  from  thee.  It  is  a  common  Opinion  among  the 
Jcvjijh-  Doftors,  that,  in  the  War  which  King  Dai.iid  had  with 
the  King  of  Gefmr,  he  took  Maacha,  his  Daughter,  captive, 
and  (as  they  fancy  their  Law  allows,  Z)^a/.  xxi.  ii.)  lay  with 
her  for  once  only,  and  then  begat  this  Daughter  ;  but  that,  upon 
her  becoming  a  Profelyte  to  the  Jeivijh  Religion,  he  marr}''d 
her,  and  afterwards  had  Abfalom.  Tamar  therefore  being  born 
while  her  Mother  was  a  Gentile,  they  fuppofe  that  fhe  was  not 
Da-vid\  legal  Child,  and  that  Amnon  confequently  might  marry 
her :  But  all  this  is  mere  Talk,  without  any  Shadow  of  Proof. 
The  moft  probable  Opinion  is,  that  fhe  was  neither  ignorant  of 
the  Law,  {Le'vit.  xviii.  ii)  which  prohibited  fuch  inceftuous 
Marriages,  nor  thought  her  Father's  Power  fo  great,  as  that  he 
might  difpenfe  with  the  Law  upon  this  Occafion,  but  merely  that 
fhe  faid  any  Thing,  which  fhe  thought  would  pleafe  him,  to 
flop  his  SoUicitations,  and  rude  Attempts,  and  to  efcape,  for 
the  prefent,  out  of  his  Hands.  Patrick's  Commentary,  and 
Jenuifh  Antiquities,  lib.  vii.  c.  8. 


396  ^he  Hijiory  of  the  "RIB  I.  E,     Book  V. 

A-  M  Hurmur  f  bid  her  be  gone  ;  and  when  fhe  remonftrated 
Ant^  Chrift^'^^  ill  Ufage,  had  her  turn'd  out  by  main  Force. 
J055,  &c  "  *  In  this  mournful  and  diftrafted  Condition  Tamar  re- 
FromaSam.pairs  to  her  Broth.-r  Abfalom^  and  tells  him  the  whole 
^°J"-  _iTran^a6tion  of  her  Rape  :  But  her  Brother,  tho'  naturally 
Forivbtcbhe^  Man  of  an  high  Spirit,  advis'd  her  to  be  filent  in  Point 
is  murtoc'^d  of  Prudence,  becaufe  her  KaviJ]:er  was  Heir  apparent  to 
%e/t^h'^^^  Crgwnj  and  hirafclf  fo  f  artfully  conceal'd  his  own 
lorn.  Refentr 

\  Interpreters  feem  to  be  at  a  great  Lofs  to  find  out  the  Reafon  , 
why  Atnnon\  Love  to  his  Sifter  fhould  fo  foon  be  converted  into 
fuch  an  Hatred,  as  to  make  him  aft  fo  rudely,  fo  brutally  to- 
wards her  ;  but  it  is  no  uncommon  Tiling  for  Men  of  violent 
and  irregular Paffions,  to  pafs  from  one  Extreme  to  another.  The 
Shame,  which  accompanies  every  bafe  Aftion,  the  Remorfe,  and 
Repentance,  and  many  bad  Confequences,  that  immediately  pur- 
fue  it,  make  a  Recoil  in  every  Man's  Temper  ;  and  therefore  it 
is  no  Wonder,  that  a  libidivous  young  Man,  who  would  not  fpare 
fo  much  as  his  own  Sifter,  fhould,  after  Fruition,  and  when  the 
Ardour  of  his  Luft  was  fatisfy'd,  be  feiz'd  with  a  contrary  Paf- 
fion,  and  hate  the  Objeft  he  lov'd  fo  much  before,  when  he 
came  coolly  to  compare  the  Pleafure  and  the  5y«  together,  the 
Shortnefs  of  the  one,  and  the  Heinoufnefs  of  the  other.  He  hat- 
ed his  Sifter,  when  he  fhould  have  hated  himfelfj  and,  as  this 
outrageous  Treatment  of  her  made  it  impoffible  for  his  Guilt  to 
be  conceaPd,  fo  God  feems  to  have  abandoned  him  to  the  Tumult 
of  his  intemperate  Mind,  on  purpofe  to  make  tiiis  Punifhment 
of  D«i'/rf"s  Adultery  more  flagrant,  and  tiie  Prophet's  Predic- 
tion of  raifitig  i/p  c'vil  to  him  out  of  his  onjjn  Hcufe,  2  Sam.  xii. 
ir.  more  confpicuoas.  Calmefs  and  Le  Clercs,  Commentaries, 
and  The  Hiilory  of  the  Life  of  King  David. 

*  The  Manner  of  'Tainarh  fignifying  her  Vexation  for  the 
Injury  and  Difgrace,  which  her  Brother  had  put  upon  her,  is 
exprefs'd  by  her  putting  Ajhes  upon  her  Head,  2  Sam.  xiii.  ig. 
And  that  this  was  an  antient  Cuftom,  whereby  to  denote  one's 
Grief  and  Concern  for  any  great  Lofs  or  Calamity,  is  evident 
from  that  Paffage  of  the  Prophet,  concerning  the  People  of 
Tyre  '  They  fhall  cry  bitterly,  cafl  dirt  upon  their  Heads,  and 
nvalloiv  thef:ifelves  in  the  Ajhes,  Ezek.  xxvii.  30.  from  Achilles\ 
Behaviour  upon  the  Death  of  Patroclus,  as  we  have  it  in  Homer  : 
A.akpoTEpv)?/  J"  xifich  fAtuv  y.6'Jtv  aSaXocasixv 
Xivalo  Kanxf^aAvis'   X^-'-v  S     yVj^uys TrpoffWTOi/-       Uiad.   XVUl. 

And  from  what  Mezentius  did,  upon  the  Death  of  his  Laufus, 

according  to  Firgil : 

Canitiem  immundo  deformat  pulvere,  &  ambfts 

Adcoelum  tendit  palmas JEneid.  x. 

■f  By  this  Means  Amnon  was  luU'd  afleep  into  a  Behef,  that 

Abfalom  would  not  trouble  him  for  what  he  had  done,  becaufe 

he 


Chap.  IV.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      397 

Refenrment,  that  every  one  believ'd  he  had  taken  no  No-     A.  M, 
tice  of  it.     But  about  two  Years  after,  under  the  Pretence  ^Ji'^f 'c^^ 
of  a  Sheep-fhearing  Entertainment,  (which,  in  thofe  Coun- 1055,   ec 
tries,  us'd  to  be  attended  with  great  Mirth  and  Jollity)  hef"'^°"^i'Sam. 
invited  his  Friends  and  Relations,    and,  with  the  King's  (_^  —  j 
Confent,  (tho'  himfelf  declin'd  going)  all  the  Princes  of  the 
Bloody  and  moie  efpecially  his  Brother  Amncn.,  to  his  Coun- 
try-Seat at  Hazor  ;    where,  while  they  were,- engag'd   in 
Feafting  and  Drinking,  his  Servants,  by  his  Direction,  and 
through  the  Promife  of  an  Impunity,  fell  upon  Jrnnon,  (as 
jibfalom  gave  the  Signal)  and  immediately  difpatch'd  h'm. 
This  put  the  reft  of  the  Princes  into  fuch  a  Confternation, 
that  they  made  the  beft  of  their  Way  from  the  H<lftife,  as  ex- 
pecting the  like  Fate  ;    and  the  King,  when  he  heard  the 
firft  News  of  the  Thing,  (fuppofing  that  Abfalom  had  kill'd 
,  all  the  reft  of  his  Brothers)  was  thrown  into  the  utmoft  Grief 
andDefpair,  till,  by  the  Information  (jijonadub^  (who  feems 
to  have  been  privy  to  the  Defign)  and  the  fafe  Arrivid  of 
the  other  Princes,  he  was  certify'd  that  Amnon   only  was 
dead  ;  but  his  Death  alone  was  Matter  of  Sorrow  and  L  a- 
mentation  enough. 

ABSALOM^  who  knew  very  well  how  high'y  his  Fa- ^'^* ''^"'«- 
ther   would  refent    this    treacherous  and   barbarous  Mur- "^r'"  i'^* 

til  jo  dm   but 

ther,  f  fled  to  his  Mother's  Relations,  and  was  entertain 'dfl/>«m.drd', 

Jjy  reft  or' d  to  hit 
■'  Father'i  Fa- 

he  did  not  threaten,  nor  fo  much  as  expollulate  with,  him, 
or  take  any  Notice  of  what  had  pafs'd,  tho',  in  Reafon, 
he  ought  to  have  been  more  afraid  that  he  was  meditating  a  terri- 
ble Revenge :  According  to  the  Leflbn  which  the  Moufe  gave 
her  young  one,  when  (he  perceiv'd  her  affrighted  at  the  Noife  of 
the  crowing  Cod,  but  regardlefs  of  the  fly  Approaches  of  the 
Caf,  viz.  "  That  there  was  no  Danger  to  be  fear'd  from  the 
"  fluttering  Cock,  but  from  the  fihnt  Cat,  prefent  Death.  Pa- 
trick'i  Commentary. 

f  In  the  Cafe  of  nvilful  Murther,  the  Law  is,  That  th?  A<ven~ 
ger  of  Blood  Jhall  Jlay  the  Murtherer  ;  ivhen  he  meeteth  him  he 
Jh all  flay  him.  Numb.  xxxv.  21.  From  whence  it  feems  to 
follow,  thrit  it  was  not  in  any  Man's  Power  to  protedt  the  wilful 
Murtherer,  becaufe  the  Avenger  of  Blood,  i.  e.  the  neareft  Rela- 
tion of  the  Perfon  murther'd,  might,  vv^ith  Impunity,  wherever 
he  met  him,  kill  him.  As  Ahfahm  therefore  had  committed 
a  defign'd  Murther,  his  own  Life  was  every  Moment  in  Danger  j 
and  as  there  were  no  Cities  of  Refuge  in  his  own  Country,  that, 
in  this  Cafe,  would  yield  him  Proteftion,  he  was  forc'd  to  flee 
out  of  the  Kingdom,  to  his  Mother's  Father.  Patrick's  Com- 
mentary. ^ 


39S  the  Hificry   of  the  '^l'^  I.  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  by  his  Grandfather  Talmaiy  at  Gejhur,  for  three  Years. 
An^^'chrhi.^"^'  Length  of  Time  having  worn  out  David's  Grief, 
log's,  &'^-  ^"^  J°^^  perceiving  that  he  had  a  fecret  Defire  to  fee  Ab- 
VxomzSmi. jalom  again,  (if  he  could  but  find  out  an  handfome  Excufe 
'  '"""  (for  fucha  Purpofe)  procur'd  a  good  artful  Woman  f  from 
Tekoahy  whojf  in  a  Speech,  which  he  had  contrived  for  her, 

was 

•\  Tekoah  was  a  City  in  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  which  lay  South 
of  Jerufalem,  and  about  twelve  Miles  diftant  from  it.  And 
herein  does  Joays  Cunning  appear  not  a  little,  that  he  made 
choice  of  a  Woman  rather  than  a  Man,  becaufe  Women  can 
more  eafily...  exprefs  their  Paflions,  and  fooner  gain  Pity  in  their 
Miferies ;  a  IFidaiv,  which  was  a  Condition  of  Life  proper  to 
move  Compaffion  ;  a  grwve  Woman,  (as  Jojephus  calls  her) 
which  made  her  better  fitted  for  addreffing  the  King ;  and  a 
Woman,  not  knonun  at  Jerufalem,  but  living  at  fome  Diftance 
in  the  Country,  that  the  Cafe,  which  fhe  was  to  reprefent,  might 
not  too  readily  be  enquired  into.     Poo/'s  Annotations. 

f  The  Art  and  Contrivance  of  this  Widow  of  Tekoah^  Speech 
is  very  remarkable.  When  the  Woman  of  Tekoah  fpake  to  the 
King,  Jhe  fell  on  her  Face  to  the  Ground,  and  did  Obeifance,  and 
faid.  Help,  O  King!  And  the  King  Jaid  to  her.  What  aileth  thee  ? 
And  Jhe  faid,  1  am  indeed  a  Wido^ixj-Woman,  and  my  Hujhand  is 
dead,  and  thy  Handmaid  had  tivo  Sons,  and  they  t'wo  Jiro^'e  to- 
gether in  the  Field,  and  there  nvas  none  to  part  them,  but  the  one 
fmote  the  other,  and  fe^w  him ;  and  behold  this  Family  is  rifen 
againji  thi^ne  Handmaid,  and  they  Jay,  Deliver  hi?n  that  fmote  his 
Brother,  that  nue  may  kill  him,  for  the  Life  of  his  Brother,  ivhom 
heflenxj,  andive  ivill  defray  the  Heir  aljo :  And  Jo  they  Jhall  quench 
my  Coal  that  is  left,  (i.  e.  deprive  me  of  the  little  Comfort  of 
my  Life  which  remains,  and  is,  as  it  were,  a  Coal  buried  in  the 
Ajkes)  and  leave  to  my  Hiifband  neither  Name  nor  Remainder  upon 
the  Earth,  2  Sam.  xiv.  4,  &'c.  Now  the  Scope  of  all  this 
Speech  was  to  frame  a  Cafe,  as  like  to  David's  as  fhe  could  de- 
vife,  that,  by  prevailing  with  him  to  determine  it  in  her  Favour, 
he  might  be  convinc'd,  how  much  more  reafonable  it  was  to  pre- 
ferve  Abfalom.  But,  how  plaufible  foever  the  Likenefs  might  be, 
there  was  a  wide  Difference  between  her  Cafe  and  his :  For  her 
Son  (as  fhe  pretended)  was  flain  in  a  Scuffle  with  his  Brother  ; 
whereas  Amnon  was  taken  off  by  a  premeditated  Murther :  He 
was  flain  in  the  Field,  where  there  were  no  Witnefl'es,  whe- 
ther the  Fadl  was  wilfully  done  or  no  ;  whereas  all  the  King's 
Son's  faw  Amnon  barbaroufly  murther'd  by  his  Brother  :  And, 
laftly,  he  was  her  only  Son,  by  whom  alone  fhe  could  hope  to 
have  her  Hufband's  Name  perpetuated  ;  whereas  David's  Family 
was  in  no  Danger  of  being  extinft,  even  tho'  he  had  given  up 
Abfalom  to  Juflice.  But  there  was  a  great  deal  of  Policy  in  not 
making  the  Similitude  too  clofe  and  vifible,    left  the  King  fhould 

perceive. 


Chap.IY.  from  the  KratWtei  enlering  Ca.n2L2in^  ^c.         399 

was  to  convince  the  King,  that  in  feme  Cafes  the  Life  of    A.  M. 
a  Murtherer  might  be  fav'd.     The  Woman   Joab  intro- ^^j^'cJ^^^ 
duc'd  ;    and  when  fhe  had  told  her  Tale,  fo  as  to  induce  lo;;,  &c. 
the  King  to  a  Compliance  with  her  feign'd  Petition,  fhef''°f"*S^"'* 
gave  him  at  length  to  know,  that   the  Cafe  fhe  had  been .'_      -^j 
ftating  was  Abfalom's  ;  and  that,  if  in  a  private  Man,  the 
King  was  difpos'd  to   be  merciful,  there  was  much  more 
Reafon  for  his  pardoning  his  own  Son,  whofe  Abfencethe 
People  lamented,  and   for  whom  they  had  fo  general  an 
AfFedion. 

The  King,  being  appris'd  that  Joab  had  put  the  Wo- 
man upon  this  Artifice,  order'd  him  to  recal  Abfalom^  but 
t  confin'd  him  to  live  in  his  own  Houfe,  and,  as  yet,  ' 
would  not  feem  fo  far  reconcil'd  to  him,  as  to  admit  him 
into  his  Prefence.  But,  at  the  End  of  two  Years,  Jibfa- 
lom  prevail'd  with  ^oab  to  intercede  farther  for  a  full  Par- 
don, and  to  introduce  him  to  the  King,  who,  upon  his 
humbling  himfelf  and  begging  Pardon,  took  him  up  from 
the  Ground,  where  he  lay  proftrate,  and  gave  him  a  Kifs, 
as  a  Token  of  his  Forgivenefs  and  royal  Favour. 

ABSALOM  was  certainly  one   of   the  moft  comely /7/1  s^^a/y, 
Perfons  in  all  T/)'/?^/,  without  the  leaft  Blemifh  from  Top  ^'/"''^"0'> 
to  Toe,  and  with  an  Head  of  Hair  (which  in  thofe  Days""'^  ^'^f' 
was  thought  a  great  Beauty)  prodigioully  long  and  thick^  bis  Fathtr. 
fo  that  his  Perfon  drew  every  one's  Eye  to  him,  asfoonas 
he  was  reftor'd   to  Favour  at  Court :    But,  as  A?nmn^  his 
eldeft  Brother,  was  flain,  and  Chileah,  his  fecond^  by  this 

Time, 

perceive  the  Drift  of  the  Womans  Petition,  before  Ihe  had  ob- 
tain'd  a  Grant  of  Pardon  for  her  Son,  and  came  to  make  the 
Application  to  the  King  :  And  tho^  upon  her  making  the  Appli- 
cation, the  King  might  have  argu'd  the  Difparity  of  the  two 
Cafes,  yet  he  thought  proper  to  wave  this,  and  admit  her 
Reafoning  to  be  good,  becanie  he  was  as  deiiroas  to  have  Abfa- 
lom  recaird,  as  were  any  of  his  Subjects.  Patrick's  Commen- 
tary. 

f  This  fmall  Severity  to  Jb/alom,  fmall  in  Comparifon  of 
the  Heinoufnefs  of  his  Crime,  Dcvid  might  think  necefTary, 
not  only  to  put  him  upon  a  fmccre  Humiliation  and  Repentance 
for  what  he  had  done,  when  he  found  that  the  King  (indulgent 
as  he  was)  had  not  fully  pardon'd  him :  but  to  convince  the 
People  likewife,  how  detellable  his  Crime  was  in  the  King's 
Eileem,  and  how  averfe  he  would  be-  to  pafs  by  the  like  in  " 
another  Perfon,  who  could  not  endure  the  Sight  of  a  Son, 
whofe  Hand  was  defil'd  witii  a  Brother's  Blood,  Patrick^  Com- 
mentary. 


400  The  Hifiory  of  lbs  B  1  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  Time,  dead,  he  began  to  look  upon  himfelf  as  prefumptive 
A^n^^'cMft  ^^^^  *°  ^^^  Crown,  and  thereupon  to  afFedl  a  State  and 
1055,  6ff.  Equipage  greater  than  ufual.  He  provided  himfelf  with 
From  2  Sam. Chariots  and  Horfes,  and  had  a  Guard  of  fifty  Men  to  at- 
tend his  Perfon  :  But,  notwithftanding  this,  he  would  be 
*  fo  obfequious  and  humble,  as  to  ftoop  to  the  meaneft 
People,  that  had  any  Thing  to  fay  to  him  ;  would  offer  his 
Service  to  follicit  every  one's  Caufe,  that  had  any  Bufinefs 
at  Court ;  and,  upon  proper  Occafions,  not  fail  to  inflil 
into  the  People's  Minds  a  bad  Opinion  of  the  prefent  j4d- 
minijirat'ion^  as  if  the  publick  Affairs  were  negledled,  but 
that,  if  he  were  at  the  Helm,  Things  (hould  be  conducted 
at  an  other-guife  Rate. 

f  By  thefe  Arts  and  Infinuations,  which  were  advan- 
tageoufly  feconded  by  the  Comelinefs  of  his  Perfon,  (as  we 
faid)  and  the  Familiarity  of  his  Addrefs,  he  gain'd  to  him- 
felf the  Affections  of  the  People,  and  infenfibly  alienated 
them  from  David.     %  When  therefore  he  imagin'd  that 

Matters 

*  It  is  an  Obfervatiqn  of  Plato,  that,  when  any  one  intends 
to  make  himfelf  a  Tyrant  in  a  popular  State,  he  no  fooner  enters 
on  the  Government,  but,  ^xpoeylf^u,  ts  j^  ctaTccXsrxi  tIvIccq,  w  oj*w 
xfe^ToyKiive/,  he /miles  upon,  and  kindly  falutes,  all  Sorts  of  Peoplcy 
ivhere'ver  he  meets  them ;  avowing,  that  he  hates  Tyranny, 
promifmg  great  Things,  both  in  private  and  publick,  xj  z-a<r/v  'l\s®' 
rt  HxtTCilfMai^vai  TQO(rToierTui,3.nd  making,as  it  he  would  be  mild, 
and  gentle,  and  fatherly  to  all ;  even  as  Tacitus  relates  of  Otho, 
that  protendens  manum,  adorare  'vulgum,  jacere  ofcula,  ijf  omnia 
fer'viliter  pro  dominatione ;  that  he  us'd  to  kifs,  and  fhake  Hands 
with  any  one,  court  and  adore  the  Mob,  and  do  every  little 
fervile  Thing,  to  get  PofTefTion  of  the  Government.  Plato  de 
Repub.  1.   8.  and  Tacit.   Hifl.  lib.  i. 

\  It  is  an  Obfervation  of  Arifiotle  in  hi  s  Politicks,  (lib.  v.  c, 
4.)  that  all  Changes  and  Revolutions  in  Government  are  made 
by  one  of  thefe  two  Ways,  ^Vs  ptev  ICx  /3(«?,  cVt  5s  Si"  air^zr;,?, 
either  by  Force  and  Violence,  or  elfe  by  Deceit  and  Craft  :  Nor 
ever  was  there  a  Man  better  form'd  by  Nature  to  manage  Mat- 
ters in  this  latter  Way,  than  was  Jhjalom,  who  was  a  Perfon  of 
Courage  and  Gallantry,  of  Civility  and  Courtefy,  young,  and 
wonderfully  beautiful,  defcended  from  Kings,  both  by  Father's 
and  Mother's  Side,  and  prodigal  enough  of  large  and  magnifi- 
cent Promifes,  if  ever  he  came  to  be  King  j  a  Character  not 
unlike  that  of  Turnus  in  Virgil  : 

Hunc  decus  egregii.m  forrase  movet,  atquejuventae, 

Hunc  atavi  reges,  hunc  claris  dextera  factis.     ^neid.  lib,  vii. 

if  This  is  faid  in  the  Text,  to  have  been  after  forty  Tears,  2 
Sam.  XV.  7,  but  where  to  date  the  Beginning  of  the  forty  Tears 

has 


Chap.  lY.  from  the  ICraelkes  eHfermgCanzanj  &'c.        403 

Matters  were  ripe  for  his  Purpofe,  he  cJefir'd  Leave  of  his    A,  m. 
Father  to  go  to  Hebron^  pretending  that  he  had  vowed  a  ^"^^V^^* 
Vow  in  his  Exile,  that,  whenever  it  fliould  pleafe  God  to  105^^  ^^^ ' 
bring  him  back  to  Jerufalem,  he  would  offer,  in  that  Place,  ^^°"^2S3m* 
a  folemn  Sacrifice  of  Thankfgiving.     The  King,  little  fuf- 
pefting  his  hidden  Defign,  and  being  defirous  that  all  re- 
ligious Services  ihould  be  punctually  perform'd,  gave  him 
free  Leave  to  go,  and  wifh'd  him  a  good  Journey.     He- 
Iron  was  the    Place  of  his  own  Nativiry,  and  where  the 
Royal  Seat  had  been,  in  the  Beginning  of  David's  Reign  j 
and  therefore  he  thought  it  the  propereft  for  his  wicked 

Entcr- 

has  occafion'd  much  Difagreement  among  Commentators.     Some 
compute  them  from  the  Time,  that  the  Ifraelites  demanded  a 
King  of  Samuel ;    others,  from  the  iirft  Time,  that  Dwvid  was 
anointed  King;    others,  from  the  firfl  Commencement  of  his 
Reign  Over  Judah;     and  Others  again,    from  the  Time,  that 
he  took   Poffeffion  of  the  whole  Kingdom.     The  two  latter  of 
thefe  Opinions   are  infupportable,    becaufe  David  reign 'd  but 
forty   Years   in  all,    and  was   now  fo  hail  and  hearty,  as  to  be 
able  to  walk  on  Foot ;    whereas,  in  the  latter  End  of  his  Life, 
he  was    very  infirm   and   Bed-rid.     The  learn'd   UJher  mdeed 
makes  thefe  forty  Years  to  commence  from  the  Time  of  David's 
firft  Unftion,  and  therefore  he  was  threefcore  Years  old,    when 
this  Rebellion  broke  out,  and  liv'd  ten  Years  after  it :  But  (with 
all  due  Deference  to  fo  great  Authority)  both  tbis^  and  the  other 
Opinion,    that  computes  from  the  Time  that  the  Demand  of  a 
King  was  made,  are  forc'd,  and  unnatural ;  have  no  Affinity  to 
the  Text,  nor  do  they  fuggeft  any  Reafon,    why  the  facred 
Hiflorian  fhould  begin  his  Account  of  this  unnatural  Rebellion, 
with  an  Jndii  came  to  pafs,  that  after  forty  Tears  :    Whereasy 
if  we  confider  the  Account  of  what  went  before  ;  how  Abfnlom., 
by  all  the  Arts  of  Popularity,  a  fplendid  Equipage,  condefcen- 
five  Behaviour,    large  Promifes,    and  flattering  Speeches,  had 
alienated  the   Hearts  of  the  People  from  his  Father,  we  cannot 
but  be  tempted  to  think,  that  there  is  an  Error  crept  into  the 
Text ;  that,  inftead  of  Arbaim,  fdrty,    as   our   Copies  have  it, 
the  Word  fhould  be  Jrla,  four,  only,  i.  e.   four  Years  after  that 
Abfalom  was   re-eftabiifh'd  in   Jerufalem,    and  had  us'd  all  his 
alluring  Arts  to  gain  the  Nation's  Affeclions,    the  firft  Step  that 
he  took,  was  'o  go  to  Hebron.     This  makes  the  Senfe  eafy  and 
entire,  and  is  confirmed  by  the  Authority  of  the   Syriack  and 
Arabick  Verlions,  tiie  Judgment  of  feveral  able   Cricicks,    and 
the  Teftimony  of  Jofephus  himfelf,  wliofe  Words  are,    f^iru.  5e 
iviv  T8  '!rccTj)b<;  xarlaAaiyi^v  t laffaptiiv  stwv  vjoe  TrapaAeAU'^^oToii',   thzt  four 
years  after  his  Father   was  reconclied  to  him,  this  Confpiracy 
broke  out.     Calmet^   Commentary,  Ho--v:eU\  Hi  .lory,    in  ^s, 
Notes,  and  Jofiphush  Jevjijh  Aatiquities,  Ub.  vii.  c.  8. 

Vol.  III.  C  c 


402  ^le  Hiftory  of  the  ^I'&l^  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  Enterprife  :  And  no  fooner  was  he  fettled  there,  but  he 
.^^n|f'cjij.ift  fent  his  Emi//aries  dbout  to  found  the  Inclinations  of  the 
1055,  &c.  feveral  Tribes,  and  to  exhort  thofe,  whom  they  fhould  gain 
From  2  Sam-  Qygj.  j-q  j^jg  Party,  to  be  ready  to  take  up  Arms,  f  as  foon 
.'_ ,  'l'.  _^  as  they  fhould  hear  that  he  was  proclaim'd  King. 
^heKing  This  occafion'd  a  general  Infurredion.  Abfalom  was 
ha-vn  Jem-  the  Nation's  Darling  ;    and,  upon  this  Summons,  +  Peo- 

lalem,  and.  , 

in  hh   Re.  pie 

treatf  meets 

vfttb  variaut  -f  The  Expreffion  in  the  Text  is,  as/oo»  as  you  hear  the  Sound 
Kinds  of  of  the  Trumpet,  2  Sam.  XV.  10.  which  looks  as  \i  Abfalom  had 
•'''^''  planted  Trumpeters  at  proper  Diftances  to  take  the  Sound  from 
one  another,  and  difperfe  it  over  all  the  Kingdom,  that  fo  they, 
who  were  Lovers  of  his  Caufe,  might  inftantly  refort  to  his  Af- 
fiftance  and  Support ;  to  which  they  were  encourag'd,  no  doubt, 
by  the  Suggeftions  of  his  Emiffaries,  who  might  perfuade  the 
PeopJe,  that  all  'this  was  done  by  the  King's  Confent  and  Ap- 
probation, who,  being  aged  and  infirm  himfelf,  was  willing  to 
refign  his  Kingdom  to  his  eldeft  and  moft  noble  Son,  who  was 
defcended  from  a  King  by  both  Parents.  Le  C/ens  Commenta- 
ry, and  Poofs  Annotations. 

f  It  would  really  make  one  wonder,  how  any  People  could 
fo  ealily  abandon  a  Prince,  fo  brave,  fo  happy,  and  fuccefsful 
as  David  had  been ;  how  they  could  forget  his  excellent  Quali- 
ties, or  be  unmindful  of  the  Services  he  had  done  the  Nation  ; 
but  for  this  there  may  be  fome  Reafons  aflign'd.   In  every  Nation 
there  are  always  fome  turbulent  and  difcontented  Spirits,  who 
are  uneafy  with  the  prefent  State  of  Things,  and  promife  them- 
felves  fome  Benefit  from  a  Change.     Saufs  Party  was  not  as  yet 
entirely  extinft,   and  yoab,  who  was   David's  Prime  Minijier, 
behav'd  with  an  infuiFerable  Pride  and  Infolence.     His  Crimes, 
wliich  were  very  black,  and  which   the  King  durft  not  punifh, 
redounded  upon  him ;  and  the  King  himfelf  had  given  his  Ene- 
mies Umbrage  enough  againft  him,   in  living  with  Batbjheba, 
after  he  had  murther'd  her  Hulband  :  But,  what  gave  the  faireft 
Pretence  of  all,  was  the  Obftrudlion  o^Juftice  in  the  Civil  Ad- 
miniftration :  For  had  there  not  been  fomething  of  this,  Abfalom 
could  have  had  no  Grounds  for  making  fuch   loud  Complaints. 
Thefe  were  fome  of  the  Caufes  of  fo  general  a  Revolt  in  the  Peo- 
ple :  And  yet,  after  all,  there  might  be  fomething  in  what  Abar- 
binel  imagines,  viz.     That  neither  Abfalom,  or  the  Elders  of  lf~ 
rael,  nor  the  reft  of  the  People,  who  were  mifled  by  them,  had 
any  Intention  to  diveft  David  of  his  Crown  and  Dignity,  much 
lefs   to  >ake  away  his  Life ;  but  only  to  fubftitute  Abfalom,  as 
Coadjutor  to  him,  for  the  Execution  of  the  Royal  Authority, 
during  his  Life-time,  and  to  be  his  Succeffor  after  his  Death. 
For,  as  it  would  have  been  monftroufly  wicked  in  Abfalom  to 
have  defign'd  the  Deftrudtion  of  fo  kind  a  Father ;  fo  it  is  hard 
to  conceive;  how  he  could  have  gain'd  to  his  Party  iuch  a  Mul- 
titude 


Chap.  IV.    from  the  Kntlkes  entering  Canaan,  i^c.    403 

pie  flock'd  to  him  from  every  Part :  So  that  David,  who    A-  ^  . 
had  Intelligence  of  all  this,  thought  it  not  fafe  for  him  to^Ant^'chxlk 
continue  any  longer  in  Jerufalem  f ,  but,  leaving  the  Place,  1055,  sfc. 
with  a  Defign  to    retire  beyond  Jordan,  he  was  attended '^^°"^^;''^"^* 
by  his  Guards,    his  beft  Troops,    and  principal  Friends.    " 
Zadok  and  Abiathar  the  Priefts,    underftanding   that  the 
King  was  departed  from  Jerufalem^  brought  the  Ark  of  the 
Covenant  to  accompany  him  in  his  Diftrefs ;    but  f  he  de- 
C  c  2  fir'd 

titude  of  Abettors  in  fo  villainous  an  Enterprife.  This  however 
we  may  obferve,  that  David  look'd  upon  their  Proceedings 
(2  ^am.  XV.  14.  and  xvi.  1 1.)  as  an  Attempt  upon  his  Life;  and 
that  (whatever  their  firft  Intentions  were)  they  came  at  laft  to  a 
Refolution  to  have  him  killed,  to  make  way  for  their  own  better 
Security  :  Which  may  be  a  fufRcient  Warning  to  all  Men,  never 
to  begin  any  Thing  that  is  wrong,  for  fear  that  it  fhould  lead 
them  to  the  Commiffion  of  that,  which  they  at  firft  abhorr'd, 
when  they  find  they  cannot  be  fafe  in  one  Wickednefs,  without 
perpetrating  a  greater.     Cal?iiet\  and  Patrick's  Commentaries. 

•f  Tho' the  Fort  of  iSzW  was  very  ftrong  and  impregnable,  yet 
there  are  feveral  Reafons  which  might  induce  David  to  quit  Jeru- 
falem.  He  had  not  laid  in  Provifions  for  a  long  Siege,  nor  was 
Jerufalem,  in  every  Part  of  it,  dcfenfible ;  and  \i  Jbfalo7n\i2A 
once  taken  it,  as  it  was  the  Capital,  he  would  foon  have  been 
Matter  of  the  whole  Kingdom.  There  was  fome  Reafon  to  fuf- 
pedl  likewife,  that  the  Inhabitants  were  faulty,  and  fo  much  ad- 
didled  to  the  contrary  Party,  that  had  he  ftood  a  Siege,  and  been 
reduc'd  to  Straits,  they  might  poffibly  deliver  him  up  to  Abfalom. 
Nor  was  the  Prefervation  of  the  City  itfelf,  which  David  had 
beautify 'd,  and  adorn'd  with  a  fine  and  ftately  Palace,  and 
where  God  had  appointed  to  put  his  Name  and  Worfhip,  the 
leafl:  Part  of  his  Concern ;  and  therefore  he  thought  it  more  con- 
ducive to  his  Intcreft  in  all  Refpedls,  rather  than  be  conped  up  in 
a  Place,  which  he  defired  to  preferve  from  being  the  Seat  of 
War,  to  march  abroad  into  the  Country,  where  he  might  pro- 
bably raife  a  confiderable  Army,  both  for  his  own  Defence,  and 
the  Suppreffion  of  the  Rebels.     Poors  Annotations. 

-}•  This  he  might  do  for  feveral  Reafons ;  for  either  he  might 
think  it  not  decent  to  have  the  Jrk  wander  about  with  him  he 
knew  not  whither,  and  to  expofe  it  to  all  the  Hazards  and  Incon- 
veniencies,  which  he  himfelf  was  like  to  undergo;  or  he  might  fup- 
pofe,  that  this  would  be  a  Means  to  expofe  the  Prlells  to  the 
Violence  of  Abfalom  s  Rage,  (as  he  had  before  expos'd  them  to 
SauPs  Fury  upon  another  Occafion)  if  God,  in  his  Judgment, 
fhould  permit  him  to  prevail ;  or  this  might  look  as  a  Diltruil 
of  the  Divine  Goodnefs,  and  that  he  plac'd  more  Confidence  in 
the  l^oken  of  God's  Prefence,  than  he  did  in  God  himfelf,  who 
had  preferv'd  him  in  the  long  Perfecuuou  of  Saul,  when  he  had 


404  Tbe  Hijiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

1949,  S-*^-  u*"'^  *^^"^  *°  ^^"^  ^'  ^^'^^'  ^"^  *°  continue  in  JerufaUm^ 
Ant.  chrift.becaufe  they  might  be  of  Ufe  to  gain  him  Intelligence  of 
Fromjfam  ^^^  ^"^"^'^3  Motions  and  Defigns,  and  their  Charaaer 
i.to  xix.  '^f  f°o  ^2cred,  to  fear  any  Violence  from  the  UJurper. 
tHufoai,  f  the  Archite,  his  faithful  Friend  and  Counfellor, 
came  likewife  to  attend  him,  and,  with  all  Expreffions  of 
Sorrow,  to  fee  his  royal  Matter  in  fuch  Diftrefs,  offer'd  to 
(hare  his  Fortune  :  But  David  enjoin'd  him  to  return,  and 
told  him,  that  he  would  be  more  ferviceable  to  him  in  the 
City,  by  pretending  to  adhere  to  Ahfalom^  and  by  defeat- 
ing the  Counfels  of  Ahitophel^  who,  as  he  underftood  for 
Certainty,  was  f  engag'd  in  his  Son's  Meafures,  and  whofe 
great  Abilities  (which  the  King  was  not  unacquainted  with) 
gave  him  no  fmall  Uneafinefs. 

DAVID  had  fcarce  pafs'd  over  Mount  Olivet^  which 
lies  to  the  Eaji  of  Jerufalem,  when  Ziba,  whom  he  had 
made  Steward  to  Mephibojheth  his  Friend  Jonathan'^  Son, 
Came,  and  prefented  him  with  a  %  confiderable  Quantity 

of 

no  Ark  with  him.    But  what  feems  the  chief  Reafon,  at  that 

Time,    for  his  fending  back  the  Ark,  was, That  the 

Pnefts  and  Le'vites,  (of  whofe  Fidelity  he  was  fufficiently  fatisfy'd) 
by  giving  him  Intelligence  of  the  Enemies  Motions,  might  do 
him  more  Service  in  Jeru/alem,  than  they  could  do  in  his  Camp. 
PooFs  Annotations. 

t  This  Man  might  be  of  the  antient  Race  of  the  Archites, 
Defcendants  homCanaan,  ofwhomAfc/^j  fpeaks.  Gen.  x.  17. 
but  fmce  the  Name  of  thefe  antient  People  is  differently 
written,  I  ftiould  rather  think,  that  this  additional  -Name  was 
given  him  from  the  Place  of  his  Nativity,  viz.  Archi,  a  Town 
fituated  on  the  Frontiers  of  Benjamin  and  Ephraim,  to  the  Wed 
pi  Bethel,  Jolh.  xvi.  2.      '  ^ 

t  The  Jews  are  of  Opinion,  that  Ahitophel  was  incens'd 
againft  DanjiJ,  and  therefore  ready  to  go  over  to  the  adverfe 
Party,  becaufe  he  had  abus'd  Bathjheba,  whom  they  take  to 
have  been  his  Grand-daughter,  becaufe  fhe  was  the  Daughter  of 
Eli  am,  2  Sam.  xi.  3.  and  Ahitophel  had  a  Son  of  that  Name, 
3  Sam.  xxiii.  34.  for  this  Reafon  they  imagine,  that  he  advis'd 
Abfalom  to  lie  with  his  Father's  Concubines,  that  he  might  be  re- 
paid in  Kind  J  tho'  the  Scripture  affigns  another,  mz.  that  he 
and  his  Father  might  thereby  become  irreconcileable  Enemies. 
Ponl'i  Annotations. 

X  And  yet  the  Text  tells  us,  it  was  but  one  Bottle :  But  what 
we  render  Bottle,  was,  in  thofe  Times,  a  Bag,  or  Veffel  made 
of  Leather,  which  might  contain  a  great  deal  of  Wine  ;  becaufe 
we  cannot  fuppole,  but  that  the  Liquor  was  proportionate  to  the 
reft  of  the  prelent.     Patrick^  Commentary. 


I 


Chap.  IV.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        405 

of  Wine,  and  other  Provifions ;  but,  upon  the  King's  en-    A.  m. 
quiring  for  his  Matter,  who  he  thought  above  all  Men,  inAntfchrfft. 
Point  of  Gratitude,  (hould  have  kept  firm  to  his  Intereft,  1055,  ^<^- 
the  perfidious  Wretch  accus'd  him  of  flaying  behind   inf'^o'"  i^Sam. 
yerufalem^  in  Hopes  that  himfelf  might  be  made  King ; ,' 
and  the  too  credulous  King,  in  this  general  Diftraftion  of 
his  AfFairs,  believing  the  Accufation  to  be  true,  made  an 
hafty  Grant  of  all  MephihoJheth\  Eftate  to  this  bafe  Servant, 
and  treacherous  Sycophant. 

As  David  drew  near  to  Bahurim,  a  City  in  the  Tribe 
of  Benjamin,  f  one  Shimei,  a  Defcendant  from  the  Fami- 
ly of  Saul,  and  who  dwelt  in  that  Place,  came  out,  and 
t/jrew  Stones  at  him,  and,  in  the  Hearing  of  the  whole 
Company,  loaded  him  with  the  bitterefl  Reproaches  and 
Execrations,  fo  that  Abijhai  defir'd  Leave  of  the  King  to 
go  and  difpatch  the  infolent  Rebel :  But,  by  no  Means 
would  the  King  permit  him,  but  bore  all  with  an  admira- 
ble Patience,  f  and  Refignation  to  the  Will  of  God,  as 
being  confcious  of  his  own  Guilt  in  the  Cafe  of  Uriah, 
and  of  the  divine  Juflice  in  thus  afflifting  him. 

While  David  continu'd  at  Bahurim,  Ahfalom  and  his 
Party,  entering  'Jerufalem,  were  receiv'd  with  the  general 
Acclamations  of  the  People,  and  Hujhai,  not  forgetful  of 
the  King's  Inftru<3:ions,  went  to  compliment  him,  and 
ofFer'd  him  his  Service.  Abfalom  knew  that  he  was  his  Fa- 
ther's intimate  Friend  and  Counfellor,  and  therefore  ban- 
ter'd  him  at  firft,  upon  his  pretending  to  defert  his  old 
C  c  3  Mafter  ; 

-}-  Whether  this  Man  had  been  a  perfonal  Sufferer  in  the  Fall 
of  Zaul\  Family,  or  what  elfe  had  exafperated  him  againft 
Da'vid,  it  no  where  appears  ;  but  it  feems,  as  if  he  had  con- 
ceived feme  very  heinous  Offence  againft  him,  when  neither  the 
Prefence  of  a  King,  nor  the  Terror  of  his  Guards,  could  re- 
ftrain  him  from  throwing  Stones,  and  bitter  Speeches,  at  him : 
And  it  looks,  as  if  the  King  were  fallen  into  the  utmoft  Con- 
tempt, when  one  private  Man  could  think  of  venting  his  Malice 
at  him,  in  fo  grofs  a  Manner,  with  Impunity.  Howe/fs  Hi- 
ftory,  in  the  Notes. 

f  The  Words  of  Damd  upon  this  Occafxon  are.  So  let  him 
curfe,  becaufe  the  Lord  hath  /aid  unto  him,  curfe  David  :  Let  him 
alone,  let  him  curfe,  for  the  Lord  hath  hidden  him  :  not  that  God 
commanded  it  by  his  Word,  for  that  feverely  forbids  curfnig, 
Exod.  xxii.  28,  nor  mov'd  him  to  it  by  his  Spirit ;  for  neither 
was  that  poffible,  becaufe  God  tempteth  no  Man,  James  i.  15. 
But  the  Meaning  is,  that  the  fgcrct  Providence  of  Cod  did 

over' 


40 6  7he  Bifiory  of  the   B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.     Mafter  ;  but  Hujhai  f  excus'd  himfelf  in  fuch  a  Manner, 
A^ntf'chrift.  ^"'^  anfwer'd  all  his  ^e/iions  with  that  Subiilty,  that  he 
1055,  &c.  pafs'd  upon  the  Prince  for  a  worthy  Friend,  and  accord- 
FromzSam.  jj^gly  ^^g  receiv'd  imo  his  Privy-Council. 
i^.tojux^^^     A  COUNCIL  was  prefently  call'd,  wherein  Jhitophel, 
Ahitophei'j    who  was  Prefident^  and  ftood  higheft  in  Abfalom\  Efteem, 
tounjti,up-.n{^i\iQ  firft;  and  the  two  chief  Things,  which  he  advis'd 
\f ivh,'cT°he^'^'^  to  do,  were,  firft  to  place  a  Tent  on  the  Top  of  the 
^bar.gibimjeif^2\-3s:t^  (for  by  this  Time  he  had  taken  Poffeflion  of  his  Fa- 
ther's Palace)  and  to  lie  puhlickly  with  his  Father's  Concu- 
bines ^  that  all  the  Soldiers  might  fee,  and  conclude  that,  af- 
ter fuch  an  Indignity,  there  could  be  no  Hopes  of  a  Recon- 
ciliation, and  thereby  be  incited  to  fight  more  defperately  to 
fecure  him  in  the  PofTeflion  of  the  Throne.     This  Advice 
was  fuitable  perhaps  to  the  young  Man's  vicious  Inclinations, 
and  therefore  he  delay'd  not  to  put  it  in  Execution :  But,  as 
for  the y^f(77z^  Thing,  which  y^A/Vo^M  propos'd,  viz.  '*  To 
"  take  twelve  Thoufand  choice  Men,  and  purfue  after 

'*  David 

over-rule,  and  determine  him  fo  to  do,  /.  e.  God  did  not  put  any 
Wickednefs  into  Shimei's  Heart  (for  he  had,  of  himfelf,  an  Heart 
""  full  of  Mahgnity  and  Venom  againft  Da^vid)  but  only  left  him 

to  his  own  Wickednefs;  took  away  that  common  Prudence,  which 
would  have  reftrainM  him  from  fo  dangerous  an  Adlion  ;  direfted 
his  Malice,  that  it  fhould  be  exercis'd  againft  Dawid,  rather  than 
any  other  Man  ;  and  brought  him  into  fo  diftrefs'd  a  Condition, 
that  he  might  feem  a  proper  Objefl  of  his  Scorn  and  Contempt, 
which  is  enough  to  juftify  the  Expreflion,  The  Lord  hath  bidden 
hitn  ;  in  the  fame  Manner  that  we  read  of  his  coinmanding  the 
Ravetisy  I  Kings  xvii.  4.  and  fometimes  inanimate  Creatures,  Pfal. 
cxlvii.  15,18.  The  fiiort  is,  D^^'X'zVlook'd  upon  Shlmei  as  an  In- 
ftrument  in  God's  Hands,  and  therefore  took  all  his  Abufes  pa- 
.  tiently,  out  of  a  Confcioufnefs  of  his  Sinfulnefs,  and  a  Reverence 
to  that  Deity,  who  had  brought  him  fo  low,  as  to  deferve  the 
Infuks  of  this  vile  Betijamite.     Pool's  Annotations. 

-f-  The  Manner,  in  which  Jefephus  makes  Hujhai  anfwer  Abfa- 
lom,  is  artful  enough,  tho'  hardly  becoming  an  honeft  Man. 
"  There  is  no  contending,  fays  he,  with  the  Will  of  God,  and 
''  the  Confent  of  the  People  ;  and  fo  long  as  you  have  them  on 
"  your  Side,  you  may  be  fecure  of  my  Fidelity.  It  is  from 
"  God,  that  you  have  received  your  Kingdom ;  and  if  you  can 
*'  think  me  worthy  of  a  Place  in  the  Number  of  thofe,  you  will 
*'  vouchfafe  to  own,  you  fhall  find  me  as  true  to  yourfelf,  as  ever 
"  I  was  to  your  Father.  No  Man  is  to  account  the  prefent  State 
"  of  things  uneafy,  folong  as  the  Government  continues  in  the 
"  fame  Line,  and  a  Son  of  the  fame  Family  fucceeds  to  the 
•'  Throne."     Jeijcijh  Antiq.  lib.  vii.  c.  8. 


Chap.  IV.    from  tbeUr^tlhesenfmng Canaan,  &c.       407 

**  David  that  *  very  Night,  and  to  fall  upon  his  Guards^     A.  M. 
**  which  were  fatigu'd  with  their  March,  and   unable  to  A^t^V^^^rt 
*'  make  Refiftance,  and  fo  furprize  the  King,    and  kill  1055,  &'-'^- ' 
*'  him,"  he  defir'd  to  confult //tt/^ai  herein ;  who,  feem- f^^'^^Sani. 
ingnot  to  flight  Jhitophel's  Propofal,  advis'd  rather  to  de-^"""'"' 
lay  the  Attempt,  until  he  had  got  all  the  Forces  of  the  King- 
dom  together.     '*  For,  as  David,    and  his   Men  were 
*'  known  to  be  brave,  and,  at  that  Time,  both  f  exafpe- 
*'  rated,  and,  defperate,  in  Cafe  they  (hould  worft  the  Par- 
*'  ty  fent  againft  them,  this  would  be  a  Means  to  dlfcourage 
*'  others,  and  be  thought  a  very  inaufpicious  Beginning : 
*'  Whereas,  if  they  ftaid  till  a  numerous  Army  were  come 
*'  together,  f  they  might  be  afTur'd  of  Vidory."     Abfa- 
C  c  4  lorn, 

*  It  is  a  wife  Obfervatlon  in  Tacitus,  Nihil  in  difcordiis  clvili- 
hus  fefiinatione  latitis,  ubifaSio,  potius  quam  confulto,  opus  eft :  A- 
hitophel  therefore  thought  it  highly  neceflary  to  make  Difpatch 
upon  this  Occafion ;  becaufe  he  knew,  that  if  he  fhould  give  the 
People,  that  had  revolted  from  their  Allegiance,  leifure  to  think 
of  what  they  were  doing  againft  their  lawful  Prince,  he  would  give 
that  Prince  Time  to  raife  fome  regular  Troops,  and  thofe,  that 
were  about  him.  Space  to  recover  from  their  firft  Fright;  Ahfalo7n% 
Party  would  dwindle  into  nothing,  and  David^s  grow  ftronger 
and  ftronger  :  Daret  malorum  pcenitenfus,  daret  honorum  confen- 
fuii  feeler  a  impetu,  bona  concilia,  mora  njalefcere.  Tacit.  Hift.  lib. 
i.    And  therefore  he  advis'd  marching  immediately  againft  him, 
without  giving  him  a  Moment's  Time  to  recover  himfelf.     Cal- 
'  mefs  Commentary. 

-f-  There  is  fomething  very  plaufible,  and  elegant  too,  in  the 
Advice,  which  Hiijhai  gives  Abfalotn,  not  immediately  to  purfue, 
and  fall  upon,  Da'vid ;  Thou  knonveft  thy  Father  and  his  Men,  that 
they  be  mighty  Men,  and  they  be  chafed  in  their  Minds,  as  a  Bear 
robbed  of  her  Whelps  in  the  Field,  2  Sam.  xvii.  8.  Every  one 
knows,  that  a  Bear  is  a  very  fierce  Creature ;  but  She-Bears  (as 
Ariftotle  tells  us)  are  more  fierce  than  the  Male,  particularly  when 
they  have  young  Ones,  but  moft  of  all,  when  thefe  young  Ones 
are  taken  from  them.  For  this  Reafon  the  Scripture  makes  fre- 
quent Ufe  of  this  Similitude  :  /  luill  be  unto  them  as  a  Lion,  fays 
CJod,  in  Relation  to  the  People  of  Ifrael,  and  as  a  Leopard  by  the 
Way  i  Inxjrll  meet  them  as  a  Bear,  that  is  berea'ved  of  her  Whelps, 
and  nxill  rent  the  Caul  of  their  Hearts,  Hofea  xiii.  7,  8.  Vid. 
Prov.  xvii.  12,  iSc.  So  that  the  Purport  of  Hujhafs  Advice  is 
founded  on  this  Maxim,  "  That  we  fhould  not  drive  an  Enemy  to 
"  Defpair,  nor  attack  thofe,  who  are  refolv'd  to  fell  their  Lives 
**  at  as  dear  a  Rate  as  polTible."    Calmet\  Commentary. 

f  The  Benefits  which  Hujhai  fuggefts,  from  Abfalom'i  having  a 
large  Army,  are  thus  exprefs'd  in  an  hyperbolical  Way,  fuitable  to 
the  Genius  of  that  infolent  young  Man,  to  whom  he  gave  his  Ad- 
vice, 


'4oS  The  Hijlory  of  the  BIBLE,      Book  V. 

•A-  M-  lom^  and  the  refl  of  the  Council^  approv'd  of  thiskft  Advice, 
Ant^'chjft.  ^"^  Hit(hai  immediately  difpatch'd  two  Meflengers  to  Da- 
1.05s,  '^f-  "^'"^i  acquainting  ];im  with  what  had  pafs'd  in  Council^  and 
•^^'°'J.^^"^''"- advifmg  him  ipdantly  to  pafs  the  Jordan^  left  Ahfalom 
■  {hc'jld  change  his  Mind,  and  come  and  fall  upon  him  on  a 
fudden. 

The  Mejfengers^  as  they  were  making  the  bcft  of  their 
Way,  happcn'd  to  meet  fome  of  Abfalom'^  Party,  but  had 
the  good  t  ortune  to  conceal  themfelves  in  a  Well^  until  their 
Purfuers  were  return'd  ;  and  then,  proceeding  on  their  Jour- 
ney, came  and  deliver'd  their  Difpatches  to  the  King,  who 
decamp'd  by  break  of  Day,  pafs'd  the  'Jordan^  and  came  to 
Mahanaim^  a  City  of  G'llead^  where  he  was  kindly  receiv'd. 
As  fcon  as  Ahitophel  heard  that  David  was  out  of  Danger, 
cither  taking  it  amifi,  that  his  Counfel  W3S  flighted,  or  per- 
ceiving, by  Abfalom's  weak  Condu6^,  that  Things  were  not 
likely  to  fucceed,  and  he,  confequently,  *  liable  to  be  ex- 
pos'd  to  David's  hotteft  Indignation,  for  the  Counfel  he 
had  already  given ;  partly  out  of  Pride,  and  partly  out  of 
Fear  of  worfe  Torments,  he  went  to  his  own  Houfe,  where 
he  firft  made  his  IVilly  and  then  hang'd  himfelf, 

DAVID 

vice,  and  therefore  more  likely  to  prevail  with  him  :  Moreonjer, 
if  he  be  gotten  into  a  City,  then  Jhcdl  all  Ifrael  bring  Ropes  to  that 
City,  end  nve  ijuill  dra^v  it  into  the  Ri'ver,  until  there  he  not  ont 
fmall  Stone  found  there,  2  Sam.  x^/ii.  13.  Where  his  Meaning  is, 
that  if  Danjid  fliould  quit  the  open  Field,  and  betake  himfelf  to 
the  ftrongeft  of  their  Cities,  encompafs'd  with  high  Walls  and 
deep  Ditches,  fuch  a  numerous  Army  (as  he  propos'd)  would  be 
fufficient  to  begirt  it  round,  and,  by  Ropes  put  about  the  Walls, 
draw  chem  down,  and  all  the  Houfes  of  the  City,  into  the  Ditch, 
that  ran  about  it :  Not  that  any  fuch  Pratlice  was  ever  us'd  inWar, 
and  therefore  the  Words  muft  be  look'd  upon  as  merely  Thrafo- 
iiical,  and  calculated  to  pleafe  Abfalom  ;  unlefs  we  will  fay  with 
fome,  that  the  Word  in  the  Original  may  denote  fuch  Machines 
as  are  work'd  by  Ropes,  and  were,  at  that  Time,  in  ufe  to  batter 
down  Wails.     Calniet's  and  Patrick\  Commentaries. 

*  J^fiP^^^^  thus  relates  the  Matter.- "  When  Ahitophel  was 

**  come  home  to  Galmon,  he  called  his  Family  together,  and  told 
*'  them  the  Advice,  which  he  had  given  Jbfalotn,  but  that  he 
*'  would  not  follow  it,  and  that,  in  a  fhort  Time,  that  Refufal 
*'  would  be  his  Ruin :  for  David  would  certainly  baffle  him,  and 
*'  foon  recover  his  Kingdom.  Now  it  is  more  honourable  for 
**  me,  fays  he,  to  die,  afferting  my  Liberty  hke  a  Man,  than  to 
*'  wait  fneaking  till  Da'vid  comes  in  again,  and  to  be  flay'd  atlaft 
*'  for  the  Services  I  have  done  the  Son  againlt  the  Father."  Jenv- 
i/h  Antiq.  lib.  vii.  c.  g. 


Chap.  IV.    from  the  Ursidites  entering  Cani3.n,  ^c.       409 
Dj4  fid  had  not  been  long  at  Mahanaim^  before  Abfa-    A.  M- 

»  1  -  1  All  2949,     &C. 

lom^  having  got  together  a  numerous  Army,  which  was  j/^n^;^  thrift, 
commanded   by  Amafa,  the  Son  of  Ithra^  a  Relation  of  1055.  &e, 
Abfalorns  by  Marriage,  left  Jerufalem,  and  pafs'd  the  Jor-J'^^^t"^' 
dan,  in  Purfuit  of  his  Father.     The  King,  hearing  of  the  v_,— ^—  _f 
Approach  of  his  Rebel  Son,  and  forefeeing  that  a  Battle  was^«  Engage- 
unavoidable,  divided  his  Army  into  three  Bodies.     The  firft  '"«"'^^''^«« 
to  be  commanded  by  jfoab,  the  fecond  by  his  Brother  Abi-  and  Abfa- 
Jhai,  and  the  third   by  f  Ittai,  the  Giitite,  and  himfelf  in-  lom's  Party, 
tended  to  go  in  Perfon  with  them.     But,  by  the  Importuni-  ^i^^'"f^^' 
ty  of  the  People  about  him,  he  was  prevail'd  with  not  to -vanquifird 
hazard  his  Perfon  in  Battle ;  and  perhaps  was  more  eafily<»«<^y^"»« 
diffuaded  from  it,  becaufe  the  Battle  was  to  be  againft  a  Son, 
for  whom  he  ftill  retain'd  fo  tender  an  AfFedtion,  that  he 
gave  the  three  Generals  a  ftri^t  Charge,  in  the  Hearing  of 
the  Soidiers,  that  (for  his  Sake)   they  fhould  ufe  Abjalom 
kindly,  in  cafe  he  (hould  fall  into  their  Hands. 

The  two  Armies  met  in  the  -f  Wood  of  Ephralm^ 
which  bclongeth  to  the  Tribe  of  Manajfeh,  where  Abfaloni's 
Army,  tho'  much  fuperlor  in  Number,  was  defeated,  and 
put  to  Flight :  For  the  Loyali/is,  upon  this  Occafion,  be- 
hav'd  fo  gallantly,  that  they  kill'd  f  twenty  Thoufand  of 

the 

f  In  2  Sam.  XV.  1 8.  we  read,  that  all  the  Gittites,  Jix  hundred 
Men,  ivhich  came  after  him  (viz.  Da'vid)  from  Gath,  pajfed  on  be- 
fore the  King ;  but  who  thofe  Gittites  were,  'tis  hard  to  determine, 
becaufe  we  have  no  mention  made  of  them,  in  any  other  Part  of 
Scripture.  Some  imagine,  that  they  were  Natives  of  Gath, 
who,  taken  with  the  Fame  of  D-at'zWs  Piety,  and  happy  Succeff- 
es,  came  along  with  Ittai,  (whom  the  feivs  fuppofe  to  have  been 
the  Son  of  Achijh,  King  of  Gath)  and,  being  profelyted  to  the 
Jenuifh  Religion,  became  Part  of  Da^vid's  Guard,  and  attended 
him  in  his  Wars.  But  others  rather  think,  that  they  were  Men 
of  Jeixii/h  Extradl,  but  had  this  additional  Name,  from  their  flee- 
ing unto  Z)/a:'x;/</ (probably  under  the  Condufl  o(  Ittai)  nvhile  he 
ivas  at  Gath,  and  accompanying  him  ever  after,  not  only  in  the 
Time  of  Saul's  Perfecution  of  him,  but  even  after  his  Acceffion 
to  the  united  Kingdoms  of  Judah  and  Ifrael.  Patrick's  Com- 
mentary. 

f  This  Wood  was  fo  called,  (as  fome  imagine)  becaufe  the 
Ephraimites  were  wont  to  drive  their  Cattle  over  Jordan  to  feed 
them  in  it;  but  others  (with  more  probability)  fuppofe,  that  it 
had  its  Name  from  the  great  Slaughter  (related  in  Jud.  xii.)  which 
Jephthah  had  formerly  made  of  the  Ephraimites  in  that  Place. 
HoiveWs  Hiftory,  in  the  Notes. 

f  The  Expreffion  in  the  Text  is,  The  Wood  devoured  more  Peo-^ 

pie 


4IO  ^e  Hiftory  «///&<?  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  (i^g  Rebels  upon  the  Spot,  and  would  doubtlefs  have  car- 
/^t^'cHrift  jy  '^  the  Slaughter  farther,  had  not  Abfalom  (the  chief  Caufe 
1C55.  &c.  of  all  this  Mifchief )  been  taken,  and  flain. 

His  Hair  (as  we  fai  1  before)  was  of  a  prodigious  Length, 
and  Largi-nefs ;  and,  as  he  was  now  in  Flight  from  the  E- 
nemy,  and  riding  with  great  Speed,  under  the  Trees,  it 
happened  to  *  entangle  itfelf  on  one  of  the  Boughs  in  fuch  a 
Manner,  that  it  lifted  him  ofF  his  Saddle,  and  his  Mule,  run- 
ning from  under  him,  left  him  there  hanging  in  the  Air,  and 
unable  to  dilengage  himfelf. 

In 

fir  that  Day,  than  the  Stvord  de'voured,  2  Sam.  xviii.  8.  which 
ioiiie  think  was  occafion'd  by  their  falling  into  Pits,  prefling  one 
another  to  Death  in  ftrait  Places,  creeping  into  lurking  Holes, 
and  tiicre  being  ftarv'd  to  Death,  or  otherwife  devour'd  by  wild 
Br.iils,  which  met  them  In  their  Flight :  But  the  moft  eafy  and 
iunpic  Meaning  of  the  Paflage  is,  that  there  were  more  flain  in 
the  \^'ood,  than  in  the  Field  of  Battle.  The  Field  of  Battle, 
(as  Jofephus  tells  us.  ye-x-jijk  Antiq.  lib.  vii.  cap.  9.)  was  a  Plains 
wilh  a  Wood  contiguous  to  it ;  and  therefore,  when  Abfalonii. 
Army  was  put  to  the  Rout,  and  betook  themfelves  to  the  Wood 
for  Refuge,  their  Purfuers  made  a  greater  Slaughter  of  them  there, 
tlian  they  otherwife  would  have  done,  becaufe  they  could  not  run 
swa\-  fo  fall:  in  the  Wood,  as  they  might  have  done  in  the  open 
field.     Patrick^  Commentary. 

*  The  Words  in  the  Text,  indeed,  make  no  mention  of  Ab- 
raJo:n\  Hair  in  this  Place  :  They  only  inform  us,  that  Abfalom 
yode  upon  a  Mule,  and  the  Mule  'went  under  the  thick  Boughs  of  a 
great  Oak,  and  his  head  caught  hold  of  the  Oak,  and  he  <vjas  ta- 
ken up  bct-^vecn  the  Hca^ucn  and  the  Earth,  and  the  Mule,  that  <iuas 
-■Older  him,  ^vcnt  a%vay,  2  Sam.  xviii.  9.  From  whence  fome 
infer,  that  the  meaning  of  the  Hiftorian  is,  not  thzt  Abfalom  h.\in^ 
by  his  Hair,  but  that  his  Neck  was  fo  wedged  between  the 
Boughs,  by  the  fwift  Motion  of  the  Mule,  that  he  was  not  able 
to  difengage  himfelf.  For  it  is  hardly  to  be  queftion'd,  fay  they, 
hut  that,  when  he  went  to  Battle,  he  had  an  Helmet  on;  and  an 
Helmet,  which  cover'd  his  Head,  would  have  hinder 'd  his  Hair 
from  being  intangled  in  the  Boughs :  But  'tis  only  fuppollng,  ei- 
ther that  his  Helmet  was  fuch,  as  left  a  great  deal  of  his  Hair 
vifible  and  uncovered,  or  that,  if  it  was  large  enough  to  enclofe 
the  whole,  he  might,  upon  this  Occalion,  throw  it  off,  (as  well 
as  his  other  heavy  Armour)  to  make  himfelf  lighter,  and  expe- 
dite his  FHght ;  and  then  there  will  be  no  Incongruity  in  the 
common,  and  received  Opinion,  to  which  the  Authority  of  y^- 
//.?«/ acids  fome  Confirmation,  'uiz.  "'  That,  as  Abfalom  was  ma.- 
*'  king  his  Efcape,  upon  the  whiffling  of  the  Air,  a  fnagged 
'•  Bough  of  a  Tree  took  hold  of  his  Hair,  and  the  Mule,  run- 
"  ning  forward  from  under  him,  left  him  dangling  in  the  Air." 
Ji-iap  Antiq.  lib.  vii.  c.  9. 


Chap.  IV.  from  the  UtaeWtes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      411 

In  this  Condition  a  private  Soldier  found  him,  and  told    ^-  ^• 
xtMntoyoab,  who  blam'd  him  for  not  having  kill'd  him  SAntfchrift. 
and  when  the  Man,  in  Excufe,  urg'd  the  Command,  which  '055,  &c. 
he  heard  the  King  give  xheGenerals,  to  be  very  tender  and[''°^^^^'"* 
careful  of  his  Son's  Life,  Joab,  looking  upon  all  this  as  no-  (' 
thing,  or  as  a  Command  fitter  for  a  Parent,  than  a  King, 
went  to  the  Place  where  he  was  *  hanging,  and,  having  firft 
given  him  his  Death's  Wound  himfelf,  order'd  the  People, 
which  were  by,  to  dlfpatch  him  ;  and  fo  went,  and  found- 
ed a  Retreat  to  prevent  any  farther  Effufion  of  Blood,  and 
to  give  Abfalomh  Party  an  Opportunity  of  efcaping  to  their 
refpeftive  Homes. 

Thus  died  the  wicked  and  rebellious -//^/^/jw,  and,  in- 
flead  of  an  honourable  Interment,  fit  for  a  King's  Son,  his 
Body  was  taken  down,  and  thrown  into  a  Pit,  and  cover 'd 
with  an  *Heap  of  Stones. 

The 

*  Commentators  have  obferv'd  the  Juftlce  of  God,  in  bringing 
Ahfalom  to  a  condign  Punifhment,  and  fucha  Kind  of  Death,  as 
^s  ordain'd  by  the  Law  for  Offences,  like  unto  his.  For 
wnereas,  in  the  firft  Place,  he  was  hangd  as  it  were,  this  was  de- 
clar'd  by  the  Law  to  be  an  accurfed  Death,  Deut.  xxi.  23.  and 
was,  afterwards,  in  feme  M.ea(nre  Jlo»ed ;  this  was  the  particular 
Kind  of  Death,  that  the  Law  prefcribed  for  a  ftubbom  and  re- 
bellious Son,  Dcut.  xxi.  21. 

*  In  the  Defcription  of  the  Holy-Lajjd,  fome  Geographers  tell 
us,  that  thij^Heap  of  Stones  remained  even  to  their  Days,  and 
that  all  Travellers,  as  they  pafs'd  by  it,  were  wont  to  throw  a 
Stone  to  add  to  the  Heap,  in  Deteftation  of  his  Rebellion  againit 
his  Father.  For,  though  it  became  a  Cuftom  among  the  Greeks 
to  raife  an  Heap  of  Stones  in  the  Place  where  any  great  Perfon 
was  interr'd,  as  a  Monument  of  Honour  and  Refped  ;  yet  it  is 
plain,  that  none  of  Bawd's  Army  intended  any  Honour  to  Ab- 
/alom\  Memory  in  accumulating  Stones  upon  him,  nor  can  we 
think,  that  David  himfelf  (though  too  fond  of  this  Rebel-  Son) 
made  any  Alteration  afterwards  in  the  Form  of  his  Burial,  for 
Fear  of  enraging  the  People  againft  him.  Some,  however,  are 
of  a  quite  contrary  Opinion,  'viz.  that  David,  who  lamented 
him  with  fuch  Excefs,  remov'd  him  from  this  Pit,  in  order  to 
have  him  laid  in  the  Sepulchre  belonging  to  the  Kings,  or  per- 
haps fomewhere  about  the  Place,  where  the  Monument  which 
goes  under  his  Name,  and,  even  to  this  Day,  is  (hewn  to  Tra- 
vellers, was  dug  in  a  Rock.  It  is  a  litde  Chamber  wrought  with 
a  Chifel,  out  of  one  Piece  of  Rock,  which  ftands  at  fome 
Diftance  from  the  reft  of  the  Mountain,  and  is  a  Square  of  eight 
Paces  from  out  to  out.  The  Infide  of  this  Chamber  is  all  plain, 
but  the  Outfide  is  adorn'd  with  fome  Pilafters  of  the  fame  Kind  of 

Stone. 


A. 

M. 

Anc. 

Chrift. 

JOS5, 

,  e-c. 

rrom  2  Sam, 

i.  to 

xix. 

ti 


412  The  Biftory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 

Jhe     Objection. 

THIS  indeed  was  the  woful  End  of  David's  favour- 
ite Son  and  Heir;  but  to  his  own  Mif-condu<ft  the 
hather  might  impute  the  Irregularities  of  his  Children, 
fmce,  either  by  an  over-  weenwg  Fondnefs  to  thenj,  a  ta- 
cit Connivance  at  what  they  did  amlfs,  or  an  exemplary 
Encouragement  given  to  it  by  himfelf,  he  fuffer'd  Iniqui- 
ty to  abound  among  them.     For,  after  his  Adultery  with 
Uriah's  Wife,  (and  yet,  one  would  think,  he  had  Wo- 
men enough  of  his  own)  and   the  bafe  Murther  of  her 
gallant  Hufband,  for  which  no  Excufe,  no  Colour  of 
Apology,  can  be  made,  with  what  Face  could  he  reprove, 
*'  much  more  chafiize  (as  it  deferv'd)  the  incejiuous  Rape 
*'  of  his  Son  Amnon    upon  the  beauteous  Tamar^  or  the 
"  barbarous  and  bloody  Revenge,  which  Abfalom  took  up- 
"  on  this  Brother  for  violating  his  Sifter's  Honour? 

*'  Had  David  interpos'd  but  his  paternal  Authority, 
*'  and  punifli'd  Amnon's  Crime  with  the  Severity  it  re- 
*'  quir'd,  Ahjalorns  Refentment  had  perhaps  never  broke 
*'  out  into  fuch  Violence  as^  it  did  ;  but,  where  do  we  read 
^'  of  any  Punifhment,  any  Difgrace,  nay,  even  of  any  Dif- 
*'  countenance,  put  upon  Amnon  for  his  brutal  and  impious 
*'  Ufage  of  his  Sifter  ?  All  that  the  Hiftorian  tells  us  of  the 
*'  Matter  is,  that,  {c)  when  King  David  heard  of  ihefe 
*'  Things y  he  was  very  zuroth  :  But  his  Wrath,  it  feems, 
''  he  kept  to  himfelf ;  he  ftiew'd  no  Tokens  of  it  to  the 
"  Offender  j  and  therefore  Abfalom,  when  he  faw  his  Fa- 
'*  ther  conniving  at  the  Thing,  undertook  to  do  himfelf  Ju- 
*'  ftice,  and  to  avenge  the  Difhonour  done  to  his  Family. 
"  In  this  however  he  a£ted  very  wickedly:  But  then, 
**  why  did  not  his  Father  call  him  to  an  Account  for  it  ? 
**  Why  did  he  futFer  him  (d)  to  efcape  into  Gejhur,  and 

"  not 

Stone.  The  Upper  Part,  or  Covering,  is  made  in  the  Form  of  a 
Conic  Pyramid,  pretty  high  and  large,  with  a  Kind  of  Flonxjer- 
Pot  onits  Top.  The  Pyramid  is  compos'd  of  feveral  Stones, 
but  the  Monument  itfelf  is  fquare,  and  all  cut  out  of  one  Block. 
In  the  Time  of  Jofephus,  the  Monument,  which  was  faid  to  be 
Abfalom  i,  was  nothing  more,  than  one  Marble  Pillar,  widely 
different  from  what,  at  prefent,  goes  under  his  Name,  and  which 
therefore  muft  be  accounted  a  more  modem  Building,  he  Clerc's 
and  Patrick's  Commentaries,  Jc^ijh  Antiq.  lib.  vii.  cap.  9.  and 
Calmet'i  Diftionary,  under  the  Word  Abfalom, 
(e)  2  Sara.  xiii.  21.  (d)  Ver.   37. 


Chap.  IV.    from  the  l^ra.dkcs>  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     413 

*'  not  immediately  fend  Meffengers  to  apprehend  him?  In-    ■^'  ^v 
*'  ftead  of  demanding  him  of  the  King  of  Gcjkur^  in  order ^^„t^'(.jjj.^^^ 
*'  to  bring  him  to  Juftice,  the  Hiftorian  telh  us,  that  (^)  1055,  ec. 
*'  the  Soul  of  King  David  long'd  to  go  forth  unto  Abfalom  jFro^^Sam. 
*'  and  that,  not  long  after,  upon  a  very  frivolous  Pretence, ," 
''  viz.  the  falfe  and  impertinent  Tale  of  a  canting  old  Wo- 
"  man,  he,  took  Occafion  to  recall  him  ;  and,  when  he 
*'  was  recalled,  fuffer'd  him  to  launch  into  greater  Extra- 
'^  vagancies,  than  ever  Prince  had  done  before. 

"  It  is  not  much  to  be  wonder'd  at,  that  a  young 
**  Prince,  of  a  proud,  ambitious  Spirit,  with  all  this  Im- 
*'  punity  and  Encouragement,  fliould  come  at  laft  to  aife<5l 
"  the  Government,  and  depofe  his  Father ;  but  certainly 
"  David  appears  to  be  a  very  weak  Man,  when  he  gives 
'*  his  Generals  this  Charge  concerning  a  Rebel  in  Arms  a- 
*'  gainft  himj  (f)  De'd  gently^  for  my  Sake^  ivith  the  young 
"  Man,  even  with  Abfalom  :  And  Joab  i'eems  to  be  no  ve- 
**  ry  good  Subje£i,  when,  notwithltanding  the  King's 
"  Command,  (g)  be  took  three  Darts  in  his  Hand,  and 
*'  thruji  them  through  the  Heart  of  Abfalom.  But  in  this 
**  he  might  the  rather  prefume  upon  being  pardon'd  by  a 
*'  Man^  who  had  pafs'd  bv  his  bafe  and  trc^achcrous  Mur~ 
**  ther  of  Abner,  without  the  leaft  Cenfure,  or  Rebuke. 

*'  To  be  a  Terror  to  Evil-workers ^  even  tho'  they  be 
*'  our  neareft  Friends  and  Relations,  and  to  be  kind  and 
*'  merciful  to  fuch,  as  behave  gallantly,  even  tho'  they  be 
*'  our  greateft  Enemies,  are  no  improper  Rules  of  Conduit 
*'  in  any  great  Prince  :  And  yet  how  very  reverfe  were 
*'  David's  Actions  to  thefe,  when  we  find  him  winking  at 
**  Murther  at  ho?ney  and  purfuing,  with  the  moft  exquifite 
*'  Tortures,  fuch  People,  as  oppos'd  his  Meafures,  by  fight- 
*'  ing  for  their  Liberty,  abroad? 

"  For  what  can  we  fay,  for  his  putting  the  Inhabitants 
*'  of  Rabbah,  as  well  as  the  other  Cities  of  the  Ammonites, 
**  (h)  under  Satvs,  and  under  Harrows^  and  under  Axes,  and 
**  making  them  pafs  through  the  Brick  kiln?  What  fhall  we 
**  fay,  to  his  making  War  againft  Ifhboflieth,  Saul's  Son  and 
*'  Heir,  when  himfelf  (i)  had  fworn  to  the  Father,  that  he 
•'  would  not  cut  off  his  Seed,  or  deftroy  any  of  his  Family  ? 
"  What  ihall  we  fay,  to  his  taking  the  Advantage  oiAbner's^ 
•*  Refentment  {k)  to  draw  him  afide  from  his  Mailer's  Ser- 

"  vice, 

(e)  Ver.  39.  (/)  Ibid,  xviii.  ij.         {g)  2  Sam.  xviii.  14, 

ih)  Ibid.  .xii.  31.  (z;  i  Swm.  xxiv.  21,  22.         >{k)  2  Sam. 

iii.  13. 


414-  ^^^  H//?cry  of  the  BIBL  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.    <c  vice,  and  to  enter  into  League  (for  the  Promotion  of  his 

Ant^  Chr[ft. "  ^^"^  Caufe)  with  a  very  wicked  Man  ?  And  laftly,  what 

10S5,  &>c.  "  fhall  we  fay  (I)  to  his  obliging  Hu/}}ai  to  ufe  all  Manner 

From  aSaiB.cc  of  Falfehood  to  Ahfalom  ;  to  a6l  the  Hypocrite^  and  tell 

u  ^^^-    <c  innumerable  Lies,  on  purpofe  to  get  into  his  Confidence, 

"  and  fo  betray  his  Counfels?  Thefe,  andfeveral  other  In- 

*'  ftances,  that  might  be  produc'd  in  this  Period  of  Hiftory, 

"  are  enough  to  concince  us,  that,  how  much  foever  Da- 

*'  "y/^'s  Piety  and  Righteoufnefs  may  be  extoll'd  by  fome ; 

*'  in  his  publick  Capacity  he  was  a  weak  Prince,  and,  in 

*'  his  private y  a  bad  Ruler  of  his  Family  j  partial  to  his 

**  Friends,  cruel  to  his  Enemies,  falfe  to  his  Promifes,  k«- 

"  juji  in  his  Diftributions,  and  deceitful  in  his  Tranfa6tions 

*'  with  Mankind  ;  guilty  of  Murther  and  Adultery  himfelf, 

*'  and  a  tame  Conniver  at  thofe,  who  committed  the  like 

"  OfFences. 

"  But  well  may  the  Hijlorian  leave  thefe  Imputations 
"  upon  David's  Charafler,  when  he  is  not  afraid  to  load 
*'  Almighty  God  with  an  Accufation  of  captious  Cruelty. 
*'  For  what  lefs  can  we  call  {m)  Yiisjiriking  tJzzah  dead  up- 
*'  on  the  Spot,  merely  for  putting  out  his  Hand,  and  laying 
*'  hold  on  the  Ark,  (which,  fome  would  be  apt  to  think, 
*'  proceeded  from  Refpe6l  and  Reverence,  more  than  any 
"  Profanation  of  it)  when,  by  the  Stumbling  of  the  Oxen, 
"it  was  in  danger  of  being  overturn'd  j  and  when  he  is 
*'  not  aftiam'd  to  relate  fuch  incongruous  and  incredible 
"  Things,  (h)  as  the  Sound  of  Men's  marching  upon  the 
*'  Tops  of  Mulberry  Trees  ;  as  {o)  the  extravagant  Story  of 
*'  a  Crown  (worn  by  the  King  of  Rabbah,  and  afterwards 
"  by  David)  which  weigh'd  an  hundred  and  twenty- five 
"  Pounds,[more  than  any  human  Neck  could  bear;  and  of(/>) 
'  *  an  Head  of  Hair  belonging  to  Abfalom^  whofe  very  Clippings 
"  came  to  no  lefs  than  four  Pounds,  and  two  Ounces  of  our 
"  Weight;  withfomeothery^^/«r^//wof  the  like  Nature?'* 
y^nfwer^d,  DA  FID,  no  doubt,  was  a  very  fond  Father  to  his  Chil- 
S/^David  ^''^"'  ^^'^  ^  tender  Hufband  to  his  Wives :  Of  thefe,  it 
Ibadfo  manj  ^luft  be  own'd,  he  had  too  many,  eighteen  in  Number,  if 
If^ivu,  we  will  reckon  his  Concubines  into  that  Relation,  which,  in 
thofe  Days,  did  not  much  diff^er  from  the  other,  except  in 
fome  Rites  and  Solemnities  of  Marriage.  But,  as  Polyga- 
my was  then  tolerated  among  the  fews,  (q)  and  the  Prohi- 
bition of  a  King*s  multiplying  Wives  to  himfelf  diOQS  no  where 

limit 

(/)  Ibid.  XV.  34.  {m)  Ibid.  vi.  7.  («)  Ibid.  v.  24. 

[o\  Ibid.xii.  30.        (/>)  Ibid,  xiv,  x6,        (?)  Deut.  xvii.  17. 


C  HAP.  IV.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      415 

limit  the  Number  of  them,  David  might  conceive,  that    ^'  ^ 
this  Polygamy  was  no  Tranfgreffion  of  the  Law,  and  thence  Ant!'chi^. 
be  induc'd  more  readily  to  comply  with  it,  in  order  to  en-  1055,  &c, 
large  his  Family,  and  attach  the  principal  Nobility  of  his  f^°'"  ^Saoj. 
own  Nation,  as  well  as  fome  foreign  Potentates  more  clofe-  i-  L'  ^ 
ly  to  his  Intereft.     (r)  For  it  was  always  look'd  upon  as  a 
Piece  oi  political  Wifdom  in  Princes  to  endeavour  to  have 
many  Children,  that,  by  matching  them  into  feveral  pow- 
erful Families,  they  might  have  more  Supporters  of  their  Au- 
thority, and  more  Affiftance,  in  Cafe  of  any  Invafion  of  it. 

This  however  is  no  Part  of  David's  Commendation,  ^^"* '^"^' . 
how  much  foever  it  might  tend  to  his  Security  :  But  that  a|'/)'4^^'  ^" 
Father  ftiould  be  fondo{  a  Son,  and,  in  fome  Inftances,  fus'J. 
carry  that  Fondnefs  to  Excefs ;  that  he  fhould  be  blind  to 
his  /^r  Faults,  and  always  inclinable,  upon  proper  To- 
kens of  Repentance,  to  forgive  the  greater ;  that  he  fhould 
love  to  fee  every  Thing  look  gay  and  handfome  about  him, 
be  liberal  to  his  decent  Expencesy  and  ready  to  overlook 
fome  little  Extravagancies  ;  that  he  fhould  be  uneafy  in  his 
Abfence,  joyous  to  fee  him,  and,  when  he  is  in  any  immi- 
nent Danger,  very  folUcitous  for  his  Prefervation  (which 
are  all  the  Articles,  brought  againft  Davidy  in  Relation  to 
his  Son  Abfalom):  Thefc  are  Faults  (if  Faults  they  be) 
which  every  gosd-natur^d  Parent,  who  feels  the  tender 
Propenfities  of  human  Nature  towards  thofe  of  his  own 
Flejhy  will  eafily  be  induc'd  to  forgive  :  And  well  were  '%t 
for  Davidy  if  we  could  make  the  like  Apology  for  that  great 
Enormity  of  his,  in  the  Matter  of  Uriah ;  but,  *  inftead 
of  attempting  any  Extenuation  of  it,  we  fhall  rather  take 
Notice  of  the  feveral  Aggravations  >  which  Moralijis  have 
difcover'd  in  it,  and  of  the  Reafons,  for  which  the  Spirit  of 
God  thought  proper  to  record  it  in  Holy  Writ. 

To 

(r)  Patrick'' s  Commentary  on  2  Sam.  v.  i  3. 

*  But,  contrary  to  this,  the  Jenuijh  Writers  have  endeavQ'4:'d 
to  juftify  Da^id  in  this  whole  Tranfaftion  ;  and,  to  this  Purpofe, 
have  invented  Laws  and  Cuftoms,  that  are  no  where  to  be  found, 
either  in  the  Books  of  Mofes,  or  in  the  Compafs  of  their  Hifto- 
Ty.  They  pretend  that  Da'vid'W2&  marry 'd  to  Bathjheha  before  her 
Huibandwas  dead,  becaufp  it  was  a  Cuftom  (as  they  fay)  for  Sol- 
diers, whenever  they  went  to  the  Wars,  to  give  their  Wives  a 
Bill  of  Divorce,  and  confequently,  a  full  Licence  to  marry 
whom  they  pleas'd.  But  'tis  in  vain  to  attempt  to  excufe  this 
black  and  crying  Sin  in  Dwvid,  for  which  God  fo  feverely  punifhed 
him,  and  for  which  he  himfelf  was  always  ready  to  acknowledge 
the  Divine  Juftice  in  fo  doing.  Calmet\  Commentary  on  2 
Sam.  xi.  27.  , 


41  ^  *The  Biftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

1^'  ^&c  ^^  ^^^  Purpofe,  fome  have  obferv'd,  ift,  That,  (s) 
Ant.  Chrift.as  David  tarried  at  Jerufalem,  at  the  Tirne^  when  Kings 
io55,  &f<r.  ijoent  forth  to  Battle^  he  there  indulged  himfelf  in  Eafe  and 
f^'^^^^"*- Luxury,  (which  are  the  Bane  and  Ruft  of  the  Mind)  and 
^  -^-  tfo  infenfibly  fell  into  thofe  loofe  Defires,  which  drew  him 
^he  fever ai  into  fuch  vile  Perpetrations ;  fo  that  the  firft  Caufe  of  his 
^ggra'uati-  <^Y^  yvas  Idleuefs.  2d,  They  obferve  it,  as  an  Aggravation 
€ri^e.  "  ^^  ^'^  Crime,  (t)  that  he  certainly  knew  that  Bathjheha 
was.another  Man's  Wife,  and  yet  deliberately  and  advifed- 
ly  committed  the  Sin  ;  nay,  that  flie  was  the  Wife  of  one, 
who  was  a  Profelyte  to  the  fewifh  Religion,  and  therefore 
added  Scandal  to  his  Wickednefs,  or  (as  the  Text  exprefles 
it)  (u)  gave  great  Occafion  to  the  Enemies  of  the  Lord  to 
blafpheme.  3d,  They  obferve,  that  there  was  Perfidy  ad- 
ded to  this  Guilt,  and  a  finful  Contrivance,  {x)  in  caufing 
Uriah  to  be  fent  for  home ;  in  receiving  him  with  great 
Tokens  of  his  Favour ;  and  in  entertaining  him  with  good 
Cheer^  that  he  might  be  the  more  defirous  to  enjoy  the 
Company  of  his  Wife,  and  fo  have  the  Child,  which  was 
got  in  Adultery,  reputed  his  own.  4th,  They  obferve,  (y) 
from  Uriah's  Anfwer,  that,  had  not  David's  Heart  been 
fear'd,  he  could  not  but  have  felt  a  ftrong  Remorfe  upon 
thinking  how  he  had  abus'd  fo  brave  a  Man,  and  how  he  in- 
dulg'd  himfelf  in  finful  Pleafurcs,  while  this  Man,  and 
the  reft  of  his  Army,  glorioufly  endur'd  all  Manner  of  Hard- 
Ihips,  for  the  Service  of  their  Country.  5th,  They  ob- 
ferve, {7.)  from  his  Defign  upon  Uriah's  Life,  when  he 
could  not  otherwife  conceal  his  Lewdnefs,  how  naturally 
one  Sin  paves  the  Way  to  another,  and  how,  in  a  fmall 
Compafs  of  Time,  the  Fafcination  of  fenfual  Appetites  is 
enough  to  change  the  very  Nature  of  Mankind ;  fince 
even  he,  who  formerly  fpar'd  Saul^  unjuftly  feeking  his 
Life,  is  now  put  upon  contriving  the  Death  of  a  very  faith- 
ful Servant,  in  a  very  bafe  and  unworthy  Manner.  6th, 
They  obferve  it,  as  a  farther  Aggravation  of  his  Crime  of 
Murther,  that  he  not  only  expos'd  an  innocent  and  faith- 
ful Servant  to  be  kili'd,  ^ut  that,  together  with  him,  {a) 
feveral  more  brave  Men,  fet  in  the  Front  of  the  Battle, 
where  the  Service  was  hotteft,  muft  neceflarily  have  fallen 
in  the  Attack  ;  fo  blind  was  he  to  tht  fublick  Good,  and  fo 
prodigal  of  his  Subjedls  Lives,  if  he  might  but  cover  his 

Guilt, 

[s]  2  Sam.  xi.  1.         (/)  Ibid.        (»)  Ibid.  xii.  14.         {x) 
Ibid.  xi.  6,  ijc.  (y)  Ibid.  xi.  n.  («)  2  Sam.  xi.  15. 

(«)  Ibid.  ver.  15. 


Chap.  IV.    from  the  Ifraelkes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.       417 

Guilt,  and  gratify  his  Luft.     7th,  They  obfcrve,  (i^)from    ^'^ 
his  Anfwer  to  the  Meflengers,   fent    by  Joab   to  acquaint  A^tf  Chrift, 
him  with  f/r;^^'s  Death,  vix.   the  Sword  devour eth  one ^  osioe^i^,  &c. 
well  as  another,  the  vile  H)  pocrify  and  Obduratenefs  of  his!^"""'"  ?^^"'* 
Heart,  imputing  that  to  the  Chance  of  War,  or   rather  to  /_      1.  j 
the  Diredl  ion  of  Divine  Providence^  which   his  Confcience 
could  not  but  tell  him,  was  of  his  own  Contrivance.     8th, 
and  laftly,  they  obfervc,  {c}  from  his  Marriage  with  Bath- 
/heba,  even   before  her  Hufband   was  cold  in  his  Grave, 
how  the  Eagernefs  of  his  indulg'd  Appetite  had  now  ex- 
tinguifti'd  (what  in  fome  Sinners  is  laft  of  all  parted  with, 
and  for  which  he  himfelf  had  lately  embru'd  his  Hands  in 
Blood)  all  Senfe  of  Shame,  and  Regard  to  Reputation,  or 
Decency. 

These  are  fome  of  the  Aggravations  obfervable  in  Da-  j^^  ^^^ 
vid's  Crime,  which  (befides  his  Luft  and  Cruelty)  is  load- rtctrded  iu 
ed  with  too  juftan  Imputation  of  Perfidy,  of  Ingratitude, *"''/"*'■«• 
of  Hypocrify,  of  Deliberation,  of  Obftinacy,  and  of  Shame- 
lefTnefs  in  Sin  :  And  for  thefe  Purpofes  were  they  recorded 
in  Scripture,  that  they  might  teach  us  the  Frailty  of  human 
Nature,  and  how  liable  the  beft  of  Men  are,  in  fome  In* 
ftances  of  their  Lives,  to  be  overtaken  with  very  grofs 
Faults  ;  That  they  might  (hew  us  the  natural  Gradation  of 
one  Sin  to  another,  and  that,  when  once  we  have  fufFer'd 
our  Appetites  to  out-ray,  in  a  (hort  Time  it  will  not  be  in 
our  Power  to  fet  Bounds  to  them,  would  we  never  fo  fain  : 
That  they  might  caution  us  againft  Sloth  and  Idlenefs,  a- 
gainft  indulging  any  inordinate  Paffion,  or  gazing  upon 
any  Objects,  that  may  endanger  our  Innocence  :  That  they 
might  remind  us  all,  how  much  we  ftand  in  need  continu- 
ally of  the  Divine  Afliftance,  and  therefore  how  much  we 
are  concern 'd  to  pray  with  all  Prayer  and  Supplication y 
and  to  watch,  as  well  as  pray,  that  we  fall  into  no  Tempta- 
tion :  And  laftly,  that  they  might  inculcate  that  excellent 
Precept  which  the  Apoftle  has  laid  down  in  thefe  Words ; 

(dj  Brethren,  if  any  Man  be  overtaken  in  a  Fault, 

ye,  that  are  fpiritual,  rejlore  fuch  an  one  in  the  Spirit  of 
Meeknefs,  confidering  thyfelf,  left  thou  alfo  he  tempted. 

One  pernicious  Confequence  of  David's  Tranfereffion  w'^^*'** 

iM     1  1  •  I     f  •  •        •    n-o-       aidnotpumta 

very   likely  was,  that  it  made  him   timorous  in   infiictmgAmnon. 
Punifhments  upon  others ;  but  the  Reafon  which  fofephus 
affigns  for  his  not  chaftifing  Amman  for  his  incejluoui  Rape, 


\h)  Ibid.  vcr.  2C.         (f)  Ibid.  ver.  27,         {i)  Gal.  vi.  i. 
Vol.  III.  ^  D  d 


41 8  ^e  Hiflory  of  the  BIBLE,    Book.  V. 

A.  M.     viz.  becaufe  he  was    his  eldeji  Son,  and  hel'Vi'dhim^  and 
A^^'ch iit  '^°"^^  ^°^  difpteafe  him,    is  a  groundlefs  Calumny,    and 
105's,  S7C.  viiLXt  Fiction  ;  Br  {e)  fince  the  facred  H  ftory  has  thought 
Fxom  aSam.  fit   o  be  filent  in  thi~  Matter,  no  one  can  tell  what  his  Fa- 
.'•  ^°  '^2'  .  ther  either  faid,  or  did,  to  him.     The  true  Reafon  there- 
'        tore,  as  we  fuppofc,  why   his  Father  did  not  proceed  with 
Severity  againit  him,  was  becaufe;  ihe  Cafe  (as  i   then  flood) 
was  intricate  and  perpUxt,  and  fuch   as  the  Law  had  made 
no  Provilion  for.     1  ht  Law  "concerning  Rapes  is  worded 
thus;  [f)  If  a  Damfel^  that  is   a  P'lrgin,  be   be- 
trothed unto  a  Husband^  and  a  Man  find  her   in   the  City, 
and  lie  with  her  ;  then  ye  fljall  bring  them  both  out  of  the  Gate 
of  the  City,  and  ye  /halt  pone  them  with  Stones  that  they  die  : 
T'he  Damfel,  becaufe  /he   cried  not,  being  in   the  City ;  and 
the  Man  becaufe    he  humbled  his   Neighbour* s  Wife :  And 
agan,   If  a  Man  find  a  Dam f el,  that  is  a  Virgin,  which  is 
not  betrothed,  and  lay   hold  on  her^  and  lie  with   her,  and 
ihey  be  found ;  then  the  Man,  that  lay  with  her,  /hall  give 
Unto  the  Damfel's  Father  fifty  Shekels  of  Silver,    and  /he 
/hall  be  his  Wfe,  becaufe   he  hath   humbled   her  ;  he   may 
not  put  her  away  all  his  Days.     Thefe  are  the  two  principal 
Laws  concerning  this  Matter,  but  neither  come  up  to  the 
Cafe   now    before  us.     For,  had  David  punifli'd  Amnon\ 
CriiTie  with  Death,  as  the  former  Law  requires,    Tamavy 
in  like  Manner,  mufl  have  fufFer'd  too,  (even  tho'  (he  was 
innocent)  becaufe  /he  cried  not  out ;  and  tho'  Ihe  was  not 
a  betrothed  Damfel,  (as  the  Cafe  is  put  in  the  latter  Law) 
yet  David  could  not  c> impel  Amnon  to  marry  her,  becaufe 
fuch  a  Marriage  would  have  been  incejlmus  j  and  therefore 
wc  may  fuppofe,  that  tho'  David  might  reprimand  his  Son 
very  feverely  for  having  wrought  Folly  in   Ifrael,  yet  he 
could  not  bring  him  before  a  publick.  Judicature,  becaufe 
thv."  Law  did  not  properly  extend  to  his  Cafe,  or  if  he  had 
mad"  it  extend,  the  Innocent  muft  have   fi  Ter'd  with  the 
Gui.'ty ;  and  (g)  a  Rule  of  Equity  I  think  it  is,  rather  to 
let  the  Guihy  efcaoe,  than  that  the  Innocent   and  Injur'd 
ihould  be  deflroy'd. 
JvVAbfaiom      The  f acred  Hiftorian  has  taken  Care  to  clear  David 
for  murther.  from,  any    bafe  Connivance  at   Jifahm's  Wickednefs    in 
"«i  ^""'      murthering  his  Brother  Amnon,  by  telling  us,  that  as  foon 

as 

{c)  Le  Clerch  Commentary  on  2  Sam.  xiii.  21.  [/)  Deut. 

xxii.  23,  isc.  [g]  The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King 

Daaiid. 


Chap.IV.  from  ibeVraeAkes  ef!Urr/fg  CzLuasLn,  &c.         419 

as  he  had  done  it,  (h)  hefed^  and  went  toTalmai,  his  Grand-     ^'  ^* 
Father  by  his  Mother's  Side,  who  was  then  King  o^  Gejhtir.  A^t^chrift. 
Gejhiir  was   a  City  in   Syria^   which  lay  on  the  other  Side  1055,  i-c 
of  Jordar: ;  and  Jhfahw,   who   meditatf  d   the  Murther  otj^;"^  ^^^"'• 
his  Brother,  and   could  not  but  forefee  that  it  would  be  an  i    ^  -,  f 
A£t  of  high  Difpleafure   to  his  Father,  invited  the  Princes 
of  the  Blood   to    his  County-Scat,  which  was  [i)  near  the 
City  Ephraim^  not    far   from   the  River  for  dan.,   that  he 
might  have  a  better  Opportunity,  not   onlv    for  putting  in 
Execution  his   v/icked  Defign,  but  of  making    his  Efcape 
likewife  :  So  that  David  (had  he  been  ever  fo  much  mind- 
ed (could  not  poflibly  have  apprehended  him,  before  he  had 
got  to  a   Wio.  Retreat  j  and  where,  it  is  eafy   to  imagine, 
he  would    tell   his    Tale  fo  well,  as  to   gain    his  Grand- 
Father's  Protection,  if  not  Approbation  of  the  Faft,  which, 
with   a    fmail  Share  of  Eloquence,  might  be  fo  fet  off,  as 
to  appear  a  necelTary  Vindicaiion   of  the   Honour   of  their 
Family,  which  had  been  fo  grofsly  violated. 

The  Law  of  God  indeed  is  very  c-xprefs : {k)  Who^ 

foever  Jheddeth  Man's  Blood,  by  Man  fhall  his  Blood  be 
Jhed ',  [1)  nthher  Jhall  ye  take  any  Saiisfa^ion  for  the  Life 
of  a  Murtherer,  which  is  guilty  of  Death,  hut  he  fi)cdl  jure' 
ly  be  put  to  Death.  Whereby  it  appears,  that  the  Supreme 
Magiftrate  was  oblig'd  to  execute  Juftice  upon  ail  wilful 
Murtherers  without  any  Refervation  ;  nor  had  David  any 
Power  to  difpenfe  with  God's  Laws,  or  to  fpare  thofe, 
whom  he  had  commanded  him  to  deftroy.  But  then  it 
muft  be  confider'd,  that  the  Aff;ont,  which  Jmnon  )^\xt^hj'^.  ^'"^ 
upon  Abfalom,  was  very  great  and  heinous  ;  that  Ahjoloniy 
at  this  Time,  was  out  of  the  Reach  of  David's  Juftice, 
and  fo  would  have  continu'd,  had  he  not  obtain'd  a  Pro- 
mifc  of  Impunity  ;  that,  by  living  an  Exile  in  an  heather.iji-) 
Country,  David  had  Reafon  to  apprehend,  that  his  Son 
was  in  Danger  of  being  infedled  with  their  v.'icked  and 
idolatrous  Pra<Stices,  and  was  therefore  the  rather  inclin'd 
to  recal  him  ;  and  that  the  Clamours  and  Importunicies  of 
the  People,  which  Joab  procur'd  this  Woman  of  Tekoah  to 
reprefent  to  the  King  in  a  very  free  and  artful  Manner, 
did  almoft  compel  him  to  do  it :  For,  what  he  faid  in  the 
Cafe  of  Jcab's  Murther  of  Abner,  viz.  that  he  could  not 
revenge  it,  becaufe  (;«)  the  Sons  of  Zeruiah  %vere  too  hard 
for  him ;  the  like,  very  probably,  might  have  been  faid  in 

D  d  2  •      this 

{h)  2  Sam.  xiii.  37.  (?)  Ibid.  ver.  23.  Vide  Jobi  xi.  54. 

k)  Gen.  ix.  6,        (/)  Numb.  xxxv.  31.       [?fi)  z  Sam.iii.  39,       ^ 


420  The  Hijlory  0/  /-&,?  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.    this  Cafe,  where  the  People's  Hearts  were  fo  ftrongly,  and 
Am*C\a\{\.  ^'^  univerfally,  fet  upon  Abfalom\  and  that  the  rather,  becaufe 
1055,  ©"f.  his  long  Banifhment  mov'd  their   Pity,  and  his  Abfence 
From  2  Sam.  j^^dg  them  more  impatient  for  his  Return.     The  Eyes  of 
«|_       -'_fall.  in  fhort,  were  upon  him,  as  the  next  Heir,  as  a  wife, 
and  gallant,  and  amiable  Prince,  unhappy  only  in  this  In- 
ftance  of  killing  Amnon^  for  which  he  had  a  fufficient  Pro- 
vocation ;  and  therefore,  to  fatisfy  the  Cries  of  the  People, 
as  well  as  to  provide   for  the   Security  of  his  Kingdom, 
which  feem'd   to  depend  on  the  Eftabliftiment  of  the  Suc- 
ceffion  in  Abfalom^  David  was  oblig'd  to  forgive  him,  and 
AWfokndir  "^^^^^  ^''"'     ^^^-t  when  he  was  recall'd,  and  re-inftated 
\y.  in  the  King's  Favour,  'tis  no  Wonder  that  a  young  Prince, 

of  his  gay  Temper,  fhould  multiply  his  Attendants^  and 
fet  up  a  rich  Equipage^  to  attract  the  Eyes  and  Admiration 
of  Mankind ;  or  that  his  Father,  whofe  Riches  fo  well 
enabled  him  to  bear  the  Expence  of  this  Magnificence,  and 
whofe  Heart  rejoic'd  perhaps  to  fee  his  Son  the  Favourite 
of  the  People,  did  not  reftrain  him  in  it ;  becaufe  a  Man 
of  an  open  Spirit  himfelf  loves  to  fee  his  Children  make  a 
Figure  in  Life,  which,  in  all  Eajtern  Countries,  was  a 
Thing  cuftomary,  and  might  here  more  efpecially  be  ex- 
peiSted  in  the  eldejiy  and  Heir  prefumptive  to  the  Crown. 
^nd  deftred  [n)  SoM  E  of  the  yezvt/h  Do6tors  tell  us,  that  how  in- 
t^t  Liftce  ^'dulgent  foever  David  might  be  to  his  Son  Abfalom.,  he  ne- 
■"^"^  *  ver  intended  him  for  his  Succeffor  in  the  Kingdom  ;  that  he 
had  all  along  made  a  Promife  to  Bathjheha^  his  favourite 
Queen,  (which  Promife,  tho*  (0)  recorded  later  in  the 
Hiftory,  might  at  firft  come  to  Ahf atom's  Ear)  that  her  Son 
Solomon  fhould,  fucceed  in  the  Regal  Dignity  ;  and  that 
Jhfalom,  both  from  a  Confcioufnefs  of  his  own  Demerits, 
and  of  the  Superiority  of  Wifdom  and  Piety,  that  ap- 
pear'd  in  Solomon^  perceiving  that  his  Father  intended  to 
poftpone  him,  and  inflate  the  other,  enter'd  into  this  Re- 
bellion, in  order  to  aflert  h\s  Birth' right  to  the  Crown. 
But  the  Fault  in  David  was  not  any  Exclufion  of  Right, 
but  too  blind  an  Indulgence  to  his  Son,  even  while  he  was 
in  Arms  againft  him,  ready  to  kill,  and  refolv'd  to  depofe, 
him:  Sp.reye  the  young  Man  ^  fays  he  ;  and  this  he  might 
defirc,  partly  from  a  Confcioufnefs  of  his  own  Sin  in  the 
Cafe  of  Uriah,  which  was  the  meritorious  and  procuring 
Caufe   of  the  Rebellion,  in  which   his  Son  was  unhappily 

engag'd  ; 

(»)  PqoP^  Annotations  on  2  Sam.  xv,  7,  («)  i  Kings 


Chap.  IV.    from  the  Urz.t\itds  entering  Canzzn,  &c.      421 

engag'd ;  partly  from  a  Confideration  of  his  Youths  which    ^-  ^• 
is  commonly  foolifh  and  giddy,  and  fubjedl  to  evil  Counfels,  Antf  Vhritt. 
and  therefore   deferves   Pity;    and  partly  from  a  Senfe   of  1055,  ©"f. 
Piety  in  himfelf,  as  being  unwilling  that  he  fhould  be  cut  offf*^"""  2  Sam. 
in  a  finful  Rebellion,  without  any  Space,  or  Means,  of  Re-  /   -^-^j 
pentance. 

These  migHt  be  fome  of  the  Reafons,  that  made  Da-  And  wbyjo. 
vid  give  his  Army  fo  ftrift  a  Charge,  not  to  kill  his  Son,  ^'^m^^ 
in  Cafe  they  fhould  take  him  :  But  Joab  had  quite  different  'Jkiinm!' 
Sentiments  of  the  Matter.  He  perceived,  that  there  could 
be  no  Safety  to  the  King,  nor  Peace  to  the  Kingdom,  no 
Security  to  himfelf,  or  other  loyal  Subjects,  as  long  as  M- 
falom  lived  j  that,  notwithftanding  this  unnatural  Rebellion, 
the  King  was  ftill  inclinable  to  forgive  him,  and  that  there 
would  always  be  fome  unquiet  People,  that  would  be  mov- 
ing frefh  Difturbances,  in  order  to  fet  him  on  the  Throne. 
Looking  upon  this  Charge  therefore,  as  an  Order,  more 
proper  for  a  Parent^  than  a  Prince^  he  adventur'd  to  difo* 
bey  it.  For  he  thought  with  himfelf,  (p)  that  the  King 
ought  not  to  be  obferv'd  in  an  Affair,  wherein  he  fhew'd 
more  regard  to  bis  private  Paffion,  than  to  the  public k  Good; 
that  Fathers  fhould  always  facrifice  their  paternal  Tender- 
nefs  to  the  Interefl  of  the  Government ;  and  that,  as  Jb- 
falom  had  forfeited  his  Life  to  the  Laws  upon  feveral  Ac- 
counts, it  was  but  Juflice  now  to  take  this  Opportunity  of 
difpatching  him,  as  an  Enemy  to  his  King  and  Country  : 
But  whether,  in  this  A£t  of  Difobedience  to  the  Royal 
Command,  "Joab  is  perfedlly  to  be  vindicated,  we  fhall  not 
pretend  to  determine.  'Tis  certain,  that  he  was  a  Perfon 
of  a  bold  Temper,  high  Paflions,  and  fiery  Refentments ; 
that  valued  himfelf  upon  the  Services,  he  had  done  the 
Kins,  and  feemed  not  to  be  much  afraid  of  his  Authority.    frivD^AA 

The  Complaint  which  David  makes  to  fome  of  his ^/i  «or />«. 
Courtiers,  upon  this  Genera Ps  murthering  the  famous  ^^- "'if' ^'"  &" 
ner,  declares  the  true  Reafon,  why  he  could  not,  at  that  o/Abner, ' 

Time,  put  the  Laws  in  Execution  againft  him  :  -- (g) 

Know  ye  not,  fays  he,  that  there  is  a  Prince,  and  a  great 
Man  fallen  this  Day  in  Ifrael  ?  ^nd  I  am  this'Day  zucak, 
iho'  anointed  King  ;  and  thefe  Men,  the  Sons  of  Zeruiah, 
he  too  hard  for  me  :  The  Lordjhall  reward  the  Doer  of  Ev>l 
according  to  his  TVickednefs.  foah  was  David's  Sifter's  Son, 
or  Nephew,  (r)  who  had  f^uck  clofe  to  him  in  all  his  Ad- 
D  d  3  verfity, 

(/>)  Calmet\  Commentary  on  2  Satn.  xviii.  14.         (y)  2  Sam. 
iii.  38.         (>•)  Patrick'^  CoBiraentiry  on  2  Sam.  iii.  39. 


422  ^he  Bijtory  of  the   BIBLE,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    verfity,  an  excellent  Soldier  himfelf,  and  a  Man  of  great 

ifnt^Chrift.^*^^''^'  ^"^  Auihoriry  among  the  Army  ;   fo  that,  had  Da- 

1055,  s^r.  v'^d  immediately  called  him  x.o'Ji'.Jlice  {01  this  vile  A<9t  againfl 

'SiQxmha.m, j^ijngy^  fuch  was  his  Intereft  among  the  Soldiery^  that  he 

^^^^   '     .foon  would   have  caufed  a  Mutin'  or  Revolt,  and  found  a 

Means  to  fhock  or  unhinge  the  Government,  that  was  not, 

as  yet,  fufficiently  eftablifhed.     It  was  a  Point  of  Prudence 

therefore  in  David,  to  delay  the  punifhment  of  fo  powerful, 

and  fo  perilous  a  Man,   until  a  more  convenient  Scafon,  and 

only,  for  the   prefent,  to  exprefs  his  Deteftation  of   the 

Deed,    by    commending  the  Diceas^d,    condemning   the 

Jlduriher,  and  commanding  the  Murtherer  (by  Way  ot  Pe- 

nayice)  to  attend  the  Funeral  in  Sackcloth,  and  other  En- 

figns  of  Mourning.  ' 

So  far  is  David  irom.  w'nking  at  Abner^s  Murther,  that 
we  find  him  burying  him  with  great  Solemnity,  and  making 
mournful  Lamentation  over  his  Grave  ;  praifmg  his  Valour, 
and  other  great  Qualities,  publickiy,  and  cu'fing  the  Author 
of  his  untimely  Death  :  (s)  /,  and  my  Kingdom^  fays  he, 
are  guiltlefs  before  the  Lord  for  ever  from  the  Blood  ofKhneVy 
the  Son  of  Ncr  :  Let  it  rejl  on  the  Head  <?/' Joab,  and  on  all 
his  Father's  Houfe,  and  let  there  not  fail  from  the  Hoiife  of 
Joab  one,  that  hath  an  IJfue,  or  that  is  a  Leper,  or  that 
leancth  on  a  Staff,  or  that  falleth  on  the  Sword,  or  thatlack- 
eth  Bread. 
„,  But  what  Jpology  fhall  we  make  for  his  treating  the  Am- 

(ocueitotbc^^^^^^^^^  fo  inhumanly,  and  putting  them  to  fuch  exquifite 
Ammonites. Torments,  only  for  a  fmall  Indignity,  which  a  young 
King,  at  the  Infligation  of  fome  evil  Counfellors,  put  upon 
his  EmbaJJadors,  fince  there  feems  to  be  no  Proportion  be- 
tween the  Affront^  and  the  Revenge,  between  the  one's  ha- 
ving their  Beards  and  Clothes  cut  a  litrle  fliorter,  and  the  o- 
ther's  being  ptit  under  Sazvs  and  Harrows,  or  thrown  into 
hot  burning  Furnaces?  Had  Davi I  indeed  been  the  Inven- 
tor of  fuch  frightful  Pinifhments,  we  might  have  jufrly 
reckon'd  him  a  Man  of  the  fame  cruel  and  brutal  Spirit,  as 
Wai  Caligula,  who,  in  After-Ages,  (as  (t)  Suetonius  tells 
vis)  was  wont  to  take  a  great  Delight  in  if.fiicSling  them  ; 
But,  'he  Truth  i';,  that  thefe  were  the  Punifliments,  which 
the  Ammonites  inflicted  upon  the  Jews,  whenever  they  took 
them  Prifoners  j  and  therefore  David,  when  he  conquer'd 
their  Country,  and  reduc'd  their  capital  Cit\ ,  us'd  them 
with  the  like  Cruelty  :  Not  every  one  of  them  indifcrimi- 

nately, 
[s]  2  Sam.  iii.  28,  29.        (/)  Cap,  xx^'ii. 


Ghap.  IV.    from  the  IfraeUte*;  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     423 

nately^  but  fuchonly  as  appear'd  in  Arm?  againft  him,  and     A,  M. 
had  either  advis'd,  or  approv'd  the  Advice  of  putting  fuch  ^^^^i'chil^. 
Difgrace  upon  his  Mtflengers.  1055,  fefc 

The  Ammonites ^' lis  CQrtzxn^  were  early  initiated  into  all  .^"^°'"  ^^'"°* 
the  Cruelties  of  the  People  of  Canaan:  When  they  invefted'* 
Jabejh  Gilead^  and  the  Befieg'd  made  an  OfE  r  to  furren- 
der,  the  eafieft  Condition  that  they  would  grant  them,  was, 
that  they  might  {u)  thruji  out  all  their  right  Eyes^  and  lay  it 
for  a  Reproach  upon  Ifrael  for  ever ;  which  one  Inftance, 
as  I  take  it,  is  in  the  Room  of  ten  Thoufand  Proofs,  to  de- 
monftrate,  tha:  thefe  Ammonites  were  Monfters  of  Barbarity; 
and  that  therefore  King  David  was  no  more  culpable  for 
retaliating  upon  them  t'  e  fame  Cruelties,  that^hey  us'd  to 
infli(5l  on  others^  than  the  People  of  Agrtgentum  were,  for 
burning  Phalaris  in  his  own  5«//,  or  The  feus  t^e  Hero, 
for  ftretching  Procrajies  beyond  the  Dimenfions  of  his  own 
Bed.  For  even  Heathen  Cafuifts  have  determin'd,  that  no 
Law  can  be  more  juft  and  equitable,  than  hat,  which  de^ 
creed  Arti/is  of  Cruelty  to  perjjh  by  thei    own  Arts. 

The  particular  Punifhment  o'i  pajftng  through  the  Brick' 
Kilns^  an  ingenious  [x)  Author  feems  fairly  to  account  for, 

by  making  this  Conjediure. "  It  is  very  well  known, 

*'  fays  he,  that  the  feivs  were  Slaves  in  Egypt^  and  parti- 
*'  cularly  emplov'd  in  Brick-making.  Now  it  is  na  ural 
"  for  all  People  at  Enmity,  to  reproach  one  another  with 
"  the  Meannefs  and  Bafenefs  of  their  Original.  As  there- 
*'  fore  the  Ammonites  were  a  cruel  and  infolen'  Enemy,  and 
*'  nothing  could  be  more  natural  for  men  of  their  Temper, 
*'  when  they  had  got  any  "Jews  in  their  Power,  than  to  c;y 
*'  out,  Jend  the  Slaves  to  the  Brick- Kilns  and  fa  torture 
**  them  to  Death ;  fo  nothing  could  be  more  natural  than 
*'  for  the  fewsy  when  they  got  an  Advantage  over  them, 
*'  to  return  them  the  fame  Treatm^-nt,"  However  this  be, 
'tis  certain  that  the  Siege  of  Rabbah  began  before  David  had 
any  criminal  Commerce  with  Bathjheba,  and  if  the  own 
was  not  taken  till  after  Solomon's  Birth,  (as  ht  Sequel  of 
his  Hiftory  feems  to  imply)  the  Siege  mufl  laft  for  about 
two  Years  ;  in  which  Time,  upon  the  Suppofition  th-.t  Da- 
vid continu'd  in  an  obdurate  State  of  Sin  and  Impenitence, 
and  was  therefore  depriv'd  of  that  mild  and  merciful  Spirit, 
for  which  he  had  formerly  been  fo  remarkab'e ;  there  is  no 
Wonder,  if  being  now  become  cruel  and  hard-hearted,  as 

D  d  4  well 

(k)  I  Sam.  xi.  2.       {x)  The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King 
David, 


424  The  Hijlory  of  /i;^  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.  ^cii  25  exafperated  with  the  Length  of  the  Siege,  he  treated 
Antf'chnft.^'^^  -^fntnonites  in  the  fame  outrageous  Manner,  that  they 
T055,  &c.  were  accuftom'd  to  treat  his  Subjects,  not  only  to  retaliate 
From  2  Sam.  jj^g  Thing  upon  them,  but  to  deter  all  future  Ages  likewife 
^"_^_'_ffrom  violating  the  Right  of  Nations^  by  treating  thePerfons 
ofpubiick  Embafladors  with  Contempt. 

That  the  Rights  of  Embaffhdors  are  guarded  by  all 
Laws,  both  Divine  and  Human,  and  that  therefore  a  Vio- 
lation of  thefe  Rights  is  not  only  unjuft,  but  impious,  is  the 
general  Sentiments  of  all  the  moft  able  (y)  Writers  upon 
the  Laws  and  Conftitutions  of  Gvil  Government.  So  ten- 
der were  the  Romans  in  this  particular,  (z)  that  they  ap- 
pointed twenty  Feciales  (as  they  call'd  thofe  Officers)  to  in- 
fpe^l  their  good  Ufage,  and  preferve  their  Immunities  ;  to 
make  them  immediate  Reparation,  when  any  Injury  was 
done  them  ;  and,  in  Cafe  of  a /)^/yinfl/ Affront  or  Indignity, 
to  deliver  up  the  Offender,  even  tho*  he  were  a  Noble  or  a 
Patrician  by  Birth,  into  the  Hands  of  the  Nation,  from 
whence  the  Embaflador  came,  to  be  treated  by  them,  as 
they  thought  fit.  And  therefore,  we  need  lefs  wonder,  that 
King  David,  who  in  all  his  Adlions  was  a  nice  Obferver  of 
every  Pundilio  mpublick  Honour,  ftiould  refent,  in  fo  high 
a  Manner,  an  Indignity,  the  greatefl  that  could  be  ofFer'd, 
put  upon  his  Minijiers^  and  from  them  reflecting  upon  his. 
own  Majefty,  merely  for  fending  a  kind  Compliment  of 
Condolence  to  a  foolifh  Prince,  (as  he  prov'd)  upon  the  Death 
of  a  very  worthy  Father. 
ff?w  he  ii-pt  f^  jyj^  j^  ^^  zealous  for  his  ovvn  Honour,  as  well  as  for  the 
nvitb  Saul.  Right  of  Nations,  in  his  publick  Capacity,  can  hardly  be 
prefum'd  to  be  an  Abettor  of  Perfidy  in  his  more  private. 
We  mufl  therefore  fuppofe,  that,  notwithftanding  his  War 
with  JJhbo/hcth.y  wherein  there  might  happen  feme  Skirmijh- 
«,  he  flill  kept  his  Promife  with  his  Father  Saul,  not  to  de^ 
ftroy  any  of  his  Family  3  and  therefore  in  the  whole  Compafs 
of  the  War  (in  which,  tho'  it  laftcd  feven  Years,  we  no 
where  read  of  one  Battle  fought)  he  a<Sted  in  the  defenfive, 
not  offenfive.  Part,  and  kept  an  Army  by  him,  not  to 
deftroy  Saul's  Poflerity,  but  merely  to  maintain  himfelf  in 
the  PofTeffion  of  that  regal  Dignity,  wherewith  Samuel,  by 
God's  Order  and  Appointment,  had  invefled  him. 

ISHBO'^HETH  knew  very  well,  that  Samuel  had  a- 
nointed  David,  and  that  God  had  appointed  him  to  be  his 

Father's 

(y)  Vide  Grotius,  Stldev^  Tuffendorfy  See.  (2)  Grotitts, 

^c  Jure  Belli,  lib, ii.  cap.  18, 


Chap.  IV.    from  the  Kradke^  entering  Canaan,  &c.       425 

Father's  Succeflbr  in  the  whole  Kingdom  of  IfraeL    And     A.  m. 
therefore  his  oppofing  him  in  an  ho/Itle  Manner,  was  Provo-  ^nt.  Chrift. 
cation  enough,  one  would  think,  had  not  David  remem-  1055,  efc. 
ber'd  (a)  his  Oath  made  to  Saul^  and  thereupon  overlook'd  ^'■°™  ^Sam. 
this  ill  Treatment  of  his  Son,  and  pronounc'd  him  a  {b)  t'       _'  _f 
righteous  Perfon.     The  Removal  of  an  Adverfary,    and 
dangerous  Competitor  for  a  Crown,  might  be  thought  a 
meritorious  piece  of  Service  by  fome  ambitious  Princes  ; 
but  David  was  of  another  Sentiment.     His  Soul  and  his  No- 
tions were  the  fame,  as  what  infpir'd  the  great  Jlexander^ 
when  he  took  Vengeance  on  Baffus  for  having  kill'd  his  Ene- 
my Darius  j  (c)  for  he  did  not  confider  Darius^  fo  much  in 
the  Capacity  of  an  Enemy,  as  Bajfus  in  that  of  a  Friend  to 
the  Perfon,  whom  he  had  bafely  murther'd.     And  it  Is  not 
improbable,  that  his  Refledlion  upon  the  fad  Fate  of  Saul'^s 
unhappy  Family,  and  the  folemn  Promife  he  had  given  for 
their  Prefervation,  as  well  as  the  Defign  {d)  of  clearing  him- 
felf  from  the  leaft  Sufpicion  of  having  any  Hand  in  this  bar- 
barous Regicide,  prevail'd  with  David  to  inflift  upon  the 
Authors  of  it,  the  exemplary  Punifhment  of  hanging  them 
upon  Gibbets,  to  be  a  Spedtacle  of  Abhorrence  j  of  cutting 
off  their  right  Hands ^  {e)  wherewith  they  had  committed 
this  execrable  Deed,  and  of  cutting  off"  their  Feet^  where- 
with they  had  made  their  Efcape  from  Juflice. 

ABNER  indeed  aded  very  bafely,  very  treacheroufly,  »5'ij,£,^,%jj 
in  deferting  IJhboJheth  (the  King  whom  he  had  fet  up)  upon  ««*«  «> »/ 
a  very  flight  Provocation  ;  but  David  had   no  Concern  in  ^^^^^''  ^/* 
all  this.     The  Kingdom   belong'd  to  him   by  Divine  Do-     ' 
nation.     Abner  knew  this,  before  he  proclaim'd  IJhboJheth  ; 
and  therefore  all  the  Mifchiefs  of  the  civil  War  are  charge- 
able upon  him :  Nor  can  David  be  blam'd  for  receiving 
his  own  Right,  even  the'  it  was  tender'd  to  him  by   the 
Hand  of  a  bad  Man.     The  Truth  is,  David  did  not  de- 
lude Abner  from  his  Mafler,  but  Abner  made  the  firfl  O- 
verture  of  his  Service  to  him  ;  and  as  this  was  no  unfavour- 
able Opportunity  of  uniting  the  two  contending  Kingdoms, 
which  Providence  feem'd  to  have  thrown  in  his  Way,  Da- 
vid  had  been  perfidious,  not  only  to  his  own  Intereft,  but 
to  the  Eftablifliment  of  the  general  Peace  of  the  Nation,  had 
he  not  fallen  in  with  it.     (f)  He,  no  doubt,   was  privy  to 
the  Caufe  of  Abner's  Difguft  :  But,  without  approving  ei-  ' 

ther 

(a)  I  Sam.  xxiv.  21.  {b)  2  Sam.  iv.  11.  (f)  Reputabat 
cnim  non  tam  hoftem  fuum  fuiffe  Dariutn,  quam  Amicum  ejus,  k 
quo  effet  occifus.     Jujiitiy  lib.  xii.   c.  6.  [d)  Le  C/ere's 

Commentary.        (e)  Pairick'i  Commentary. 


426 


The  Hiflory  of  the  BIBLE,     Book  V. 


>■    A.  M.    ther  of  his  Crime  or  his  Treafon,  he  might  lawfully  make 

^Anu^Chxiik.^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^^^'^^^^ '■>  "^y>  ^"'^  confer  on  him  feme  Tokens 
J055,  &r.  of  his  Favoui'  too,  in  Conlideration  of  the  Benefits  he  had 
From2Sam.j.g^gjy'(j  from  him,  and  of  fome  commendable  Qualities,  ei- 
^      _' _ither  natural  or  political^  that  he  h.d  obferv'd  in  him.    The 
Inftrumcnt  is  not  to  be  regarded  in  all  AcStions,  and  even 
a  bad  Man,   when  he  dues  good  Services,  may  merit  a  Re- 
ward, and  be  receiv'd  with  fome  Approbation. 

No  Man  indeed  (hould  engage  another  in  a  bafe  or  wick- 
ed Aftion  ;  (g)  becaufe,  vhether  he  commits  the  Thing 
himfelf,  or  employs  another  to  do  it,  the  Crime  is  the  fame; 
but  it  is  not  fo  (fays  (h)  Gretius)  if  a  Perfon  freely  offers 
hi'mfelf,  without  any  Sollicitation  or  Perfuafion  to  it.  Irt 
this  Cafe,  it  Is  not  unlawful  to  ufe  him  as  an  Inftrument, 
in  order  to  execute  what  is  confefledly  lawful  for  us  to  to  : 
And,  as  it  is  not  contrary  to  the  Laws  of  Arms  to  receive  a 
Deferter^  who  quits  the  Enemy's  Party  and  embrace^  Ours; 
fo  we  cannot  perceive,  how  David  could  become  culpable 
in  taking  the  Advantage  of  Jbnerh  Quarrel  with  IJhbojheth,^ 
when,  without  any  Application  of  his,  he  voluntarily  fent 
to  him,  and  ofFer'd  him  his  Service,  and  when  the  good 
Providence  of  God  feems  to  have  employ 'd  the  Paflion  and 
angry  Refentment  of  that  haughtv  General^  in  order  to 
bring  about  his  wire  Dcfigns,  and  by  the  Union  of  the  twd 
Kingdoms,  prevent  the  EfFufion  of  much  Blood. 
Bumfh^'  But  what  fhall  we  fay  in  Excufe  for  his  Perfidy,  wheA 
ti^Hufliai  ^g  f;p(]  j-jjni  putting  his  Friend  Hujhai  upon  acting  fuch  a 
Part,  as  but  badly  became  a  Man  of  Honour  ;  upon  going, 
and  offering  his  Service  to  his  Son  Ahfalom,  on  purpofe  to 
betray  him,  or  to  give  him  bad  Counfel.     The  Words  of 

David  zr^  thefe  : (i)  If  thou  return  to  the  City,  and 

fay  unto  Abfalom,  7  will  be  thy  Servant,  O  King ;  as  I 
have  been  thy  Father'' s  Servant  httherto,  fo  will  1  now  alfo 
'he  thy  Servant ;  then  may e ft  tlyou  for  me  defeat  the  Counfeh 
ef  Ahitophel.  But  David,  by  thefe  Words,  (fay  fome 
Interpreters)  did  not  advife  Hujhai  to  betray  Abfalom\ 
or,  for  his  Sake,  to  violate  the  Laws  of  Friendfhip, 
but  purely  to  go  and  adjoin  himfelf  to  Abfalom^  (who, 
by  this  Time,  had  alTumed  the  Title  of  King,  and  could 

not 


t9  Jufphnt 
Abfalom. 


(f)  Calmefs  Commentary  on  2  ^^^w.  iii.  12.  (g)  Nihil 

intereft,  utrum  ipfe  Sceius  admittas,  an  alium  propter  te  admittere 
velis.     Auguji,  in  Moribus  M,michfS.  [h)    De  Jure  Belli,  lib. 

iii.  cap.  I .  Transfugam  jure  Belli  recipimus.     Grotius.         (/)    z 
S^m.  XV.  34. 


Chap. IV.  from  the  \(^2itX\tt^  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     ji[i'f 

not  properly  be  addrefs'd  to  without  calling  him  fo)  in  or-    A.  M. 
der  todeftroy  the  Counfels  of  Ahitophel^  juft  as  a  General  ^^^'c^i^ 
fends  his  Spies  into  the  Enemy's  Camp,    to  know  what  1055,  &^c. 
pafles  there  ;  or  as  a  Kino;  keeps  in  foreign  Courts  his  En- ^5°™  *^^™*' 
voys,    to  gam    intelligence  of  the  Defigns,  that  may  bci 
form'd  againft  him,  and  to  defeat  the  Reiolutions,  that'may 
be  taken  to  his  Prejudice.     But  (whether  thefe  Compari- 
fons  may  come  up   to  the  Cafe  before  us,  or  no)  'twas 
certain,  at  this  Jundlure,  Abfalom's  Bufmefs  was  to  be  up- 
on his  Guard.     The  unjuft  War,  which  he  had  declar'd 
againft  his  Father,  gave  his  Father  a  Right  to  treat  him  as 
an  open  Enemy,  and  to  employ  either  Force  or  Artifice  a- 
gainft  him;    nor  can  this  Conduct  of  his  be  blam'd,  un- 
lefs  we  fhould  fay,  that,  when  Kings  are  engag'd  in  War, 
they  are  forbidden  to  difguife  their  true  Defigns,  even  the* 
it  be  a  Thing  notorious,  that  upon  this  Difguife  the  Prac- 
tice of  Stratagems  in  War  (which  were  never  yet  account- 
ed unlawful)  is  entirely  founded. 

The  Truth  is,  (^J  ylbfalom^  as  a  Traitor,  a  Murtherer, 
a  Rebel,  and,  as  far  as  in  him  lay,  a  Parricide,  had  for- 
feited all  the  Rights  of  Society,  but  more  efpecially  as  a 
Rebel :  For  a  Rebel,  who  fets  himfelf  to  overturn  the  ef- 
tablifh'd  Government,  Order,  and  Peace  of  any  Commu- 
nity, does  by  that  hoftiie  Attempt  aflually  diveft  himfelf 
of  all  focial  Rights  in  that  Community.  And  confequent- 
ly,  David  could  be  no  more  guilty  of  Perfidy,  in  form- 
ing a  Defign  to  fupplant  Abfulom,  nor  Hujhai  guilty  of 
Villainy,  in  undertaking  to  put  it  in  Execution,  than  that 
Man  can  be  faid  to  be  guilty  of  Sin,  who  deceives  a  Mad- 
Man,  and  turns  him  away  from  murthering  his  beft 
Friends. 

The   Short  of  the  Matter  is,   Hujhai''^  Inftru£tions, /^«JHufl\ai'i 
were  to  negotiate  David's  Intereft  among  the  Rebels,  as  «""^«''f''*"'^ 
well  as  he  could.     This  he  could  not  do  without  feeming'"      * 
to  a6l  in  a  contrary  Charafter ;  and  in  order  to  effe6l  this, 
there  was  a  Neceflity  for  his  concealing  himfelf;  and  con- 
ceal himfelf  he  could  not,  without  fome  Degree  of  DiJJi" 
mulation  ;  and  therefore  the  End  which  he  propos'd  in  what 
he  did,  viz.  the   Prevention   of  that  long  Train  of  Mif- 
chiefs  which  always  attends  a  Civil  War,  was  fufficient  ta 
juftify  the  Means   which  he  took  to  accomplifh  it.     For, 
tho'  it.  is  to  be  wifti'd  with  {I)  Cicero ^  that  all  Lying  and 

DiJJimu- 

{h)  The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  David,  Vol.  ilL 
(/)  Offic.  lib.  iii.  c.  15. 


428  fhe  Hijiory  cf  /i&^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A;  M.     DiJ/imuiati^n  were  utterly  hanijh'd  from  human  Life ; '  yet, 
/fnt^'chrW  ^^  others  have  maintain'd,  that  a  beneficial  Falfehood  is  bet- 
7055,  Sff.  ter  than  a  deflru^ive  Truth,  a  Cafe  may  be  fo  circumftan- 
fVomzSam.  tiated,  as  to  make  Diflimulation,  which  (as  (m)  Lord  Ba- 
1.  toxix.  ^  ^^^  |-^yg^  -^  nothing  elfe  but  a  neceffary  Dependant  upon  Si- 
lence,  highly  neceffary  ;    and  a  Lie,  which   otherwife  would 
be  blamcable  in  a  Slave^  will  deferve  Commendation,    (fays 
(n)  ^intilian)  when  a  wife  Man  makes  Ufe  of  it,  to  fave 
his  Country  by  deceiving  his  Enemy.     Now,    as   HujhaV^ 
whole  Defign  was  to  deceive  an  open  and  declar'd  Enemy, 
who  can  doubt,  but  that  he  was  at  full  Liberty  by  his  Ad- 
<3refs  and   Subtilty  to  difconcert    the  Meafures  of   thofe, 
whom  all  agree,  that,  had  he  been  fo  minded,  he  had  Li- 
cence to  attack  with  open  Violence  ?  (o)  To  overcome  an 
Enemy  indeed  by  Valour,  rather  than  Art,    founds  more 
gallant,  and  by  fome  has  been  thought  a  more  f  reputable 
Way  of  Conqueft  ;    but,  fince  the  Laws  of  Nature  and 
Arms  have  made  no  Difference,  and  thofe  of  Humanity 
and  Mercy  feem  to  incline  to  that  Side,  wherein  there  is 
likely  to  be  the  leaft  Blood  fhed ;    Hujhai  may  be  faid  to 
have  afted  the  worthy  Patriot,  as  well  as  the  faithful  Sub' 
je5l,  in  breaking  the  Force  of  an  unnatural  Rebellion,  and 
in  putting  it  into  his  royal  Matter's  Mouth  to  fay,  {p)  the 
Lord  is  known  to  execute  Judgment  j  the  ungodly  are  trapped 
in  the  Work  of  their  own  Hands.     They  are  funk  down  in 
the  Pit  that  they  made  ;    in  the  fame  Net,  which  they  hid 
privily,  are  their  own  Feet  taken. 
David'jCifl-     Thus,  tho'  we  are  not  oblig'd  to  vindicate  David  in 
raaa.        everv  Paflage  of  his   Life,  and  think  fome  of  the  crying 
Sins  he  was  guilty  of  utterly  inexcufable ;    yet  (if  we  ex- 
cept thefe^  we  cannot  but  think,  that,  although  he  was  a 
very  tender  and  indulgent  Parent,  yet  he  was   no  Encou- 
'  rager 

(ct)  Serm,  Fidel.  lib.  vi.  (k)  Quintil.  Inftit.  Orat.  lib.  xii. 
c.  I .  (o)  Puffendorfh  Law  of  Nature,  lib.  iv.  c.  i .  and  Gro- 
//«/s  Rights  of  Peace,  lib.  iii.  C.  i. 

-f-  Thus  when  Perfeus,  the  Macedonian  Kiflg,  was  deceiv'd  by 
the  Hopes  of  Peace,  the  old  Senators  difallow'd  the  Aft,  as  in- 
confiftent  with  Roman  Bravery ;  faying,  That  their  Anceflors 
.profecuted  their  Wars  by  Valour,  not  Craft,  not  like  the  fubtile 
Carthaginians^  or  cunning  Grecians,  among  whom  it  was  a  great- 
er Glory  to  overcome  their  Enemies  by  Treachery,  than  true 
Valour.  Livy,  lib.  xlii.  c.  47.  And  it  was  a  known  Principle 
of  Alexander  %,  that  he  fcom'd  to  Ileal  a  Vitiory.  Plutarch,  dt 
Alex,  and  ^  Curtius,  lib.  iv.  c.  13. 

(/.)  Pfal.  ix.   15,   16, 


Chap.  IV.    /ir^»;/*>^lfraelites  f«/m«^  Canaan,  fc?<r.      429 

rager  of  Vice  in  his  own  Family,  or  a  tame  Conniver  at    A.  M, 
it  in  others,  had  he  not  been   reftrain'd,    by  Reafons  (y^Am'^^'chrift 
State^  fometimes  from  punifhing  it;    that  he  was  true  10,055,  ^'■• 
his  Promifes,  juft  in  his  Diftributions,   a.nd  prudent,  the' Fro™  ?  Sam. 
not  crafty,  in  his  w////£7ry  Tranfa6tions  ;    "  of  a  fing;ular|'  """^    , 
*'  Prefence  of  Mind,  (as  (q)  "Jofephus  fpeaks  of  him)  to        * 
**  make  the  beft  of  what  was  before  him  ;  and  of  as  fharp 
''  a  Forefight  for  improving  all  Advantages,  and  obviating 
*'  all  Difficulties,  that  were  like  to    happen;"  tender  to 
all  Perfons  in  Diftrefs,  kind  to  his  Friends,  forgiving  to  his 
Enemies ;    and  when,  at  any  Time,  he  was  forc'd  to  ufe 
Severity,  'twas  only  in  Retaliation  of  what  other  People 
had  done  to  him. 

Happy  were  it  for  us,  if  we  could  account  for  thej^^y  Cod 
Operations  of  God  with  the  fame  Facility,  that  we  canA«**UizA 
for  the  Adtions  of  his  Saints  ;  but  his  Counfels  are  a  great 
Deep,  and  his  Judgments  (juft  tho'  they  bej  are  fometimes 
obfcure,  and  pa/}  finding  out.  For,  what  fhall  we  fay  to 
the  Fate  of  Uzzah  f  Or  what  tolerable  Caufe  can  we  af- 
fign  for  his  fudden  and  untimely  End  ?  It  was  now  near 
feventy  Years  fmce  the  Ifraelites  had  carry'd  the  Ark  from 
Place  to  Place,  and  fo  long  a  Difufe  had  made  them  for- 
get the  Manner  of  doing  it.  In  Conformity  to  what  they 
had  heard  of  the  Phillfiines,  they  put  it  into  a  new  Cart, 
or  Waggon  ;  but  this  was  againft  the  exprefs  Direction  of 
the  Law,  (r)  which  order'd  it  to  be  borne  upon  Men's 
Shoulders.  It  is  commonly  fuppos'd,  that  Uz%ah  was  a 
Levite,  tho'  there  is  no  Proof  of  it  from  Scripture ;  but 
fuppofmg  he  was,  he  had  no  Right  to  attend  upon  the  Ark; 
that  Province,  by  the   fame  Law,  (s)  was    reftrain'd    to  > 

thofe  Levites  only,  who  were  of  the  Houfe  of  Kohath  : 
Nay,  put  the  Cafe  he  had  been  a  Kohathite  by  Birth,  yet 
he  had  violated  another  Command,  which  prohibited  even 
thefe  Levites,  (tho'  they  carry'd  it  by  Staves  upon  their 
Shoulders)  (t)  upon  Pain  of  Death,  to  touch  it  wi'h  their 
Hands :  So  that  here  was  a  threefold  Tranfgreffion  of  the 
Divine  Will,  in  this  Method  of  Proceeding.  The  Ark, 
(as  fomefav)  by  Uzzah's  Diredion,  was  plac'd  in  a  C^rr ; 
Uzzah,  without  any  proper  Defignation,  adventures  to  at- 
tend it  J  when  he  thought  it  in  Danger  of  falling,  o^ci' 
oujly  he  put  forth  his  Hand,  and  laid  hold  on  it,  (all  Vin*. 
lations  of  the  Divine  Commands)  and  this  (as  is  fuppos'd) 

not 

[q]  Jewifli  Antiq.  lib    vii.  c.   iz.  (r)  Numb.  vii.  9, 

Is)  Numb.  vii.  9.         {t]  Ibid,  iv.   15. 


430  The  Hiftory  p/  //^^  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V^ 

A.  M.  not  fo  much  out  of  Reverence  to  the  facred  Symbol oi  God's 
"^^^'(>'^;J^  Prefence,  as  out  of  Diffidence  of  his  Providence,  as  una- 
1055,  c-c.  ble  to  preferve  it  from  overturning. 

t-romaSam.      Xhe  Truth  is,  this  Ark  had  fo  long  continu'd  in  Ob- 
^"^""l^^^fcurity,  that  the  People  in  a  Manner  had  loft  allSenfeof  a 
•      •        Divine  Power  refiding  in  it,  and  therefore  approach'd  it 
with  Irreverence.     This  is  imply'd  in  David's  Exhortation 
to  Zadok  and  Abiathar^  after  this  Misfortune  upon  Uzxah : 
(u)  Te  are.,  the  chief  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Levites ;  fanSii- 
fy  y  our f elves  therefore^  both  ye^  and  your  Brethreriy  that  you 
may  bring  up  the  Ark  of  the  Lord  God  of  Ifrael,  unto  the 
Place  that  I  have  prepared  for  it ;  for^  becaufe  ye  did  it 
not  at  the  firji,  the  Lord  our  God  made  a  Breach  upon  us^ 
for  that  we  fought   him  not  after   the  due  Order.      What 
Wonder  then,  if  God,  being  minded  to  teftify  his  imme- 
diate Prefence  with  the  Ark,  to  retrieve  the  antient  Honour 
of  that  facred  VcJJel^  and  to  curb  all   licentious  Profanati- 
ons of  it  for  the  future,  fhould    fmgle  out  one,  that  was 
the  mofl  culpable  of  many,  one,  who  in  three  Inftances 
was  then  violating  his  Commands,  to  be  a  Monument  of 
his  Difpleafure  againft  either  a  wilful  Ignorance,  or  a  rude 
Contempt  of  his  Precepts,  be  they  ever  fo  feemingly  fmall; 
that,  by  fuch  an  Example  of  Terror,  he  might  infpire  both 
Priefls  and    People  with  a  facred  Dread  of  his  Majcfiyy 
and  a  profound  Veneration  for  his  My/ieries  ? 
fbeMeaning     GoD  indeed  IS  left  to  his  own  Pleafure,  what  Signs  he 
fntbe  Mul"-''^^'^  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^  ^iv^  to  his  People,  upon  any  Occafion, 
fccny -Trees,  for  their  Good  ;  but  the  more  arbitrary,  and  uncommon, 
any  Sign  is,  the  more  it  feems  to  have  proceeded  from 
God.     Tho'  therefore,   the  Sound  of  People's  going  upon 
the  Tops  of  Trees,  be  a  Thing   not  fo  congruous  to  our 
Conceptions,  yet  It  will  not  therefore  follow,  that  it  was 
not  the  real  Sign,  which  God  gave  David,  becaufe  the 
ftranger  the   Phenomenon  was,    the  greater    Afllirance  it 
convey'd  of  the  Divine  Interpofition  in  his  Favour  :    Nor 
can  the  Pra6iicablenefs  of  the  Thing  be  difputed,  fince  it 
was  confejjedly  an  Hoft  of  Angels  (who  could  move  on  the 
Tops  of  Trees,  as  well  as   plain  Ground^   that  made  this 
Noife  of  an  Army's  marching. 

There   is   no  Reafon  however   to  acquiefce   in  thiji 
Conflru<^ion  only,     {x)  The  Word  Berochty   which  we 

render 

(«)  I  Chron.  xv.   iz,   13.  {x)  Patrick's  Commentary  ia 

Locum. 


Chap.  IV.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  6?f .         431 

renilcr  Tops^  in  feveral   Places  of  Scripture,    fignifie?  the    A.  M. 
Beginnings  of  Things  likewife ;    and,  in  this  Acceptation,  ^t^'chrift. 
the  Senfe  of  the  Sign,  which  God   gave  David,  will  be  1055,  &c. 

this: *'  When  thou  heareft  a  Sound,  as  it  were,  of F^'^"" » Sana. 

*'  many  Men    marching  at  the  Entrance   of   the  Place, '.'^^"l  j 

"  where  the  Mulberry  Trees  are  pi  nted,    then  do  thou 

*'  make  readv  to  fall  upon  thine  Enemy  ;    for   this  Noife 

*'  (which  is  occafion'd  by  the  Miniflry  of  my  Angels)  goes 

*'  before  thee,  both  to  conduct  thee  in  thy  Way,  and  to 

■^«  injecl  Terror  into  thine  Adverfaries." 

But  how  plaufible  foever  this  Interpretation  may  feem, 
there  is  fome  Reafpn  to  fufpect,  that  the  other  Word  Bo- 
chim,  which  our  Tranflation  calls  Mulberry-Trees,  is,  m 
Reality,  the  proper  Name  of  a  Place,  {y)  The  Prophet 
Jfaiah  has  a  plain  Alluiion  to  this  Piece  of  Hiftory,  and 
feeras  to  conhrm  what  we  here  fuggeft.  The  Lord,  fay*  ■ 
he,  /hall  rife  up  as  in  Mount  Perazim  ;  he  Jhall  be  wroth 
as  in  the  Valley  of  Gibeon  ;  i.  e.  he  {hall  defiroy  his  Ene- 
mies, as  he  did  the  Phil;Jiines  at  Baal-  Perazim^  under 
Davidi  and  the  Canannites  at  Gibeon^  under  JoJI)ua  :  What 
hinders  then,  but  that  Beroche  Bochim  may  fignify  the 
Mountains  of  Bochim  F    And  fo  the  Senfe    of  the  Words 

will  be, "   When  thou   heareft  a  Noife,  as  of  many 

"  People  marching  upon  the  Hills,  or  High-P'aces  of  Bo' 
"  chimy  then  thou  haft  nothing  to  do,  but  to  fall  imme- 
*'  diately  upon  the  Enemy."  Either  of  thefe  Interpreta- 
tions clears  the  Text  from  any  feeming  Abfurdity  j  and  I 
(hall  only  obftrve  far; her,  that  from  the  Paflage  of  the 
above-cited  Prophet,  as  well  as  fome  Expreffioiis  in  the 
xviii.  Pfal.  fuch  as,  (z)  He  fent  out  his  Arrows,  and  fc al- 
tered them  ;  he  caji  forth  Lightnings,  and  deftroyed  them^ 
it  feems  very  likely,  that  a  mightv  Storm  of  Thunder  zvA 
Lightning,  of  Hail-Stones  and  Coals  of  Fire,  (as  the  Pfal- 
mift  calls  it)  was  afliftant  to  David  in  the  Acquifuion  of 
this  Vi(Slory. 

In  the  Account  of  David*s  Conqueft  of  the  Ammo- the  W6gH 
nites,  the  Weight  of  their  King's  Crown  feems  not  a  lit-  of  the  Ki'.g 
tie  monftrous.     The  Weight  of  a  Talent,  which,   upon "-^    ^    ^* 

11  n     r^  •  1    r  ro<wn  ac- 

the   lowelt   Computation,    amounts   to  no  lefs  than   17.'}^  cwnudfw. 
Pounds,  is  allow'd  to  be  too  much  for  one  Neck  to  fuftain  ; 
but  then  we  fhould  confider,  that,  befides  the  Crown,  that 
was  ufually  worn,  it  was  cuftomary,  in  fume  Nations,  for 

Kings 

(j?)  Jfaiah  xxviii.  21.        (z)  Pfal.  xviii.  14^ 


432  The  Hijlory  of  ibe  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  Kings  to  have  *  vaft  large  ones,  (even  to  a  Size  equal  to 
%it^Chrift  *^'^)  either  hung,  or  fupported,  over  the  Throne,  where, 
jog'j^  ^c    at  their  Coronation,  or  upon  other  foiemn  Occafions,  they 

From  aSam.  were   WOnt   tO  fit. 

1.  to  XIX.  The  Jexvi/h  Do£lors  indeed  have  a  very  odd  Conceit, 
viz.  that  David,  v/hen  he  took  this  Crown  from  the  King 
of  Ammon,  hung  it  up  on  high  by  a  certain  Load- Stone, 
that  he  had  ;  as  if  the  Power  of  the  Magnet  were  to  at- 
tract Gold,  as  well  as  Iron.  But  let  that  be  as  it  will,  'tis 
but  to  fuppofe,  that  the  Crown,  here  under  Debate,  was 
of  this  larger  Kind,  and  that,  by  fome  Means  or  other, 
it  was  fupported  over  the  King's  Head,  while  he  was  fit- 
ting on  his  Throne,  and  then  there  will  be  an  apparent 
Reafon,  for  taking  the  Crown  from  off,  or  ("as  the  Hebrew 
Words  will  bear  it)  from  over  the  King^s  Head,  zndplac- 
ing  it,  in  like  Manner,  over  David's  Head,  even  to  indi- 
cate the  Tranflation  of  his  Kingdom  to  David. 

(a)  'Tis  a  common  Thing  however  in  Hebrew,  as  well 
as  other  learned  Languages,  to  have  the  fame  Word  figni- 
fy  both  the  Weight  and  Value  of  any  Thing.  And  that 
the  Price  or  Worth  of  the  Crown  is  here  the  Meaning  of 
the  Phrafe,  we  have  the  more  Reafon  to  think,  becaufe 
Mention  is  made  of  an  Addition  of  precious  Stones,  which 
are  never  eftiniated  by  the  Weight  of  Gold,  (if)  fofe- 
phus  tells  us  of  one  Stone  of  great  Value  in  the  Middle  of 
the  Crown,  which  he  calls  a  Sardonyx  ;  and  as  we  may 
fuppofe,  that  there  were  other  Jewels  of  feveral  Kinds, 

plac'd 

*  The  Antients  make  mention  of  feveral  fuch  large  Crowns 
as  thefe,  which  were  made  for  Sight  more  than  any  Thing  elfe. 
ywvctml,  expofmg  the  Pride  and  Vanity  of  fome  of  the  chief 
Magiftrates  at  Rome,  defcribes  the  Pomp  and  Splendor  of  their 
Appearance  in  thefe  Words : 

Quod  fl  vidiffet  praetorem  in  curribus  altis 
Extantem,  &  medio  fublimem  in  pulvere  circi. 
In  tunica  Jovis,  &  piftae  ferrana  ferentem 
Ex  humeris  aula:a  togas,  magni^eque  corona 
Tantum  orbem,  quanta  cervix  non  fuficit  ulla.  Sat.    I  o. 

Athenteus  (lib.  v.  c.  8.)  defcribes  a  Crown  made  of  Gold,  that 
was  four  and  twenty  Foot  in  Circumference,  and  mentions  others, 
that  were  two,  fome  four,  and  fome  five  Foot  deep  ;  as  Pliny, 
(lib.  xxxiii.  c.  3.)  in  like  Manner,  takes  Notice  of  fome,  that 
v/ere  of  no  lefs  than  eight  Pounds  Weight.  Calmeth  Comment. 
in  Locum. 

{a)  PooPt  Annotations  and  PatricK'i  Commentary  in  Locum. 
[b]  Jewilh.  Antiq.  lib.  vii.  c.  7. 


"Chap.  IV.    from  the  Ifradites  enuring Cznazn,  ^c.       4^3 

plac'd   at  their  proper  Diftances,  thefe,  in  Proportion  as  ^  ^-  ^• 
they  heighten'd  the  Value,  muft  leflen  the  Weight  of  the  Ant^'cbift. 
Crown,  and  verify  what  the  fame  Hiftorian  tells  us  of  it,  1055,  e-c. 
viz.  that  David  wore  it  confiantly  on  his  Head  afterward  for  ^\°^^  l^^™' 
an  Ornament.  k.^...^^^,..^^ 

There  is  another  Difficulty  ftill  behind,  which  relates  AnH  of  Ab- 
to  the  Weight  of  Ahfalom\  Hair,   that,  in   the  Words  of  ^^°^2 "*'"' 

the  Text  is  thus  exprefs'd  : (c)  And  when   he  polled 

his  Head^  [for  it  was  at  every  Tear's  End  that  he  polled 
it ;  and  hecaufe  the  Hair  was  heavy  on  him^  therefore  he 
foiled  it)  he  weighed  the  Hair  of  his  Head  at  two  hundred 
Shekels  after  the  King's  Weight.  In  the  Explication  of 
which  Words,  the  Sentiments  of  the  Learned  have  been 
fo  many,  and  various,  that  we  fhall  content  ourfelves  with 
commenting  upon  fome  of  the  chief  of  them. 

Those  who  are  of  Opinion,  that    the  Words   related ^'^'^'^^ ^/'- 
only  to  the  Cuttings  of  Abjalom  s  Hair,  make  the  two  hun-  i„g  it, 
dred  Shekels  the  Price,  and  not  the  Weight.^  of  them  :  And, 
to  this  Purpofe  they    fuppofe,    that  tho'  Ahfalom   himfelf 
might  not  fell  his  Hair,  yet  fome  Perfons  about  him  might 
do  it,  inComplaifance  to  the  Ladies  oijerufalem,  who  might 
not  think  themfelves  in  the  Faftiion,  unlcfs  they  wore  a  fa- 
vourite Lock  of  the  Prince's.     But,  befides  the  Abfurdity 
of  the  King's  Son  fufFering  any  of  his  Domefticks  to  fell 
his  Hair,  the   very  Words  of  the  Text  are  a  Confutation 
of  this  Notion,  where    they  tell   us,  that  he  weighed  the 
Hair  of  his  Head;  whereas,  had  it   been  fold,  the  Buyer 
muft  have  weigh'd  the  Money,  even  (d)  as  Abraham  did, 
when  he  purchas'd  the  Field  of  Ephron. 

Others  again  pretend,  that  there  is  a  manifefl  Miftake 
crept  into  the  Text,  which  has  been  occafion'd  by  an  ig- 
norant Tranfcriber's  inferting  one  numerical  Letter  for 
another,  the  Refch  inftead  of  the  Daleihy  i.  e.  two  hun- 
dred inftead  of  four  :  But,  befides  the  Uncertainty,  whe- 
ther the  former  Hebreivs  made  ufe  of  their  Letters  inftead 
of  Figures,  (whereof  there  is  not  the  leaft  Sign  or  Token 
in  any  antient  Copies)  wherein,  I  pray,  would  the  great 
Wonder  be,  if  what  was  cut  ofF  from  Abfalom's  Head, 
(to  thin  and  ftiorten  his  Hair,  when  it  grew  too  weighty 
and  troublefome  to  him)  amounted  to  no  more  than  four 
Shekels,  which  is  much  about  two  Ounces  ?  And  yet,  the 
whole  Defign  of  this  Narration  feems  to   portend    fome- 

thing 

(c)  2  Sam.  xiv.  26,        (rt^  Gen.  xxiii.  16. 
Vol.  III.  Ee 


434  51^^  Hijlory  of  the  BIB  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.     thing  more  than  ufual,  in  this  prodigious  Increafe  of  ^b- 
ATcS.>^^-'3Hair.  ^ 

X055,  &c.  The  Text  however  does  not  fpeak  of  the  Cuttings  of 
I"rom  aSam.  the  Hair,  but  of  the  Head  of  Hair  jtfelf,  when  it  talks  of 
,  the  Weight  of  two  hundred  Shekels  ;  and  therefore  thofe, 
who  take  it  in  this  larger  Senfe,  are  not  forgetful  to  re- 
mind us,  that,  in  thofe  Days,  Hair  was  accounted  a  very 
great  Ornament,  and  the  longer  it  was,  the  more  it  was 
efteem'd;  that  Jbfaloni^  to  be  fure,  would  not  fail  to  nourifh 
his  with  the  utmoft  Care,  and  to  let  it  grow  long  enough, 
becaufe  it  contributed  fo  much  to  the  Gracefulnefs  of  his 
Perfon  ;  that,  in  After- Ages  (as  perhaps  they  did  then) 
Men  were  wont  to  ufe  much  Art  with  their  Hair,  and 
drefs  it  every  Day  with  fragrant  Ointments,  in  order  to 
make  it  grow  thick  and  ftrong ;  that  the  noble  Guards, 
which  attended  Solomon  (as  Jofephus  (e)  informs  us)  had 
their  long  Hair  flowing  about  their  Shoulders,  which  they 
powder'd  with  fmall  Particles  of  Gold,  to  make  it  fparkle, 
and  gliften  againft  the  Sun  i  and  that,  therefore,  it  is  not 
improbable,  that  ^hfalom,  who  himfelf  was  a  gay  young 
Man,  and  wanted  none  of  thefe  Helps  or  Improvements, 
might,  in  Procefs  of  Time,  bring  his  Hair  up  to  the 
Weight,  that  the  Scripture  records,  which,  according  to 
the  Gold  Shekel  (that  was  but  half  as  much  as  the  Silver) 
came  to  no  more  (as  the  learned  Bochart  endeavours  to 
prove)  than  three  Pounds  and  two  Ounces. 

But  fmce  the  Scripture  fays  nothing  of  any  fuch  Additi- 
ons, as  Ointments,  or  Gold-duft,  to  inhance  the  Weight 
of  the  Hair ;  others,  who  think  this  too  much  for  a  Man, 
that  polled  his  Hair  once  every  Year,  if  not  oftner,  have 
obferv'd  from  the  Words,  which  we  render  at  every 
learns  End,  that,  in  the  Original,  they  imply  no  parti- 
cular Defignation  of  Time  ;  and  thence  infer,  that  Jbfa- 
lom  did  not  weigh  his  Hair  fo  often  as  once  every  Year^ 
but  at  this  particular  Time  only,  when  he  return'd  to  Je- 
rufalem.  **  He,  in  his  Exile,  fay  ihey^  which  lafted  about 
*'  three  Years,  pretending  great  Sorrow  for  his  Sin,  feems 
*'  to  have  taken  upon  him  the  Vow  of  a  Nazarite,  untill 
*'  his  Return  ;  one  Part  of  which  was,  that  he  (hould  not 
*'  fuffer  his  Hair  to  be  cut  for  fuch  a  determinate  Time : 
*'  But,  upon  his  Re-call  home,  being  now-  difcharg'd 
**  from  his  Vow,  he  order'd  his  Hair  to  be  cut  all  clean 
'*  off,  becaufe  it  was  grown   very  cumbeifome  to  him  ; 

**  which, 

{e)  Jcwilh  Antiq.  lib.viii.  c.  12. 


Chap.  IV.  from  the  IfrsLdhcs  entering  Canaan,  ^c.         4.^^ 

**  which,  being  of  fo   long  a  Growth,  amounted  to  the     A-  M- 
*'  Weight,    that  the   facred  Hiftory   relates  of  it."     But  A^ntf'chrift. 
this  Notion   of  yfbfalom's  Nazaritifm  has  no  Foundation  in  1055,   t-c 
Scripture,  (f)  except  that  lying   Pretence   to  his   Father,  \^\^^^^^^' 
when,  under  the  Cloak  of  Religion,  he  was  minded  to  con- 
ceal his  intended   Rebellion ;  and   therefore  all  the  Super- 
ftru£lure  built  upon  it  muft  neceflarily  fall. 

Others,    perceiving    that   none  of   thefe   Inventions 
would  anfwer  the  Purpofe,  have   endeavoured  to  folve  the 
Difficulty  by  attending  to  the  latter  Words  in  the  7"ext, 
two    hundred  Shekels ,  after  the   King's   JVelght :  And,  to 
this  Purpofe,  (g)  they  lay   it  down  as   a  Principle^  that, 
during  the  Reigns   of  the  Kings  of  fudah,  there  was  no 
Variation  in  the  Hebrew  Weights,  nor  were  there  any,  that 
were  call'd   the  King's ;  that  the  Difference  between  the 
King's  and  the  common  Weight  did   not  commence,    till 
after  fome  Continuance  of  the  Babyloni/h  Captivity  ;    that, 
towards  the  End  of  this  Captivity,  whoever  he  was,  that 
revis'd    thefe   Books    of  Samuel,    made  mention   of  fuch 
Weights  as  were  not  properly  Hebrew^  but  fuch   as  (after 
Jixty  ox  f evenly  Years  Captivity)  the  "Jews  only  knew,  and 
thefe  were    the   Bahylonijh  ;  and   that    therefore,  when  he 
comes  to  mention  the  Weight  of  yibjalom'%  Hair,  and  tells 
us,  that  it  was  two   hundred  Shekels,  he  adds  (by  Way  of 
Explanation)  that  it  was    after  the    King's    Weight,    i.  e. 
after  the  Weight  of  the  King  of  Babylon,  whofc  Shekel 
was  but  the  third  Part  of  an   Hebrew  Shekel,  (h)  as  the 
•  beft  Writers  upon   Weights   and  Meafures  are   gcnera'ly 
agreed.     So  that,   according  to  this  Hypothecs,  Abfalom'% 
Hair,    which   weighed    two    hundred  Babyloni/Jj  Shekels, 
came  but,  in  our  Weight,  to  about  thirty-three  Ounces  5 
a  Quantity,  which   thofe,  who  deal  in   that  Commodity, 
have  not    unfrequently    met  with   upon  feveral  Women's 
Heads,  and  therefore  what  brings  this  long-contefted  Story, 
at  leafl,  within  the  Bounds  of  a  fair  Probability. 

Thus  have  we  attempted  to  folve  moft  of  the  remarka- 
ble Difficulties,  that  either  afFe6l  the  Charader  of  David, 
or  other  Parts  of  Scripture- Account,  during  this  Period  of 
its  Hiftory  :  And  may  now  begin  to  wave  the  Tejlimony  of 
Heathen  Authors,  in  Confirmation  of  what  we  may  think 
ftrange  and  unac.countable  in  the  facred  Records  ;  be- 
caufe  Fails  of  that  Kind  will  not  fo  frequently  occur  -,  and. 

E  e  2  the 

(f)  2  Sam.  Ja^   7,  ^r.       •    {g)  Vide  Cfl/za^f's  Commentary 
in  Locum.         {h)  /bid. 


436  ^e^Hipry  of  the  BIBLE,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  the  Jewijh  Nation  begins  now,  in  the  Reign  of  King 
Ant^'chr[it.  ^^'^i^y  t"  make  fo  confiderable  a  Figure,  as  to  have  their 
1055,  Sfc.  Affairs  either  mention'd,  or  alluded  to,  by  the  moft  re- 
FromiSam.  ujarkable  Hiftorians,  both  Gr^^i  and  Latin. 

I.  to  xix: 

DISSERTATION   IV. 

Of  the  facred  Chronology^  and  profane  Hijlory^  dur- 
ing  this  Period. 

^.^  ,.  .  T^EFORE  we  enter  upon  the  foreign  Hiftory  of  this 
tbichrono.  JL#  "enod.  It  may  not  be  improper  to  take  JNetice  or 
Icgy  ehar'd.  fome  chronological  Difficulties,  that  are  to  be  found  in  the 
Scripture- Account  of  it.  The  Space  of  Time,  from  the 
Departure  of  the  Children  of  Ifrael  out  of  Egypr^  to  the 
Laying  the  Foundation  of  the  Temple  at  Jerufalem^  is  fo 
exadly  ftated,  that  it  will  admit  of  no  Difpute  :  For  (a) 
it  came  to  pafs^  fays  the  Text,  in  the  four  hundred  and 
fourfcore  Tear,  after  the  Children  of  Ifrael  luere  come  up 
cut  of  the  Land  ofEvypt,  in  the  Month  Zif,  which  is  the 
fecond  Month,  that  Solomon  hegan  to  build  the  Houfe  of 
the  Lord :  But  then  the  Manner  of  computing  this  Num- 
ber of  Years  has  been  various. 

{b)  The  Generality  of  the  yews,  who  make  it  450 
Years  from  the  Death  of  fojhua,  to  the  Time  of  Samuel^ 
fuppofe  the  Difference,  from  the  Departure  out  of  Egypt^ 
to  the  firfl  Beginning  of  the  Temple,  to  be  597  Years  ; 
but  this  Account  is  117  more,  than  what  we  find  in  Scrip- 
ture, (c)  Jofephus  exprefsly  tells  us,  that,  when  Solomon 
began  that  mighty  Work,  it  was  592  Years  from  the  Coming 
cf  the  Ifraelites  out  o/' Egypt ;  but  then  it  is  prefum'd, 
that  he  (as  well  as  the  other  Jews)  reckons  the  Yeais  of 
the  Oppreffors  apart ;  whereas  they  ought  to  be  included 
in  the  Years  of  the  Judges,  who  deliver'd  the  People  from 
that  Bondage  :  For,  'tis  but  looking  into  the  Scripture-  Ac- 
count, and  we  fhall  fee,  that,  (d)  before  Othniel,  Ifrael 
was  opprefs'd  eight  Years  j  before  Ehud,  eighteen  ;  be- 
fore Deborah,  twenty  ;  before  Gideon,  feven  ;  before  Jeph' 
ihah,  eighteen  ;  and  before  Sampfon,  forty ;  now,  ad- 
ding all  thefe  together,  we  (hall  find,  that  they  amounted 

to 

{a)   I  Kings  vi.    i.  [b]  ^ffl^or^'s  Scripture  Chronology, 

lib.  V.  c.    I.   '    [c)  Jewifli  Antiq.  lib.  viii.  c.  2,       [d)  Millars 
Kiltory  of  the  Church,  c.  i.  p.  \. 


Chap.  IV.    from  the  l{r2Lt\k&5  entering  Canaan,  ^c,     43-7 

to  m  Years ;  which,  if  joined  to  the  Years  of  the  Judges^     ^-  ^• 
will  make  the  particular  Years  of  this   Period   far  exceed  ^nt,  'chrift. 
the  general:  But,  by  being  included  in  the  Time,  affigned  1055,  d^c 
for  the  Government  of  the  Judges,  they  make  that  parti-  ^|°^  ^^^^"'• 
(ular  and  general  Account  of  the  Years  agree  very  rightly. 

There  is  another  Difference  between  this  Account  in 
the  firft  Book  of  Kings ^  and  what  the  Apoftle  affirms  in 
the  Jifs  of  the  Apojlles,  viz.  that  {e)  after  the  Time^  that 
Jofhua  divided  the.  Land  to  them  by  Lot,  God  gave  them 
Judges  for  about  the  Space  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  Tears, 
untill  Samuel  the  Prophet.  But  now,  if  there  be  450  Years 
from  the  Divifton  of  the  Land  of  Canaan  (which  happen'd 
in  the  feventh  Year  of  JoJhua\  Government)  to  the  Time 
of  the  Government,  or  even  of  the  Death,  of  Samuel,  there 
muft  be  niany  more  than  480  Years,  in  the  whole  Interval, 
fxqm.  the  Departure  out  of  Egypt,  to  the  Building  of  the 
Temple. 

To  folve  this  Difficulty,  fome  have  imagin'd,  that  the 
Words  fj,erot.  Tauru,  after  that,  which  are  found  in  the  twen- 
tieth Verfe,  fhould  be  plac'd  at  the  Beginning  of  the/^z;^»- 
teenth,  and  then  the  Senfe  will  be,  that,  from  God^s  chuftng 
cur  Fathers,  to  the  Time  of  the  Judges,  were  four  hundred 
and  fifty  Tears ;  for,  from  lfaac'%  Birth,  fay  the)',  to  the 
Departure  of  ifrael  out  of  Egypt,  are  405  Years ;  they 
wander'd  in  the  Wildernefs  forty  Years;  and  the  I/and  was 
divided  by  Lot  feven  Years  after  that ;  fo  that  all  thefe, 
put  together,  make  452  Years,  which  the  Apoftle  expre/Tes 
by  the  round  Sum  of  450.  But  this  apparently  is  not  the 
Senfe  of  the  Apoftle,  who,  in  his  Difcourfe  to  the  People, 
goes  on  gradually  and  methodically  thus.  God  chofe  our  Fa- 
thers j  he  brought  them  out  of  Egypt  j  he  led  them  in  th* 
Wildernefs  forty  Tears  ;  he  divided  the  Land ;  and  then  he 
gave  them  Judge t,  &c.  (f)  Others  therefore  have  fallen 
into  a  different  Way  of  Computation,  by  making  the  Years 
of  the  Judges  and  Oppreffors  diftindtj;  for,  the  Tears  of  the 
Judges,  fay  they,  untill  Samuel'^  Time,  are  339  j  the 
Tears  of  the  Tyrants  are  ill  \  which,  put  together,  mah 
exaSily  450  :  And  this  Kind  of  Reckoning  the  Apoftle 
might  mention,  (though  he  did  not  entirely  approve  of  it ;) 
and  therefore  we  find  him  introducing  it  with  an  d;,  i.  e. 
after  a  Matiner, or  as  fome  will  have  it,  who  compute  the 
Years  of  the  OppreJ/i/rs,  as  diftindl  from  the  Years  of  the 
E  e  3  Judges, 

(f)  Aftsxiii.  20.  (/J  Yids Grotiuj&xidUjifr, 


438  The  Hiftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

^'  &f     y^-^i^^y  though,  in  Reality,  they  ought  to  be  included  in 
Anl^'chrift.  one  another. 

1055,  sfc.       There   is   ftill  a  farther  Difficulty,  which  arifes  from 
f"^*"^?^*""*  comparing  the  Scripture-Chronology,  with  the  Genealogies 
in  the  Book  of  Ruth.     From  the  Entrance  into  the  Land  of 
Canaan.,    to  the  Building  of  the  Temple,  were  440  Years  : 
Now,  if  out  of  this,  we  fubftradl  for  David's  Life  feventy 
Years,  and  for  that    Part  of  Solomon'^  Reign,  which  was 
before  th   Foundation  of  the  Temple,   four  Years,  the  Re- 
mainder will   be  366  ;    and  yet,  for  thefe  three  hundred 
and  fixty-fix  Years,  we  have  four  Generations  only,    (for 
Salmon  begat  Boaz  of  Rahab  ;  Boaz  begat  Obed  of  Ruth  ; 
Obed  begat  Jeff} ;    and   Jejfe   begat  David)  which  at  a 
Time,  {g)  when    the  Age  of  Man   was   reduced   to  the 
Compafs  of  feventy  or   eighty  Years,  is  a  Thing  almoft 
impoffible.     But,  as  it  is  not  certain,  that  the  Lives  of  all 
Men  were  fhorten'd  at  the  Time,  when  the  Ifraelit£s  mur- 
jnur^d  in  the  Wildernefs,  forafmuch  as  the  Reafon  for  cut- 
ting them  off  fo  foon  (even  to  prevent  their  entering  into 
the  Land  of  Promife)  was  peculiar  to  that  Generation,  and 
might  not  affe61:  others  j  fo  the  Lives  of|  others  might  be 
extended  much  longer,  untill  the  Days  of  Davidy  and  ef- 
pecially  in  that  Family,  which  God  had  honour'd  fo  highly, 
as  to  appoint,  that  in  it  his  blelTed  Son  fiiould  be  born. 

{h)  Ac coRDiN-G  to  this  Account,  we  may  fuppofe  that 
Salmon  might  be  about  twenty  Years  old,  when  he  enter'd 
into  Canaany  and   Rahab,  whom  he  married,  to  be  about 
the  fame  Age  j    and  chat  Rahab  might  bear  Boaz  in  the 
fixty-fecond  Year  oi  her  Age,  which,  in  thofe  Days,    was 
no  extraordinary  Thing :  And  then,  it  is  but  fuppofmg  far- 
ther, that  Boaz.  was  an  hundred  and   two  Years  old  before 
he  begat  Obed ;  Obed  an  hundred  and  eleven  before  he  begat 
Jejfe  ;  and  Jejfe  of  the  fame  Age  before  he  begat  David ; 
and  the  whole  Difficulty  is  remov'd:  Only  it  may  be  thought 
a  little  ftrar.ge,  that  ^'^en,  above   an  hundred  Years  old, 
fliould  be  capable  of  begetting  Children,  untill  it  be  confi- 
der'd,  that  Alofes  and  l/iaron,  and  Jojhua  and  Caleb,  were  all 
vigorous  Men  at  this  Age  j  that,  long  after  this,  Jehoiada, 
the  High-Prieft,  was  an  hundred  and  thirty  Years  old  when 
he  died  ;    and  that,    almoft   in  our  own  Remembrance, 
our  Countryman,  Thomas  Parr^  liv'd    to  an  hundred  and 

fifty- 

C^J  Pfal.  xc.   10.      ^/&j  ^fflj^r^s  Scripture  Chronology,  lib, 
T.  c.  1.  and  il////^r's  Church  Hi llory.  Chap.  i.  Period  4. 


Chap.  W.  from  ihelfraeVites  entering  C^u'dzUf  &c.        439 

fifty- two,  and  had  a  Son  when  he  was  an  hundred  and  five    ^'  ^ 
Years  old.  _  Ant.  chrift. 

This  may  fuffice  for   fettling  the  Chronology  \  and  now  1055,  &c. 
to  proceed  to  the  Hipry  of  this  Period.     Our  laft  Con-j^^^^^JJ^^^""* 
ne6lionof  the/?fr^i5f  and  profane  Hiftory,  we  concluded  with  ^_,— ^-'  j 
the  Life  and  Adventures  of  Sefojiris^  who  reign 'd  in  Egypt-  The  Profane 
and  made  a  very  diftinguifti'd  Figure  in  feveral  Parts  of  the^'^f^"^'^" 
World,  while  the  Ifraelites  were  fojourning  in  the  Wilder- 
nefs ;  but,  from  the  Time  that  they  enter'd  into  Canaan^  * 
they  feem  to  have  had  no  Intercourfe  with  the  Egyptians, 
nor  do  their  feveral  Hiftories  at  all  interfere. 

All  Hiftory,  indeed,  in  this  Period  of  Time,  is  fo  de^ 
fac'd  and  corrupted  with  Fables^  that  it  is  a  hard  Matter  to 
difcern  any  Lineaments  of  Truth  in  it ;  and  yet  it  may  not 
be  amifs  to  take  Notice  of  fome  of  its  remarkable  Events. 

About  the  thirty-ninth  Year  of  Ehud's  Government ''/^'*^»1*°^ 
in  Ifrael,  (in  the  Time  of  Deucalion^  Son  of  Prometheus) 
there  happen'd  fuch  a  Deluge  in  Thejfaly^  as  gave  (i)  the 
Poets  an  Occafion  to  fay,  that  all  Mankind  was  thereia 
deftroy'd,  and  that  Deucalion,  and  Pyrrha  his  Wife,  re- 
peopled  the  World  by  throwing  Stones  behind  them,  which 
were  inftantly  chang'd  into  Men  and  Women. 

Ee  4  Much 

*  We  have  formerly  taken  Notice  (lib.  iii.  cap.  5.  in  the 
Notes)  of  the  Series  of  Egyptian  Kings,  written  by  Eratojfhenes, 
and  preferv'd  by  Syncellus  ;  and  here  to  proceed  with  that  Cata- 
logue. In  the  Year  of  the  World  2523,  reign'd  in  Egypt, 
Echejius  Car  as  i  one  Year.  In  the  Year  2524,  htga.r\  Nitocris, 
and  reign'd  fix  Years.  In  the  Year  2530,  began  My/'/^^j,  and 
reign'd  twenty  Years.  In  the  Year  2552,  began  Thyojimares 
(the  fame  tliat  Herodotus  calls  Myris,  or  Myrios)  and  reign'd 
twelve  Years.  In  the  Year  2564,  began  Thyrillus,  and  reign'd 
eight  Years.  In  the  Year  2572,  began  ^'f^jz/Warfj,  and  reign'd 
eighteen  Years.  In  the  Year  2590,  hf^axi  Chuter  Taurus,  and 
reign'd  feven  Years.  In  the  Year  2597,  began  Cheres  Philofo- 
phus,  and  reign'd  twelve  Years.  In  the  Year  2609,  began  C/6i?7;^e 
Ephtha,  and  reign'd  eleven  Years.  In  the  Year  2620,  began 
Anchurins  Ochus,  and  reign'd  fixty  Years.  In  the  Year  2680, 
began  Fenteathyris,  and  reign'd  fixteen  Years.  [n  the  Year 
zbgb,  began  Stamenes,  and  reign'd  twenty-three  Years.  In 
the  Year  2719,  began  Sijiojicbemes,  and  reign'd  fifty- five 
Years.     In  the  Year  2774,  began  Maris,  and  reign'd  forty-ihree 

Years.     In  the  Year  28 '7,    htgzn  Siphcus  Hertnes. In  the 

Year   2836,    began  Phruron,  or  Nilus. In  the  Year  2843, 

began  Amurrhoeus,  and  reign'd  fixty-three  Years,  or  to  the  Year 
of  the  World  2906.  Vide  Millar  %  Church  Hiftory,  Chap,  i 
Period  4. 

( i )  Q'vid'%  MetamorphofiS;  lib.  i.  fab.  7. 


-440 


Phaeton. 


Ganymede, 


Fcrfeus. 


I'he  Arge- 


'the  Hiftory  0/  /^^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

Much  about  this  Time  liv'd  Phaeton^  a  Prince  of  the 
Ligurians,  and  a  great  Aftrologer,  that  applied  himfelf 
chiefly  to  the  Study  of  the  Courfe  of  the  Sun  j  and  becaufe, 
in  his  Days,  the  Country  of  Italyy  near  the  River  Po^ 
was  fo  incommoded  with  extraordinary  Heats,  that  the 
Earth  became  dry,  and  barren  for  feveral  Years,  (k)  it 
hence  became  a  renowned  Fable  among  the  Poets,  that, 
by  his  Mifguidance  of  the  Horfes  of  the  Sun,  (who  is  faid 
to  have  been  his  Father)  he  fet  the  Earth  on  Fire. 

About  the  fourteenth  Year  of  Tolah's  judging  Ifrael, 
Ganymede,  the  Son  of  Tros,  King  of  Phrygia,  being  be- 
lov'd  by  Jupiter,  (as  the  Poets  fable)  was  by  him  carried 
up  to  Heaven  in  the  Shape  of  an  Eagle,  and,  much  againft 
yunoW^'iW,  made  Cup-bearer  to  the  Gods. 

About  the  fixth  Year  of  Jair's  Government,  Perfeui 
appear'd  in  the  World,  and  of  him  the  fabulous  Writers 
have  many  ftrange  Stories ;  as,  that  he  was  begot  by  Ju- 
piter on  Dana'e,  in  a  golden  Shower  j  that  when  he  came 
to  be  of  Age,  he  conquer'd  the  Gorgons,  with  their  Queen 
Medufa,  whofe  Hair  was  interwoven  with  Snakes ;  that 
he  fubdu'd  the  Inhabitants  of  Mount  Atlas,  and  firfl  deli-^ 
ver'd  Andromeda,  by  killing  the  Sea-monjier  fent  to  devour 
her,  and  then  married  her ;  that  afterwards  he  fought  a- 
gainft  the  Kings  of  Mauritania,  and  /Ethiopia,  and,  re- 
turning to  Greece,  overcame  his  Uncle  Prcetus^  and  Po" 
lydeSfes,  King  of  the  Ifland  Seriphus. 

Few  Things  are  more  famous,  in  the  Songs  of  the  Poets, 
than  the  Expedition  of  thofe  valiant  Greeks,  that  accom- 
panied Jaion  to  Colchos  ;  and  the  Foundation  of  the  Story 

is  conceiv'd  to   be  this : That  the  Argonauts  fail'd  to 

fome  Part  of  Scythia,  to  carry  off  a  Share  of  the  Riches  of 
that  Country,  where  the  Inhabitants  gain'd  a  great  deal  of 
Gold  out  of  the  Rivers,  that  ran  from  Mount  Caucafusy 
by  ufing  Sheep-lkins  with  the  Wool  on,  in  order  to  take 
up  that  precious  Metal,  from  whence  it  was  call'd  the 
Golden-fleece.  But  the  Poets,  out  of  their  fruitful  Brains, 
have  made  large  Additions  to  the  Story  ;  viz.  that  J^fon 
fell  in  Love  with  Hypfipyle  at  Lemnos  j  and  that,  at  ColchsSy 
he  married  Medea,  the  King's  Daughter,  who,  being  a 
famous  Witch,  taught  him  how  to  kill  the  Dragon,  that 
kept  the  rich  Fleece ;  how  to  conquer  the  Bulls,  that  vo- 
mited Fire  j  and  how  to  fow  the  Serpent's  Teeth,  out  of 

which 


(k)  Ibid.  Ub.  ii.  fab.  I. 


Chap.  IV.    from  the KritVitits,  enlering  CaT\a2in^^c.      441 

which   there   arofe  an  Army  of  Men  ;  wirii  many  more    A.  m. 
Fiaions  of  the  like  Nature.  ^  Ant^'chnft. 

But,  of  all  the  Occurrences  in  this  Period,  that  1055,  &c.' 
which  has  been  moft  celebrated  by  the  Poets  is  the  Siege  Pf°"i2Sam. 
of  Troy  j  and  the  probable  Occafion  of  it  is  fuppos'd  t(rbe  |^  °J"^  ^ 
this: 

Not  long  before  this  remarkable  Event  happen'd,  the-^f"^t^^^''S' 
Seas  were  very  much  infefted  with  Pirates,  who,  landing*^  ^'°y* 
on  the  Shores,  feized  upon  all  the  Women  and  Cattle  they 
could  meet  with  ;  and  fo  carrying  them  ofF,  either  fold  them 
in  fome  diftant  Country,  or  kept  them  for  their  own  Ufe. 
Hereupon  Tyndareus,  the  Father  of  Helena^  confidering 
the  Beauty  of  his  Daughter,  caus'd  all  her  Lovers  (who 
were  fome  of  the  principal  Men  of  Greece)  to  bind  them- 
felves  by  a  folemn  Oath,  that,  if  at  any  Time  flie  fliould 
be  taken  from  her  Hufband,  they  would  join  all  their 
Jorces  together  to  recover  her  :  And  fo,  being  left  to  chufe 
whom  (he  would  have  for  her  Hufband,  fhe  made  Choice 
of  Menelaus^  King  of  Mycena,  and  Brother  to  Aganiem'^ 
non.  Parisy  one  of  the  youngefl  Sons  of  Priamus,  King 
of  Troy^  upon  the  Report  of  her  Beauty,  came  into  Greece 
to  fee  her,  and  was  kindly  entertain'd  by  Menelaus ;  but 
•he  foon  took  an  Opportunity  to  debauch  his  Wife,  and, 
having  robb'd  the  Hufband  of  a  great  deal  of  Treafure, 
found  Means  to  make  his  Efcape  both  with  her  and  it.  , 

MENELAUS  (as  foon  as  his  Wife  was  gone)  com- 
plain'd  of  the  Injury,  that  had  been  done  him,  to  all  the 
Grecian  Princes,  and  requir'd  the  Performance  of  their 
Oath  ;  which  they  readily  confented  to,  and  made  his  Bro- 
ther Agamemnon  General  of  the  Forces,  that  were  to  be 
emplo)  'd  in  this  Expedition.  The  Greeks  however  being 
unwilling  to  enter  into  a  War,  if  Matters  could  be  ac- 
commodated by  a  Treaty,  fent  VlypSy  and  fome  others, 
as  Embafladors  to  Troy^  to  demand  Helena,  and  all  the 
Things  of  Value  that  were  taken  with  her.  What  Anfwer 
the  Trojans  made  to  this  Demand,  we  are  no  where  in- 
form'd  ;  but  fure  it  is,  that  the  Embafladors  return'd  back 
fo  very  much  offended  with  their  ill  Treatment,  that,  in  a 
fhort  Time,  they  fitted  out  a  vaft  Armament. 

But  there  was  an  unhappy  Accident,  which  mightily 
retarded  the  Siege  of  the  City,  and  that  was  a  Difference, 
which  fell  out  between  Agamemnon  and  Achilles.  Agamem- 
non, as  General,  had  the  Pre-option  of  what  Part  of  the 
Booty  he  pleas'd,  and  had  then  taken  to  himfelf  a  captive 
Womanj  \|ie  Daughter  of  Chryfts^  the  Prieft  of  Apollo,  as 

Aihilles, 


^^z  ^he  Eifiory  of  //&^  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  Achilles^  and  4ie  other  Commanding  Officers,  had  made 
Ant!^chrift.^'^°^^^  of  Others  ;  but,  being  oblig'd  to  give  up  the  Prieft's 
1055,  feff.  Daughter,  in  Atonement  for  the  Peftilence  that  was  fallen 
FromiSaro.ijpon  the  Army,  he  fenf,  and  took  Achilles' %  Captive  from 
(hiiH,  which  fo  exafperated  this  gallant  Warrior,  that,  to 
revenge  himfelf  efFedually,  he  took  up  a  Refolution,  nei- 
ther to  fight  himfelf,  nor  fuffer  any  Forces  under  him  to  ' 
epgage  ;  and  this  gave  the  Enemy  fo  great  an  Advantage, 
that  HeSioTf  at  the  Head  of  his  Forces,  broke  through  th^ 
Grecian  Trenches  one  Day,  and  fet  fire  to  the  Ships. 

In  the  Midft-  of  this  Extremity,  Patroclus,  the  Bofom« 
Friend  oi  Achilles^  not  being  able  to  ftand  neuter  any  longer, 
begg'd  of  Achilles,  to  let  him  have  the  Ufe  of  his  Armour, 
and  the  Command  of  his  Troops,  in  order  to  repulfe  the 
Trojans',  which  he  bravely  attempted,  but,  in  the  Engage- 
ment fell  by  the  Hands  of  HeSlor,  who  took  from  him  the 
Arms  of  Achilles^  and  carry'd  them  off. 

This  Conjuncture  Agamemnon  made  ufe  of  to  be  recon- 
cil'd  to  Achilles\  and,  to  tl.is  Purpofe,  fenthim  back  his  CapT 
iive-Maidj  with  many  very  valuable  Prcfents,  and  made  aa 
Excufe  for  his  former  Behaviour,  as  well  as  he  could.  Ac" 
hilles,  in  order  to  be  reveng'd  for  the  Lofs  of  his  Friend, 
laid  afide  all  Ref^ntment,  andjoin'd  iht  Greeks  in  the  next 
Battle,  wherein  he  vanquifh'd  the  Trojans ;  and,  fingling 
out  HeSlor,  never  left  purfuing  him,  wherever  be  went, 
until  he  had  kill'd  him.  *  With  He^or  fell  the  City,  which 

WA8 

*  Homer  indeed  gives  us  this  Account  of  the  taking  of  Troy, 
but  Firgil  has  inform'd  us,  that  it  was  done  by  a  large  ivooden 
Eorfe,  in  which  were  inclos'd  feveral  of  the  chief  Commanders 
of  the  Greeks  ;  that  the  reft,  fetting  fail  to  the  Ifland  of  Tcnedos, 
left  Sifwn  to  perfuade  the  Trojans,  that  this  Horfe  was  built  upon 
a  religious  Account,  and  was  necefi'ary  for  them  to  take  into  the 
City  ;  that,  by  his  Craft  and  InlHgation,  they  puU'd  down  Part 
of  the  Wall  for  that  Purpofe ;  and  fo  the  Greeks,  returning  on 
a,  fudden,  and  entering  the  Breach,  open'd  the  Horfe,  and  feiz'ct 
on  the  Gates,  and  burnt  the  City.  But  another  Author,  who 
perhaps  might  know  the  Truth,  as  well  as  Virgil,  gives  us  a, 
different  Account  of  this  Matter ;.  i;/!s  that  uEneas,  Antenor, 
and  Polydamus,  having  taken  fome  Difguft  at  King  Priafnus, 
agreed  with  the  Grecians  to  betray  the  City  to  them,  upon  Con- 
dition,  that  they  might  retire  with  their  Men  wherever  thejr 
thought  fit,  provided  they  did  not  fettle  in  Phrygia.  To  this 
Purpofe  it  was  concerted,  that  the  Greciam  fhould  fet  fail  the 
Day  before  to  the  Ifland  lemdos,  as  if  they  were  quite  gone, 
but  return  in  the  Dark  of  the  Night,  when  the  Trojans  thought 

themfelv«s 


Chap.  IV.    from  the  UrsLcViteBenier ing  CanncLn,  &c.     442 

was  foon  reduc'd  to  Afhes,  and  its  Inhabitants  forc'd   to    A  m. 
undergo  a  military  Execution.  Alit^'chrift, 

But,  how  fevere  foever  the  Greeks  might  be  to  their  105 5,  &c. 
conquer'd  Enemies,  feveral  Hiftorians  have  obferv'd,  that.?'^°"^^.Sam. 
in  their  Return  home,  they  fufFer'd  almoft  as  much  Mifery<i'_,_^J^'^ 
as  they  had  brought  upon  the  Trojans,     For  this  is  the  Ac-  The  Grecians 
count  which  Thucydides  gives  of  them.     *'  By  Reafon  oiRttum, 
*'  their  long  Abfence,  they  found  many  Alterations,  when 
*'  they  return'd,  fo  that  fome  of  them  were  driven  by  their 
**  Neighbours  from  their  antient    Seats ;  many  were  ex- 
*'  pell'd  their  Countries  by  Fadion ;  others  flain,    foon 
*'  after  their  Arrival ;  and  others  depos'd  from  their  King- 
**  doms,  by   fuch  as   had   ftay'd  at  home."     Nefior  and 
Pyrrhus  got  fafe  home  indeed,  but  were  flain  by  Orejies, 
Jdomeneus   and  PhiloSletes^  upon  their  Return,  were  foon 
driven    away  to   feek  for  new  Habitations.     Agamemnon 
was,  upon  his  firft  Arrival,  flain  by  his  Wife,  and  her 
Adulterer  Mgijihus^  who   had  ufurp'd  his  Kingdom.    Me- 
nelaus^  having  long  wander 'd  upon  the  Sea,  was  forc'd  in- 
to Egypt,  before  he  could  return  to  Sparta.     TJlyJJes,  after 
ten  Years  Peregrination,  and  the  Lofs  of  his  whole  Com- 
pany, came  home  in  a  poor  Condition,  and  had  much  Dif- 
ficulty to  recover  the  Mafterfhip  of  his  own  Houfe.     Jjaxy 
the  Son  of  Oileus,  was  drown'd  ;  Teucer  fled  into  Cyprus  ; 
and   Diomedes  to  King  Daunus.     Some  of  the  Lccrians 
were  driven  into  Africa^  others  into  Italy,  others  into  Si- 
cily, and  fettled  themfelves  in  fuch  Numbers  in  thefe  Parts, 
that  Greek  became  the  current  Language  of  this  Ifland,  and 
mofl  of  the  Eaji  Part  of  Italy  obtain'd  the  Name  of  Mag- 
na Gracia. 

Thus  the  wife  Ruler  of  the  World  was  pleas'd  to  make 
one  wicked  Nation  the  Infl:rument  of  punifhing  another  ; 
But,  whatever  they  feverally  fufFer'd,  the  fucceeding  Ge- 
nerations obtain'd   this  Advantage  by  it, That  the  Dif- 

perfion  of  the  Greeks  occafion'd  a  fuller  peopling  of  diflant 
Countries,  by  an  Acceflion  of  thefe  new  Inhabitants ;  and 
the  Taking  of  Troy  became,  in  fome  Years,  the  fettled 
Epocha,  whereby  all,  that  were  acquainted  with  the  5'/(?7;y 
of  it,  might  agree  in  their  Account  of  Time. 

themfelves  fecure,  and  fo  be  let  in  at  the  Sc^an  Gate,  over  which 
■  was  a  large  Image  of  an  Ho7'/e,  which  gave  the  firft  Rife  and 
Occafion  to  all  this  Story. 


CHAP. 


444  ^^^  ^ifi°^y  of  the'Ql^lu  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M. 

Ant.'chrift.  C      H     A      P.        V. 

IC23,    &c. 

JT\p'^' From  the  Death  ^/Abfalotn,  to  the  Building  of  the 
« King  viii.  Temple. 

The    History. 

I>avid'j'"rf«/   A    S  foon  as  David  was  inform'd  of  his  Son's  Death, 
for  the  Loft  y^  all  the  Joy  of  the  Victory  was  turn'd  into  Sorrow. 
Abfalom"     '^^^  ^'"^  himfelf  withdrew  to  a  f  private    Apartment, 
where  he  vented  his  Grief  in  fuch  a  f  mournful  Exclama- 
tion, 

•j-  The  Place,  to  which  Datid  withdrew,  in  order  to  vent  hi« 
Grief,  was,  (as  Jofephus  tells  us,  lib.  vii.  c.  10)  to  the  Top  of 
one  of  the  higheji  Tonvers  in  the  City  ;  but  the  facrcd  Hiftory  call? 
it  the  Chamber  o'ver  the  Gate ..  2  Sam.  xviii.  33.  ^ox  the  Gate 
was  a  fpacious  Place,  and  much  of  the  fame  Form  with  the 
Ferum  among  the  Romans,  not  only  the  Market  for  all  Com- 
modities, but  the  Place,  where  all  great  Affemblies  of  the  People 
were  likewife  held.  There  were  feveral  Buildings,  where  the 
chief  Mapf  rates  fat  to  adminifler  Juftice,  Ruth  iv.  i,  2.  and 
where  the  other  Affairs  of  the  State  were  tranfadled  ;  fo  that  it 
is  not  improbable,  that  this  Chamber  o'ver  the  Gate,  where  Da- 
*vid  went  to  weep,  might  be  fome  Withdraiving-Rootn  in  the 
Place,  where  the  Prinjy -Council  was  wont  to  meet.  Patrick^ 
Commentary'. 

■f  Nothing  certainly  can  be  more  moving  and  pathetick,  than 
the  Words  which  David  utters  upon  this  fad  Occafion;  but 
whether  it  was  Da'vid's  deliberate  Wiih,  that  he  had  died  in 
^bfa/o/ns  Stead,  or  only  the  Effeft  of  his  exceffive  Love  and 
Grief  for  him,  is  not  fo  eafy  a  Matter  to  determine.  St.  Auftin 
leems  to  be  on  the  ajirmative  Side,  and  gives  this  Reafon  for 

it :  — — That  Abjalom  died  impenitent,  but  might  have  liv'd 

to  become  a  better  Man  ;  whereas,  if  David  had  died,  he  had 
Keafon  to  hope  well  of  his  Salvation  :  But  this  Suppofition,  (as 
I  take  it)  is  not  fo  well  founded,  fince  there  is  much  more  Pro- 
bability, that  if  Abfalom  liad  furviv'd  his  Father,  he  would  have 
grown  more  profligate  than  ever  j  triumphed  in  his  good  Suc- 
cefs ;  infjlted  and  ]^crfe:uted  all  his  Father's  Friends ;  and  prov'd 
a  wicked  and  abominable  Tyrant.  But  whether  David's  Wi(h 
was  deliberate  or  no,  'tis  certain,  that  his  Grief  might  be  in- 
creas'd  from  this  Refledion,  that  himfelf,  by  his  own  Sin  in  the 
Cafe  of  Uriah,  had  been  the  unhappy  Inftrument  and  Occafior^ 
of  his  Son's  Death  ;  tho'  fome  le'arned  Men  have  obferv'd,  that 
the  Oriental  People  were  accuftom'd  to  exprefs  their  Paffion* 
with  more  Vehemence,  than  we,  in  thefe  Parts  of  the  World, 

are 


Chap.V.  from  the  UrsLeWtes  #«/m«g"  Canaan,  ^c.      445 

tion,  as  this :    (a)  O  my  Son  Abfalom,  my   Son,    my  Son    A-    M. 
Abfalom,  luould  God   J  had  died  for  thee  !  O  Abfalom,  A^nt''chrUh 
my  Son,  my  Son  !  And  as  for  the  Army,  inftead  of  return-  1023,  t-c 
ing  in  Triumph,  they  ftolc  filently  into  the  City,  as  if  they  ^^o"^^  Sam. 
had  done  amifs,  and  had  lojiy  inftead  of  ^rt/?;/«^,  the  Battle.  ,  King  viii. 

This  Joab  perceiving,  and  being  fenlible  that  fuch 
exceflive  Grief,  at  this  Juncture  of  AfFairs,  would  be  of 
great  Prejudice  to  the  King,  went  boldly  in  to  him,  and 
*  expoftulated  the  Matter  with  him  in  Terms  that  might 
perhaps  be  neceflary  on  that  Occafion,  but  didi  not  fo  well 
become  a  SubjecSl's  Mouth.  However,  they  had  this  good 
Effect  upon  the  King,  that  they  rouz'd  him  from  his  Me- 
lancholy, and  made  him  appear  in  Publick,  to  the  great  Sa- 
tisfadion  of  all  his  loyal  Subjeds  j  but,  as  he  thought  himfelf 
very  infolently  us'd  by  Joab,  upon  feveral  Occafions, 
from  that  Time  he  made  it  his  Refolution  to  take  the  firft 
Opportunity  of  f  difmiffing  him  from  being  his  General. 

Those 

are  wont  to  do,  and  that  the  Repetition  of  the  fame  Word,  [My 
Son  Abfalom,  O  Abfalom,  my  Son,  my  Son)  is  a  Stile  proper  for 
mournful  Lamentations. 
— — Daphninque  tuum  tollemus  ad  Aftra, 
Daphnin  ad  Aftra  feremus,  amavit  nos  quoque  Daphnis. 

ViRG.  Eccl.  V. 

"flAeru  M«Ao;  "AStoi//^.  Bioil.  Id.  I. 

Patrick^  and  Calmet''s  Commentaries. 

(a)  2  Sam.  xviii.  35. 

*  Jofephus  concludes  the  Speech,  which  he  fuppofes  Joab  to 
have  made  to  Damid  upon  this  Occafion,  in  Words  Co  this  EfFeft  .• 
I  "  Pray,  Sir,  does  not  your  Confcience,  as  well  as  your 

*'  Honour,  reprove  you  for  this  intemperate  Tendernefs,  for  the 
*'  Memory  of  fo  implacable  an  Enemy  ?  He  was  your  Son,  'tis 
*'  true,  but  a  moft  ungracious  one ;  and  you  cannot  be  juft  to 
*'  God's  Providence,  without  acknowledging  the  Bleffing  of  his 
"  being  taken  away.  Let  me  entreat  you  therefore  to  Ihew  your- 
*•  felf  chearful  to  your  People,  and  let  them  know,  that  it  is  to 
*'  their  Loyalty  and  Bravery  that  you  are  indebted  for  the  Ho- 
*'  nour  of  the  Day  ;  for  if  you  go  on,  as  you  have  begun,  your 
"  Kingdom,  and  your  Army,  will  moft  infallibly  be  put  into 
"  other  Hands,  and  you  will  then  find  fomething  elfe  to  cry  foi*.'* 
'Jen.mJ}}  Antiq.  hb.  vii.  c.   lo. 

-f-  For  he  had  fufficient  Reafon  to  think  of  depreffing  a  Man, 
who  was  grown  fo  inlufFerably  infolent  and  imperious.  He  had 
flain  Abner  moft  perfidioufly  in  cool  Blood  ;  had  killed  Abfalom 
againft  the  King's  exprefs  Command ;  in  his  late  bold  Reproof 
had  infulted  over  his  Sorrow,  and  (if  we  may  believe  Jofephus) 

threaten'd 


44  6  '^^^  tiijiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

■^-  M.  Those  of 'his  Subjeds,  who  had  appear'd  in  Arms  a- 
Ant.'chrift.g^^"^  him,  being  now  made  fenfible  of  the  Folly  of  their 
1023,  6c  Rebellion^  became  the  forwardeft  for  his  Reftoration  ;  but 
From  2Sam.(^h^t.  griev'd  him  much)  his  own  Tribe,  the  Tribe  of  Ju- 
Kings  viii.  ^^^7  feem'd  a  little  indifferent  as  to  the  Matter,  which 
*— — V— ^made  him  fend  to  Zadok  and  Abiathar^  the  chief  Priefts, 
Hit  Return  ^ot  Only  to  remind  them  of  their  own  Duty,  but  to  autho- 
wlJ'wS  ''^^^  ^^^^  likewife  to  treat  with  Amafa  (who,  tho'  he  had 
ieivaimet,  Commanded  Abfaloins  Army,  was  ftill  a  Man  of  great  Au- 
Wco.^aff-thority  in  lie  Tribe)  to  offer  him  his  Pardon,  and,  in  Cafe 
he  would  come  fully  into  his  Intereft,  to  promife  him  the 
Generaljhip  in  the  Room  of  "Joah. 

Thus,  all  Things  confpiring  to  his  happy  Refloration, 
*  the  King  le(t  Mahanaim,  and  fet  forward  on  his  Journey  to 

'Jerufalerriy  when  the  Chiefs  of  the  Tribe  of  Judah  came  to 
meet,  and  conduft  him  over  the  Jordan.  Old  Barzillai, 
who  had  been  very  kind  to  the  King  in  his  Exile,  and  fup- 
ply'd  him  with  Provifions  while  he  continu'd  at  Mahanaimy 
hearing  that  he  was  upon  his  Return,  came  to  take  his  Leave 
of  him,  and  fee  him  fafe  over  the  River  j  and  when  the 
King,  in  Gratitude  for  his  Kindnefs,  gave  him  an  Invita- 
tion to  go  with  him  to  Jerufalem^  the  good  old  Man  mo- 
deflly  excus'd  himfelf,  upon  the  Account  of  his  Age,  as 
having  now  loft  the  Relifh  of  the  Pleafures  of  a  Court,  and 
defir'd  rather  to  retire  to  his  own  Eftate,  where  he  might 
fpend  the  Remainder  of  his  Days  in  Quiet :  But,  as  he  had 
a  Son,  whofe  Age  was  more  proper  to  attend  him,  if  his 
Majejiy  would  be  pleas'd  to  confer  any  Favour  on  him,  the 
Obligation  would  be  the  fame;  f  which  £)^wy  promis'd  to 
do,  and  fo,  with  much  mutual  Bleflings  and  Salutations, 
they  parted. 

Among  the  many  others  who  came  to  meet  David  upon 
this  Occafion,  Shimei  the  Benjamite,  who,  not  long  before, 

had 

threaten'd  to  depofe  him,  and  give  his  Kingdom  to  another. 
To  fuch  a  Height  of  Arrogance  will  Minifters  lometimes  arrive, 
when  they  find  that  their  Service  is  become  neceflary  to  their 
Prince !  Patrick'?,  Commentary. 

-}-  What  Da<vid  did  for  Chimham  is  uncertain  ;  but,  as  he 
had  a  Patrimony  in  Bethlehem,  which  was  the  Place  of  his  Na- 
tivity, it  is  not  improbable,  that  he  gave  a  great  Part  of  it  to 
Chimham,  and  his  Heirs  for  ever  ;  and  that  this  was  afterwards 
call'd  the  Habitation  of  Chimham,  in  the  Days  of  Jere7niah,  Jer. 
xli.  17.     i?f(i7<ir<f/ Scripture  Chronology,  lib.  r.  c,  4. 


Chap.V.     from  the  KTzelkts  entering  Csinizn,  &c.      447 

had    loaded  him  with  Curfes  and  Imprecations,  came,  f    A.  m. 
with  a  thoufand  Men  of  his  Tribe,  to  beg  Pardon  for  his  }fn J '^^^^1^^^ 
Fault ;  and,  when  jibljhai  would   have  perfuaded  the  King  1023,  [^c. 
to  have  him  kill'd,  he  refented  the  Motion,  as  anlndienitv^!^"'^^^*"/' 

•  .      •  .  O  ./    XI X.  Co   I 

put  upon  himfelf :  And,  bemg  unwilling  to  eclipfe  the  pub-  Kings  viii, 
lick  Joy  with  the  Blood  of  any  one,  gave  him  his  Royah 
"IVord  and  Oath,  that  he  ftiould  live. 

Another  remarkable  Perfon,  that  came  to  wait  upon 
David  at  this  Time,  was  the  perfidious  Ziba^  with  his  fif- 
teen Sons  and  twenty  Servants.  He  had  again  impos'd  up- 
on his  Mafter,  and,  when  he  order'd  him  to  make  ready 
his  Afs,  that  he,  among  others,  might  go  and  meet  the 
King,  Aid  away  himfelf  to  make  his  Court  firft ;  fo  that 
Mephibojhethy  being  lame,  was  forc'd  to  ftay  at  "J erufaleniy 
(where  he  had  all  along  *  mourn'd  for  the  King's  Abfence) 
until  the  King  arriv'd  :  But,  when  he  was  admitted  into  his 
Prefencc,  and  the  King  feem'd  to  be  angry  with  him  for 
not  having  accompany'd  him  in  his  Exile,  he  charg'd  this 

feeming 

\  The  Reafon  why  Shimei  came  with  fo  large  a  Retinue,  waj 
to  let  David  fee  that  he  was  a  Man  of  feme  confiderable  Rank, 
and  capable  of  doing  him  great  Service  among  the  People, 
which  might  be  feme  Inducement  to  the  King  to  grant  him  his 
Pardon  ;  or,  very  likely,  he  was  one  of  the  Captains  of  a  thouf- 
and in  his  on.vn  Tribe,  and  might  carry  them  all  along  with  him, 
to  make  the  ftronger  Interceffion  for  his  Pardon.  Poors  An- 
notations. 

*  The  Words  in  the  Text  are,  that  he  had  neither  dreffed  his 
Feet,  nor  trt7nmed  his  Beard,  nor  njoajhed  his  Cloathes,  from  the 
Day  that  the  King  departed,  2  Sam.  xix.  24.  Thefe  were  feme  of 
the  Inftances,wherein  the ^touj  were  wont  to  exprefs  theirMourn- 
ing;  and  they  are  here  mentioned  by  the  Hiftorian,  as  Eviden- 
ces of  the  Falfhood  of  Z/^a's  Information  againft  his  Mafter,  fince 
no  one,  who  negledled  himfelf  to  this  Degree,  could  be  fuppos'd 
ambitious  of  a  Crown.  Not  drejjing  his  Feet,  may  fignify  either 
not  cutting  his  Toe-Nails,  or  his  not  njoajhing  his  Feet,  which  the 
Tlftuj  were  accuftom'd  very  frequently  to  do,  becaufe  of  the  bad 
Smell  which  was  natural  to  them,  as  well  as  the  Arabians,  and 
fome  other  Nations ;  ^nd  therefore  his  Omiffion  of  this  could  not 
but  make  him  offeniive  to  himfelf.  Not  trimming  his  Beard -wdiS 
letting  its  Hair  grow  negligently,  and  without  any  Order.  For  the 
Manner  of  the  Jezvs  was,  to  cut  the  Hair  from  the  Lip  upwards, 
and  what  grew  likewife  on  the  Cheek,  but  what  was  on  the  Chin^ 
and  fo  backwards  to  the  Ear,  that  they  fafFered  to  grow  ;  and  ?iot 
ixiajhing  his  Cloathes  muft  denote  his  putting  on  no  clean  Linen, 
but  wearing  the  fame  Shirt  all  the  while.  Calmefs  and  Patricks 
Commentaries. 


448  rhe  Hijiory  of  the  Bl'BL  E,    Book  V. 

t'  ^*  A^"^^"i  negledl  upon  the  Perfidy  of  his  Servant,  and*  fet 
Ant.''chri(i.^''s  Cafe  in  (o  fair  a  Hght,  that  the  King  revok'd  the  hafty 
1023,  &c.  Grant  he  had  made  in  Favour  of  Ziba,  and  put  his  Eftatc 
From  2  Sam.  y        jj^g  fame  Foot  of  Poffeffion  that  it  was  before. 

XIX,  to  I 

Kings  viii,  When  Dav'id  wzs  pafs'd  the  Jordan^  he  vi^as  willing  to 
V— -V— Jmake  all  poffible  hd.^c\toyerufale?}2 ;  and,  as  the  Tribe  of  Ju- 
Sheba'i  Re-^  j^h  was  the  firft  that  came  to  condu£l  him  Home,  he  (very 
MioTwhat  probably  to  gratify  them)  march'd  on  without  waiting  for 
Occafion.^  the  great  Men  of  Ifrael,  who,  in  all  Parts  of  the  Kingdom, 
were  making  ready  to  join  him.  Thisoccafion'd  fome  hot 
Difputes  between  the  Princes  of  Ifrael  and  thofe  of  Judah: 
And,  as  the  King  was  loth  to  difpleafe  either  Party,  and 
therefore  did  not  care  to  intermeddle  in  the  Controverfy,  fe- 
veral  of  the  Tribes  of  Ifrael  took  an  outward  Umbrage  at 
this,  which  occafion'd  a  frefli  InfurreSiion.  Sheba^  a  Ben- 
jamtte,  and  not  unlikely  one  of  Saul's  Family,  made  pub- 
lick  Proclamation,  by  the  Sound  of  Trumpet,  that  "  fince 
*'  the  Tribe  of  Judah  had  engrofs'd  David  to  th^mfelves, 
*'  they  might  e'en  take  him;  and,  finceall  the  other  Tribes 
*'  he  had  vifibly  deferted,  their  wifcft  Way  would  be  to 
**  ftand  to  their  Arms,  and,  in  like  Manner,  deferthim:" 
Whereupon  a  great  many  of  the  other  Tribes  follow'd  5^^- 
la,  but  the  Men  of  Judah  perfifted  in  their  Loyalty,  and. 
conduced  the  King  to  "Jerufalem.  As  foon  as  he  arriv'd  ia 
the  City,  the  firft  Thing  he  did,  was  to  declare  Amafa  his 
General,  and  to  order  him  to  get  together  a  fufficient  Body 

of 

*  Jofephus  brings  \x\.MephiloJheih  pleading  his  Excufe  to  Da'vid 
for  not  attending  him,  and  expreffihg  a  grateful  Senfe  of  his 
Favours,  in  fuch  like  Words  as  thefe  :  —  "  Nor  has  he  only  dif- 
"  appointed  me  in  the  Exercife  of  my  Duty,  but  has  been  doing 
"  me  fpiteful  Offices  to  your  Majefiy  likewife ;  But  you.  Sir,  are 
*•  fo  juft,  and  fo  great  a  Lover  of  God  and  Truth,  that  I  am 
**  fure  your  Generofity  and  Wifdom  will  never  entertain  a  Ca- 
"  lumny  to  my  Prejudice.  Our  Family  has  had  the  Experience 
*'  of  your  Piety,  Modefty,  and  Goodnefs,  to  a  Degree  never  to 
■"  be  forgotten,  in  paffing  over,  and  pardoning,  the  innumerable 
*'  Hazards  and  Persecutions,  that  you  were  expos'd  to,  in  the 
"  Days,  and  by  the  Contrivance,  of  my  Grandfather,  when  all 
"  our  Lives  were  forfeited,  in  your  Power,  and  at  your  Mercy. 
"  But  then,  after  all  this  gracious  Tendernefs,  your  fuperadding 
*'  the  Honour  of  taking  me  to  your  Table,  (a  Perfon  fo  obnoxi- 
"  ous  in  Regard  of  my  Relatio?is)  as  a  Friend,  and  as  a  Guefif 
*'  nothing  could  be  either  greater,  or  more  obliging,  than  this." 
Jeixiff?  Antiq.  lib.  vii.  c.  7. 


Chap.  V.       from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.     44^ 

of  Forces,  asfaftashe  could,  to  purfueafter  5'^^^^.     \  A-    A.M. 
mafa  however  found  more  Difficulty  in  executing  th's  Or-^^J'^J^[j^_ 
der,  than  was  expefted  ;  Which  when  David  underftood,  1023,  &-c. 
he  fent  Abljhai  with  his  Guards  (for  he  was  refolved  not   to ^''°'"* Sara. 
employ  his  Brother  "Joab  any  more)  in  Quell:  oi  Sheba^  un-  Kin^s°viii. 
til  Amafa^  with  the  reft  of  the  Army,  could  join  him.  Ex-  y^  -^— i^J 
afperated  tx  this,  foab^  without  any  Order,  went  along  with 
his  Brother ;  and  when  Amafa  came  up  with  them,  (which 
was  at  Gibeon)  and  was  going  to  take  upon  him  the  Com- 
mand of  the  whole  Army,  he  advanc'd,  with  all  feeming 
Friendlinefsy  to   falute   him,  but,  when   he  came   within 
Reach,  he*  took  him   by  the  Beard,  and  flabb'd  him  to^Sf"^ 
the  Heart ;  and,  fo,  leaving  him  to  wallow  in  his  Blood,  and  mJlt  * 
proclaim'd  himfelf  General  in  Chiefs  and,  taking  the  Army  bimfcif  Ge- 
with  him,  purfu'd   after  Sheba^  f  leaving  Orders  for  thcTp^',^,f 
Forces,  that  were  coming  up,  to  follow  after.  Sheba'i  u<, 

SHEBA^^iiio"* 

•f-  The  People,  having  been  harrafs'd  in  the  late  C/t;//  War, 
were  not  perhaps  fo  forward  to  engage  in  another.  Some  of  them 
might  not  like  to  ferve  under  a  Man,  who  had  lately  headed  a 
rebeUious  Army  againft  the  King,  and  others  might  have  con- 
ceived fo  high  an  Opinion  of  yoab,  as  not  eafily  to  be  brought 
to  ferve  under  any  other  Genera/.  Any  of  thefe  Things  might 
very  well  retard  Amafa  s  Recruits,  and  yet  he  might  be  loth  to 
make  fuch  a  Report  to  the  King,  for  fear  that  it  might  diminifh 
his  Authority,  and  make  him  appear  not  fo  well  qualify 'd  for  the 
Office,  wherein  he  had  plac'd  him.     P<3^/vV.^'s  Commentary. 

*  It  was  an  antient  Cuftom  among  the  Grecians,  to  take  the 
Perfon,  to  whom  they  had  any  Addrefs  to  make,  by  the  Chin, 
or  Beard,  antiquis  Gro'ctis  in  fiipplicanclo  mentuin  attingere  mos 
erat,  fays  Pliny,  lib.  xi.  c.  45.  and  even  to  this  Day,  theTarij, 
in  their  Salutations,  do  very  frequently  take  one  another  by  the 
Beard,  (Vide  TT'^'i^^w/'s  Travels,  c.  22.)  The  Arabians  \\?ive  3. 
great  Regard  to  the  Beard:  The  Wives  kifs  their  Hufbands,  and 
the  Children  their  Father's  Beards,  when  they  come  to  falute 
them  i  and,  when  two  Friends  meet  together,  their  Cuftom  is, 
in  the  Courfe  of  their  Compliments,  to  interchange  Kifles  in  this 
Manner,  (Vide  Dar-vieuz  Couftumes  des  Arabes,  c.  7.)  as  the 
like  Cuftom  is  ftill  preferv'd  among  the  Eajiern  People,  the  Indi- 
ans, who  take  one  another  by  the  Chin,  when  they  would  give  aa 
hearty  Salute,  and  fay  Bobba,  i.  e.  Father,  or  Bii,  Brother,  as 
the  Author  of  the  Voyage  to  the  Eaji-Indies  relates.  Vide  Peter 
de  Vanes' s  Travels. 

\  So  infolent  was  Joab  become,  upon  the  Prefumption  that 
Da'vid  durft  not  punifti  him,  that  as  he  ventured  upon  this  bloody 
Faft,  fo  he  imagin'd,    that  though  the  Sight  of   Amafa  i  deid 

BoJy 

Vol.  III.  F  f 


45©  iToe  Hijtory  of  the  ^I'&l.  E,     Book  V. 

s  8i'  ^c  ^^i^^^  had  gone  about  all  the  Tribes  of  Ifrael  to  fee 
Ant!'chrift.^^  he  could  prevail  with  them  to  take  up  Arms  againft  Da- 
1023,  Sff.  vid;  but  finding  very  fevi^,  that,  upon  fecond  Thoughts, 
^[°™^^^^°'-were  vi^illing  to  engage  in  his  Meafures,  he  was  fore' d  at 
Kings  viii.  1^^*  with  the  fevir  Forces  he  had  got  together,  to  {hut  him- 
»felf  up  in  Abely  a  fortify'd  Town  in  the  Tribe  of  Naphtali, 
in  the  Northern  Part  of  Judea  :  But  Joab  was  foon  at  his 
Heels,  and  having  befieg'd  the  Town,  and  batter'd  the 
Walls,  was  making  preparation  for  an  Jjfault,  when  f  a 
Woman  of  great  Prudence  call'd  to  the  Bejiegers  from  ofF 
the  Walls, .  and  defir'd  to  fpeak  with  their  General.  When 
Joab  was  come  within  hearing,  the  Woman  addrefled  her- 
felf  to  him  in  a  very  handfome  Manner,  and  told  him, 
•'  That,  f  by  a  long  Prefcription  of  Time,  it  had  always 

"  been 

Body  might  flop  the  March  of  thofe  that  came  by  it,  yet  upon 
its  being  given  out  that  he  was  again  become  their  General,  their 
Love  for  him  was  fuch,  that  they  would  not  fcruple  to  follow  him. 
Patrick^  Commentary. 

f  It  feems  not  unlikely,  that  this  Woman  wa?  a  Governefs  m 
this  City  ;  for,  tho'  that  Office  was  moft  commonly  occupied  by 
Men,  yet  there  want  not  Inllances  of  Women,  (as  in  the  Cafe  of 
Deborah,  Judg.  iv.  4.  and  Queen  Athaliah,  2  Kings  xi.)  who 
have  been  employed  in  the  Adminiftration  of  civil  Affairs.  If 
(he  was  inverted  with  any  fuch  Authority,  Ihe  was  the  propereft 
Perfon  to  delire  a  Parley  vvith  the  General ;  and  Reafon  good  flic 
had  to  defire  it,  becaufe  fhe  knew  the  prefent  Temper  and  Fear, 
of  theCitizef!s  and  Soldiers  both,  viz.  that,  confidering the  immi- 
nent Danger  they  were  in,  they  were  generally  defirous  of  Peace, 
and  reftrain'd  from  it  only  by  Sheba\  Power  and  Authority.  PooF^ 
Annotations. 

•f-  In  the  Beginning  of  this  Woman's  Speech  to  Joab,  there  \i 
fometliing  that  feems  both  abrupt  and  obfcure.  They  nvere  ijoont 
to  fpeak  in  old  Time,  faying,  they  Jhould  J'urely  ajk  Counfelat  Abel, 
and  fo  they  ended  the  Matter,  2  Sam.  xx.  18,  according  to  this 
Tranflation,  the  Senfe  of  the  Words  is,  '  ■  "  This  City, 
*'  which  thou  art  about  to  deflroy,  is  no  mean  and  contemptible 
**  one,  but  fo  honourable  and  confiderable  for  its  Wifdom,  and 
*'  the  wife  People  in  it,  that  when  any  Diffeience  did  arife  among 
"  any  of  the  neighbouring  Places,  they  us'd  proverbially  to  fay, 
"  TFe  ivill  ajk  the  Opinion  and  Advice  of  the  Men  of  Abel  about 
"  //,  and  voe  vsill  ffand  to  their  Arbitration,  and  fo  all  Parties 
*'  ivere  fatisfied,  and  Difputes  ended :^'  So  that  her  Words,  ac- 
cording to  this  Senfe,  are  an  liigh  Commendation  of  the  City  of 
Abe/T^or  its  being  a  Place  (Timeout  of  Mind)  very  eminent  for 
the  Wifdom  and  Prudence  of  its  Inhabitants.  But  there  is  ano- 
ther Tranllation  iu  the  Margin  of  our  Bibles,  which  feems  to  be 

more 


Chap.  V.    from  ibelCntVitesenlering  Canazn,  ^c,      451 

*'  been  a  Cuftom,  founded  (b)  on  the  Law  of  God,  when-    A.  M. 
"  ever  the  Hebrews  came  before  any  City,  to  offer  Peace  ^^t^'chrift.- 
*'  in  the  firft  place,  even  though  the  Inhabitants  were  of  a- 1023,  &c. 
**  nother  Nation ;  much  more  then  oueht  this  to  have  been^5°™ '  ^™^* 

XIX*   to    I 

**  done  to  a  People,  that  were  all  of  the  fame  Blood,  and  Kings  viii. 
* '  the  greateft  part  of  them  loyal  Subje6ls  to  the  King."  To  U— v-«i^ 
which  Joab  replied,  *'  That  he  had  no  ill  defign  againft  the 
*'  People  of  the  City,  only  as  they  harbour'd  a  Rebel  and  a 
•'  Traitor,  whom  he  demanded  of  them  :"  Whereupon  the 
Woman  perfuaded  the  Inhabitants  to  cut  off  Sheba's  Head,' 
and  throw  it  over  the  Wall,  which  when  they  had  done, 
yoab  raifed  the  Siege,  and  withdrew  with  his  Army  to  Jeru^ 
falem ;  where  his  Services,  upon  this  Occafion,  were 
thought  to  be  fuch,  that  the  King  found  himfelf  obliged  to 
reftore  him  to  his  Poft  of  Captain-General. 

Not  long  after  this,  there  happened  a  fore  Famine  in  the  A  Famine 
Land,  and  the  long  continuance  of  it  (which  was  for  three/"''  Saul'f 
Years)  made  David  fufpeft  that  it  did  not  proceed  from  ^^J  ti^e"^]^'^^. 
common  Caufe,  but  was  inflifted  by  the  immediate  Hand  of  nites  rfww'i 
God  ;  and  when  he  confulted  the  Divine  Oracle  to  know  the 
Occafion  of  it,  he  was  given  to  underftand,  that   Saul's 
Cruelty  to  the  Gibeonites,  in  flaying  fo  many,  contrary  to 
the  Treaty  then  depending  between  him  and  them,  was  the 
Caufe  of  it.     Hereupon  David  fent  to  the  Gibeonites,  to 
know  t  what  Satisfaction  they  defired ;  and  when  he  was 
told,  that  they  expected  feven  of  Saul's  Pofterity  to  be  de- 

F  f  2  livered 

more  natural,  and  makes  the  Woman  fpeak  in  this  Manner  :  —— . 
*'  When  the  People  faw  thee  'lay  Siege  to  the  City,  they  faid, 
*'  Surely  he  nx)ill  ajk,  if  nve  'will  have  Peace ;  for  the  Laiv  pre' 
*'  fcrihes,  that  he  Jhould  offer  Peace  to  Strangers,  much  more  then 
*'  to  Ifraelitilh  Cities  ;  and  if  he  would  once  do  this,  we  fhould 
*'  foon  bring  Things  to  an  amicable  Agreement ;  for  we  are  pea- 
*'  ceable  People,  and  faithful  to  our  Prince."  So  that,  according 
to  this  Interpretation,  the  Woman  both  modeftly  reprov'd  Joab 
for  the  Negleft  of  his  Duty,  and  artfully  engaged  him  in  the 
Performance  of  it.  Patrick's  Commentary,  and  Pool's  Anno- 
tations. 

{b)  Deut.  XX.  10. 

Hf-  This  may  feem  ftrange,  unlefs  we  fuppofe,  (as  Jofephus 
does)  that,  when  Danjid  confulted  God,  he  told  him,  not  only 
for  what  Crime  it  was  that  he  fent  this  Puniftiment,  but  that  he 
fhould  take  fuch  a  Revenge  for  it,  as  the  Gibeonites  fhould  defire  : 
And  there  was  this  farther  Reafon  for  humouring  the  Gibeonites 
herein,  becaufe  they  had  been  modeft  under  their  Sufferings,  and 
never  made  any  Complaint  to  Da'vid  of  the  Injuries,  that  had 
been  done  them.    Patrick's.  Commentary. 


452  ^he  Hiftofj  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  livered  to  them,  he  complied  with  their  Demand,  and  fent 
A!it!'chrift.*^°  Sons  of  Rizpah,  5^«/*s  Concubine,  and  f  five  of  Me- 
ja23,  Sff.  rab^  his  eldeft  Daughter,  but  fpared  Mephibojheth^  the  Son 
From  aSam.  Qf  Jonathan^  for  the  Love,  which  he  had  for  his  Father 
Kings  viii,  when  alive.  Thefe  feven  the  Gibeonites  took,  and  hung 
•  upon  Gibbets;  and  there  they  intended  them  to  hang,  f  un- 
til God  {hould  fend  Rain  upon  the  Earth,  for  the  Want  of 
this  occafioned  the  Famine :  But  Rizpahy  being  informed 
of  this,  had  a  Tent  made  of  Sackcloth  (pitched  near  the 
Place)  for  her  to  live  in,  that  fo,  by  the  Help  of  her  Ser- 
vants, fhe  might  *  keep  watch  Day  and  Night,  to  fright  a- 
way  the  Birds  and  Beafts  from  doing  any  hurt  to  the  dead 
Bodies.  It  was  not  long  however,  before  God  fent  plenti- 
ful Showers  of  Rain,  fo  that  Rizpah  had  the  Liberty  to  take 
down  the  Bodies ;  And,  when  David  was  informed  of  this 
her  pious  Care,  he  was  moved  thereby  to  take  up  the  Bones 
of  Sauly  and  Jonathan  his  Son,  (who,  for  five  and  thirty 
Years  before,  had  been  buried  under  a  Tree  at  Jabe(h-Gi- 

lead) 

•f-  Michal  is  put  in  the  Text  indeed,  2  Sam.  xxi.  8.  but  not  by 
Mijiake,  as  feme  will  have  it;  for  though  M/cAtf/  was  not  the 
Wife  of  Adriel,  but  Merab ;  yet  thofe  Children  which  Merab  had 
by  Adriel,  Michal  brought  up  ;  and  the  Je^s  obferve,  upon  this 
Occafion,  that  whoever  brings  up  a  Fupil  in  his  Houfe,  is  in 
Scripture  faid  to  have  begotten  him.  Nor  is  it  in  Scripture  only, 
that  this  Form  of  Expreffion  takes  Place,  but  in  Heathen  Authors 
likevvife.  ¥  or  Agememnon  and  Menelaus  are  called  Sons  of  Atreusy 
becaufe  Plijibenes  (who  was  their  Father)  being  dead,  he  took  care 
to  bring  them  up.  HowelPs  Hiftory,  in  the  Notes,  and  Patrick^ 
Commentary. 

-}■  It  was  a  pofitive  Law  to  the  Ifraelites,  Deut.  xxi.  22,  23. 
that,  if  any  Man  was  hanged,  he  fhould  be  bury'd  before  Night ; 
but  the  Gibeonites,  being  not  of  that  Nation,  thought  themfelves 
not  oblig'd  by  that  Law.  They  are  rcmark'd  indeed,  to  have 
been  a  Remnant  of  the  Ammorites,  (2  Sam.  xxi.  2.)  and  among 
them  (as  fome  have  imagin'd)  it  was  a  barbarous  Cuftom  in  thofe 
Days,  (as  it  certainly  prevailed  in  After- Ages)  to  hang  up  Men, 
in  order  to  appeafe  the  Anger  of  the  Gods  in  Time  of  Famine, 
Patrick's  and  Calmefs  Commentaries. 

*  It  is  an  obvious  Remark  from  hence,  that  Crojfes  and  Gib- 
bets, whereon Malefa<ffors  were  executed,  did  not  Hand  high  from 
the  Ground,  fmce  the  dead  Bodies  of  fuch  were  in  Danger  of  be- 
ing torn  by  carnivorous  Creatures ;  and,  what  we  may  farther 
obferve,  is,  that  it  was  an  antient  Cuftom  for  the  Relations  of 
fuch  as  were  thus  executed,  to  watch  their  dead  Bodies.  Thus 
Homer  (Iliad  xxiii.)  mentions  Venus,  as  taking  Care  of  He£lor% 
Body,  and  the  Story  of  the  Epbefan  Matron  every  one  can  tell. 
CalmeiS)  Commentary. 


Chap.  V.  from  the Uratlites  entering  Canaan,  &c.        453 

lead)  and,  together  with  thefe  feven  Sufferers  of  the  fame    A.  M. 
Family,  gave  them  an  honourable  Interment  in  the  Tomb /nJ'chrift. 
of  Kijh^  the  Father  of  Saul^  at  Zelah^  in  the  Country  of  1023,  ^'' 
Benjamin.  FromiSam, 

J  XIX.  to  I 

DAVIDy  in  the  Beginning  of  his  Reign,  had  fo  hum-  Kings  viii. 
bled  the  Philijlines^  that  they  were  not  able  to  bring  any 
great  Numbers  into  the  Field,  but  ftill,  as  long  as  they  had 
Men  among  them  of  a  gigantick  Stature,  and  fuch  as  were 
fit  to  be  their  Champions^  they  did  not  ceafe  to  difturb  the 
Peace  of  Ifrael,  infomuch  that  David^  in  the  latter  End 
of  his  Reign,  had  four  Engagements  with  them :  In  the  firft 
of  which,  himfelf  had  like  to  have  been  flain  by  one  of  thefe 
monftrous  large  Men,  had  not  Ah'ijhai  came  timely  in  to  his 
Aid,  and  killed  the  Philijitne ;  upon  which  Occafion,  it 
was  unanimoufly  agreed  in  the  Army,  that  the  King  ftiould 
never  more  go  into  the  Battle,  left  a  f  Life  fo  precious 
Ihould  be  loft. 

In  the  other  three  Engagements,  nothing  remarkable  hap- 
pened, but  the  Death  of  four  of  thefe  huge  Men,  by  the 
Hands  of  fome  of  David's  chief  Officers  ;  except  we  may 
mention  here  another  valiant  A61,  f  which  might  probably 
be  done  at  this  Time. 

The  Philiftines  Army  lay  in  the  Valley  of  Rephaim^  be- 
tween David's  Camp  and  Bethlehem^  where  they  had  like- 
wife  a  Garrifon :  But  notwithftanding  this,  upon  David'% 
Ff  3  inti- 

•f-  The  Expreffion  is  very  beautiful,  and  fignificant,  in  the 
Text.  Thoujhalt  no  more  go  out 'with  us  to  Battle,  that  thou  quench 
7iot  the  Light  af  Ifrael,  2  Sam.  xxi.  17.  For  good  Kings  are  in 
Scripture  juftly  called  the  Light  of  the  People,  (i  Kings  xi.  36. 
and  P/2?/.  cxxxii.  17.)  becaufe  the  Beauty  and  Glory,  the  Con- 
duft  and  Direftion,  the  Comfort,  and  Safety,  and  Welfare  of  a 
People,  depend  upon  them,  and  are  deriv'd  from  them.  PooFs 
Annotations. 

f  It  is  commonly  obferv'd  by  the  Je'wijh  Conamentators, 
that,  though  Da<via  exprefs'd  a  Defire  for  fome  of  the  Water  of 
Bethlehem,  becaufe  it  was  the  Place  of  his  Nativity,  and  the  Wa- 
ter not  improbably  very  excellent  in  its  Kind,  yet  he  did  not  do 
this  with  any  Intent,  that  any  fhould  venture  their  Lives  to  fetch 
Jiim  it.  In  this  Aft  ion  however,  they  have  remark'd  three  won- 
derful Things,  mz.  That  three  Men  could  break  through  the 
whole  Hoft  of  the  Philijiines ;  and  when  they  had  fo  done,  durft 
ftay  to  draw  Water  out  of  the  Well ;  and  then  carry  it  away,  with 
an  high  Hand,  through  the  fame  Hoft  to  Dawd:  But  they  might 
have  added  a  fourth  Remark,  'viz.  That  they  attempted  this  at 
the  Gate  oi  Bethlehtm,  where  a  Garrifon  of  the  Philijiines  kept  a 
ftrong  Guard.    PatriclCi  Commentary. 


454  ^^  ^ijiory  of  /;&^  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.    intimating  a  Defire  to  have  fome  of  the  Water  of  Bethlehem^ 
^jjt^'ciif'ft  three  of  his   chief  Captains  broke  through  the   Enemies 
1023,  &c.  Camp,  and   having  drawn  fome  Water  out  of  the  Well, 
Fram*Sam.{jfQ,jgj^j  it  to  David;  but  he,  underftanding  at  what  Price 
Kings  viil.   it  had  been  purchafed,  even  at  the  Hazard  of  all  their  Lives, 
*—v—^  would  not  drink  it,  but  offered  it  to  the  Lord. 
APeftiUnce,     About   two  Ycars  before  David's  Death,  (whatever 
NumTeling  flight  be  the  Occafion  of  it)  fo  it  was,  that  |1  he  was  de- 
tbe  People,  firous  to  know  the  Number  of  his  People,  and  accordingly, 
rtmv'd,      gjyg  j^jg  chief  Officers  Orders  to  go  through  the  whole 
Kingdom,  and   bring  him  an  Account  of  all  the  People. 
Jonb  endeavoured  to  remonftrate  againft  it,  in  a  Manner 
more  n;iodefl:,    than   was  cuftomary  with    him ;  but  the 
King's  Orders  were  pofttive,  and  therefore  Joab,  with  o- 
ther  Officers  to  affift  him,  beginning  on  the  Eajl  Side  of 
Jordan^  came  round  by  the  North  parts  of  Canaan^  and 
returned  to  ferufalem^  at  the  End  of  nine  Months  and 
twenty  Days,  with  an  Ejfimate^  that  in  Ifrael  there  were 
eight  hundred  Thoufand  Men  fit  to  bear  Arms,  and  ||  five 
hundred  Thoufand  in  Judah;  but  of  the  Men,  that  belong- 
ed to  the  Tribes  of  Levi  and  Benjamin^  there  was  no  Lift 
given  in.  .  < 

DAVID 


II  The  Words  in  the  Text  are  '  Jnd  again  the  Anger  of 

the  Lord  ivo.s  kindled  againji  Ifrael,  and  he  monjed  David  againji 
them  to  Jay,  Go  number  Ifrael  and  Judah,  z  Savi.  xxiv.  i.  But 
in  the  Original  there  is  no  Nominati've  Cafe  at  all.  We  find  it 
however  fupply'd  in  i  Chron.  xxi.  i .  where  it  is  faid,  that  Satan 
fiood  up  againji  Ifrael,  and  provoked  David  to  number  Ifrael :  But 
then,  by  the  Word  Satan,  there  is  no  Neceffity  why  we  fhould 
underftand  the  Devil  properly  fo  called,  becaufe  any  evil  Minifter, 
or  Counfellor,  that  advis'd  David  to  number  the  People,  will 
anfwer  the  Signification  of  the  Word  as  well :  And  that  there 
was  fome  fuch  Counfellor,  who  prompted  David  to  this  Aftion, 

feems  to  be  imply'd  in  thefe  Words  of  yoab  : Nov;  the 

Lord  thy  God  add  unto  the  People,  [havu  many  foever  they  be)  an 
hundredfold,  and  that  the  Eyes  of  my  Lord  the  King  may  fee  it,  but 
•why  doth  my  Lord  the  King  delight  in  this  Taking  ?  2  Sam.  xxiv.  3. 
Whereby  it  feems  plain,  that  the  Matter  had  been  debated  in  the 
King's  Council  before,  and  that,  though  Joab  was  one  who  op- 
pos'd  it,  David  was  more  influenced  by  the  Perfuafion  of  fome 
other.     Le  Ckrc\  Commentary. 

II  If  we  compare  this  Account  with  what  we  meet  with  in  i 
Chron.  xxi.  5.  we  fhall  find  a  great  Difference  j  for  there  the  Men 
of  Ifrael  are  faid  to  be  three  hundred  thoufand  more,  than  they  are 
here,  anJ,  on  the  Other  Hand,  the  Men  of  Judah  are  faid  to  be 

thirtj 


Chap.  V.    from  the  Uva,t\itQ5  entering  Qan^zn,  ^c.      455 

DAVID  bad  no  fooner  received  the  Account,  but  his    A.  M. 
Heart  mifgave  him,  that  he  had  done  wrong;  and,  it  was ^^j' thrift. 
not  long,  before  the  Prophet  Gad  was  fent  to  bring  his  Sin  1023,  er-c 
to  Remembrance,  and  to  offer  him  the  Choice  of  three^^°'"  %Sfct, 
Punifliments,  ||  Famine,   Peftilence,  or  War,  which   heKki'-svlij 
liked  beft. 

Where  every  Punifliment  was  fo  defl:ru6tive,  it  was 
hard  to  tell  which  to  prefer ;  but  David  at  laft  made  choice 
of  the  Pejiilence,  which  accordingly  was  fent,  and,  in  1|  a 
very  fhort  Time,  deftroyed  no  lefs  than  feventy  Thoufand 

F  f  4  Men. 

thirty  thoufand  lefs :  But,  as  for  the  former  DifFerence,  'tis  but 
fuppofmg,  that,  in  this  Account  recorded  in  Samuel,  the  Handing 
Legions  (which  amounted  in  all  to  two  hundred  and  eighty-eight 
Thoufand,  /.  e.  twenty-four  Thoufand  with  their  Officers,  upon 
Guard  every  Month)  are  not  here  mentioned,  the'  they  be  in 
Chronicles',  and  as  to  the  latter  Difference,  'tis  but  adding  twenty- 
four  thoufand  legionary  Soldiers  to  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  and  the 
Difficulty  is  remov'd  :  Tho'  fome  are  apt  to  think,  that,  in  this 
Cafe,  there  is  no  need  of  this  Suppofition,  becaufe  it  is  a  com- 
mon Thing  in  Scripture  to  mention  a  round  Sum,  either  of 
Men,  or  Years,  tho',  upon  a  ftridl  Computation,  there  may  be 
fome  wanting.     Patrick''?,  Commentary. 

II  There  is  another  Difference  in  this  Account,  and  what  we 
meet  with  in  the  Book  of  Chronicles.  There  the  Famine  is  faid 
to  be  for  three  Tears  only,  but  here  it  is  faid  to  be  for  feven. 
The  Septuagint  indeed  make  it  no  more  than  three ;  and  for  this 
Reafon  fome  have  imagined,  that  the  fe^ven  is  an  Error  crept  into 
XhtText,  efpecially  confidering  that  three  Tears  o/"  Famine,  agree 
better  with  three  Days  Peftilence,  and  three  Months  Flight  befort 
tin  Enemy.  But  there  is  no  Reafon  to  fuppofe  any  Error  in  the 
Text ;  'tis  but  faying,  that  in  Chronicles,  rhe  Author  fpeaks  of 
thofe  Years  of  Famine,  which  were  to  come  for  Dantid's  Siu 
only,  but  in  Samuel,  of  thofe  three  Years  of  Famine  likewife, 
which  were  fent  for  SauFs  Sin,  2  Sam.  xxi.  Now  within  one 
Year,  after  the  Famine,  that  was  fent  for  Saul's  Sin,  was  .Da- 
iiid's  Sin  in  numbering  the  People;  the  intermediate  Year  then  was 
either  thefuhhatical  Year,  wherein  the  People  were  not  allow'd  to 
fow  nor  reap,  or  a  Year  of  fuch  exceffive  Drought,  that  the  Crop 
came  to  little  or  nothing.  Upon  either  of  thefe  Accounts  we 
may  properly  enough  fay,  that  there  were  four  Years  of  Famine 
before,  and  three  more  being  now  added  to  them  make  up  the  fcveny 
that  are  here  mention'd.     Poofs  Annotations. 

II  The  Words  in  the  Text  are  : So  the  Lord  fent  a  Pef- 
tilence upon  Ifrael ;  from  the  Morning,  e^en  to  the  Time  appointed. 
The  Time  appointed  was  the  Space  of  three  Days;  and  thcrefoi-e 
fome  are  of  Opinion,  that  the  Plague  lafted  fo  long ;  but  then 
others  urge,  tloat  this  does  not  agree  with  what  follows,  viz.  that 

Cvd 


456  ^e  Hijlory   of  the  ^\^L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    Men.     The  Plague  began  in  the  extream  parts  of  the  King- 
AM.'chrift.'^°^"»  but  every  Moment  made  Advances  nearer  and  nearer 
to23,  &c.  to  Jerufdem  ;  which  when  the  King  and  Inhabitants  of  the 
From 2 Sam. City  heard,  they  cloath'd   themfelves  in  Sackcloth,  and, 
Kiags  viii.   with  all  Humility,  cry'd   unto  God  for  Mercy.     A   little 
4-*-y—iH^ before  the  Offering  up  of  the  Evening-Sacrifice^  (or  before 
the  Time  of  Evening-Prayer)  there  appeared  an  Angel  over 
yerufalem  brandiftiing  a  flaming  Sword  in  his  Hand,  as  if  he 
were  going   to   deftroy   it ;  whereupon    David   implored 
God's  Mercy  for  the  People,  what  Vengeance  foever  might 
light  upon  him,  who  was  chiefly  guilty :  But,  as  he  was 
expeding  fome  heavy  Stroke,  the  Angel  fent  Gad  to  him 
with  Orders  to  go  immediately,  and  build  an  Altar  in  the 
*ThreJhing- Floor  of  Araunah  thejebufite,  which  accordingly 
he  did,  and,  having  purchafed  the  Place,  and  fome  Oxen 
for  Sacrifice,  {c)  for  ||  fifty  Shekels  of  Silver^  he  offered 
Burnt-offerings  and  Peace-offerings^  whereof  the  Ljrd  de- 
clared his  Acceptance  by  tire  from  Heaven,  and  fo  the 
Plague  ceafed. 
Pit  *fnphy.      -^"^  ^5  not  improbable,  that  God  at  this  Time  revealed  to 
»n^  A/i  Tw<  Z^^wV  the  exaft  Frame,  and  Fafhion,  of  the  Temple  ;  that 
w'I'bJo/ ^"^^"^  the  Acceptablenefs  of  his  Sacrifices,  he  perceiv'd  that 
^ULife,      '^is  Threjhing- Floor  v/sis  the  Place,  whic^  God  had  dellgned 

for 


Go^  repented  him  of  the  E'vil,  and  commanded  the  Angel,  who 
fipote  the  People,  to  ftay  his  Hand.  They  therefore  conclude, 
that  as  the  Word  Moed  properly  fignifies  an  AJfemhly,  the 
^ime  Moed  muft  be,  when  the  People  met  together  at  the 
Time  of  Evening  Sacrifice,  i.  e.  about  the  ninth  Hour  of  the 
Day,  and  confequently,  that  the  Plague  continu'd  from  the 
Morning  to  this  Time,  which  is  about  nine  Hours,  or  the  eighth 
Part  of  three  Daysj  God  in  his  Mercy  having  been  pleas'd  to 
mitigate  the  Rigour  of  his  Judgment  upon  the  fincere  Repentance 
of  his  People.     Patrick'"?,  Commentary  and  PooFs  Annotations. 

(c)  2  Sam.  xxiv.  24. 

II  There  is  again  another  pifFerence  in  the  Account  which  we 
have  in  the  Chronicles,  and  this  in  Samuel.  In  the  Chronicles  it 
is  faid,  that  Dwvid  bought  the  Threlhing-Floor,  l^c.  for  fix 
hundred  Shekels  of  Gold,  but  in  Samuel  it  is  faid,  iot  fifty  Shekels 
9f  Silver.  Now  a  Shekel  of  Gold  being  of  twelve  Times  more 
Value,  than  a  Shekel  of  Silver,  it  makes  the  Difparity  very 
^arge ;  and  therefore  (to  account  for  this)  it  is  generally  fuppos'd, 
that  in  the  whole  Da'vid  made  two  Purchafes ;  firft  he  bought 
the  IhreJJnng-Floor  and  Oxiv,  for  which  he  gave  fifty  Shekels  of 
Silver ;  but  that  afterwards  all  the  Ground  about  it  (out  of  which 
the  Courts  of  the  Temple  were  made)  coll  him^y^*  hundred Shek^s^ 
y  ^oU,    Patrick's  Commentary. 


Chap.V".  from  the\ixz.t\\x.t% entering  Canaan,  ^c.        457 

for  the  Situation  of  his  Temple;  that  therefore  he  not  only^  ^'^  ^'^ 
purchafed  that,  but  the  whole  Top  of  the  Mount  of  Mori-  l^^\^^^(n^ 
ah  likewife,  at  the  price  of  {d)  fix  hundred  Shekels  of  Gold,  1023,  &c. 
for  the  Ground-plot  of  this  Temple;  and   that  all  the  Re-^";",='/;™* 
mainderof  his  Time  was  employ 'd,  in  providing  whateverKingsviif. 
was  neceflary  for  the  purpofe  of  building  it ;  in  fettling  the ' 
Number  of  the  Officers,  and  the  Manner  of  the  daily  Ser- 
vice of  thofe,  that  were  to  attend  it ;  next  to  this,  in  fet- 
tling his  civil  Affairs,  and  appointing  {e)  Judges^  Magi- 
ftrates,  and  all  inferior  Officers,  whofe  Bufinefs  it  was  to 
punifh  Offenders,,  and   to  keep  all  others  to  their  Duty  ; 
then,  in  fettling  his  (/)  military  Matters,  particularly  the 
twelve  Captains,  for  every  Month,  with  their  Legions,  to 
attend  on  the  King  in  their  Turns  j  then  (g)  the  Princes  of 
the  twelve  Tribes,  and  afterwards  (/>)  feveral  other  Offi- 
cers. 

But  while  he  was  contriving  thefe  Things  in  the  beft 
Manner  j  he  feems  to  have  been  taken,  either  with  a  dead 
Palfey,  or  fome  other  Diftemper,  which  chilled  his  Blood, 
fo  that  he  could  not  be  warm  in  his  Bed.  His  Phyficians 
therefore  advis'd,  that,  to  fupply  him  with  f  a  natural 
Heat,  a  Virgin  fhould  lie  in  the  fame  Bed  with  him ;  for 
which  Purpofe  Abi^ag  of  Shunem,  in  the  Tribe  of  Iffh" 

chary 

(d)  1  Chron.  xxi.  25.  (e)  i  Chron.  xxvi.  29,  to  the 

Ead.        (f)  Ibid.xxvii.  I,  to  15.        (g)  Ibid.       (h)  Ibid. 
xxix.   I,  to  20. 

f  It  is  the  Obfervation  of  Galen,  in  his  fifth  Book  oi  the 
P(nver  of  fimple  Medicines,  that  nothing  fo  efFeftually  procures 
Heat  and  Health,  as  the  Application  of  any  Thing  young  to  the 
Stomach  :  The  Advice  of  Dwvid''^  Phyficians  therefore  was  not 
amifs ;  but  it  had  been  finful  Advice,  and  fuch  as  he  could 
not  have  foUow'd,  had  not  this  young  Woman,  whom  he  took 
to  Bed  to  him,  been  his  Concuhinary  Wife.  In  thofe  Days  fuch 
Wives  were  allowable  :  And  that  fhe  ferv'd  him  in  this  Capacity 
is  very  manifeft  from  the  Account  we  have  of  her  in  Scripturci 
for,  whereas  it  is  faid,  that  the  King  knenv  her  not,  this  certainly 
implies,  that  he  might  have  had  carnal  Knowledge  of  her 
without  Sin,  or  Scandal ;  whereas  it  is  faid,  that  Jhe  lay  in  kis 
Bofom,  this  Phrafe  every  where  in  Scripture  denotes  what  was 
the  fole  Privilege  of  a  Wife,  or  Concubine,  Gen.  xvi.  5.  Deut. 
xiii.  6.  Nor  can  we  imagine,  why  Adonijah''s,  defiring  her  in 
Marriage  had  been  fo  heinous  a  Crime  in  Solomons  Account,  had 
Ihe  not  been  the  King's  Wife,  and  he,  by  this  Means,  had  de- 
figned  to  revive  his  Pretenfions  to  the  Crown,  jPoo/'s  Anno- 
fations. 


458  ^^  Hipry  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  iv^    char^  was  brought  to  him,  and  made  Concubinary  Wife,  tho' 
/fnJ'chrift.^'^  had  never  any  carnal  Knowledge  of  her. 
ioi'3,  &c.      ADONIJJHy  who  (next  after  Abfalom)  was  David's 
FromaSam.eldeft  Son,  taking  the  Advantage  of  his  Father's  Age  and 
KhigsVii.    -nfirmity,  began  to  entertain  Thoughts  of  making  himfelf 
V— V— .«;King,  prefuming,   that   his  Father    either  could   not,  or 
Hitprociaim  would  not,  obftru£t  him.     He  was  indeed  a  Prince  of.  ex- 
Jf  f;;;^°';quirite  Beauty,  admir'd  by  all,   and  fo  indulg'd  by  his  Fa- 
ther, that  he  f  never  contradi6led  him  in  any  Thing ;   but, 
as  he  had  a  great  deal  of  Abfalom  in  his  Completion,  he  failed 
not  to  imitate  him  in  his  Equipage,  Attendants,  and  fplen- 
did  Manner  of  Life. 

By  fome  Means  however,  he  had  gain'd  Joab  the  Ge- 
neral of  the  Forces,  and  Abiathar  the  High-Prieji,  over  to 
his  Party  ;  and  by  their  Advice  it  was,  that  he  invited  all  the 
King's  Sons,  (except  Solomon)  and  all  the  great  Men  oiju' 
dah,  except  'Nathan  the  Prophet,  Benaiah  Captain  of  the 
Guards,  and  the  Officers  of  the  Army  (who,  with  Zadok 
the  other  High-Prieft,  were  not  for  him)  to  a  fumptuous 
Entertainment  at  Enrogel,  where  the  Purpofe  of  the  Meet- 
ing was  (as  foon  as  the  Company  had  well  feafted)  to  pro- 
claim him  King  in  the  Room  of  his  Father.  Nathan,  who 
knew  f  God's  Defignation,  David's  Choice,  and  the  Peo- 
ple's Intereft  in  the  Matter,  having  got  Intelligence  of  this, 
went  and  acquainted  Bathp^eba  with  it,  and  advis'd  her  by 
all  Means  to  go  and  prefs  the  King  f  to  declare  Solomon  his 
?*  Succeffor, 

•f-  It  is  remark'd  of  David,  that  one  of  his  great  Faults,  and 
what  had  led  him  into  many  Premunires,  was  his  extraordinary 
Indulgence  to  his  Children,  of  whom  he  was  fo  fond,  that  he 
-«  feems  to  have  overlook'd  their  Errors,  and  not  reproved   them, 

though  he  was  bound  to  do  it  by  a  plain  Law,  Le-v.  xix.  17.  and 
could  not  but  know,  that  the  High-Prieft  Eli  was  feverely  pun- 
ilh'd  for  this  Negledt.     Pool's  Annotations. 

f  In  2  Sam.  vii.  12.  God  had  promis'd  David  by  Nathan^ 
that  he  would  fet  upon  his  Throne  a  Son,  that  Ihould  proceed 
from  him,  which  plainly  fignify'd,  that  none  of  his  Sons  already 
born  were  to  be  the  Perfon  j  and  in  i  Chron.  xxii.  9,  ^c.  he 
declar'd  by  the  fame  Propliet,  that,  after  his  Father,  Solomon 
ihould  reign,  and  build  him  an  Houfe.  This  Adonijah  could 
not  but  know;  and  therefore  his  fetting  himfelf  againft  the  De- 
cree of  Heaven  made  his  Sin  the  greater.  Patrickh  Commen- 
tary. 

-}•  This  Power  of  naming  a  SuccefTor  was  firft  aflum'd  hy  Da- 
mid,  and,  for  feme  Time  afterv/ards  (as  appears  by  the  Story 
of  his  Grandfon  Reboboam)  was  continu'd  in  the  Jewijh  State. 

It 


Chap.  V.    from  the  UrztWtes  entering  CsLn^s-n,  ^c.      459 

Succeflbr,  fince  Things  were  now  come  to  that  Extremity,    A.  m. 
that,  without  her  doing  this,  all  their  Lives  muft  certainlj  ^^J'^j^j.-'^^ 
be  in  Danger.     Bathfheba  purfu'd  her  Inftruftions  j  went  1023,  &c. 
to  the  King,  and,  having  acquainted  him  with  Adonijah'^'^^'^  '^  Sam. 
Confpiracy,  defir'd  him  to  name  her  Son  his  Succeflbr,  ac-  ^fngs  viii. 
cording  to  the  Oath^  that  he  had  formerly  made  to  her.  < 
While  j[he  was  thus  talking  with  the  King,  Nathan  came  in, 
and  confirm'd  what  (he  had  faid  j  fo  that  David  immediate- 
ly declar'd  Solomon  his  Succeflbr,  and  thereupon  commanded 
Zadok  the  Priefl:,    Nathan  the  Prophet,  and  Benaiah  the 
Captain  of  his  Guards,  with  the  other  Officers  and  Mini- 
fters  of  State,  to  mount  him  f  on  the  Mule j. that  he  him* 
felf  us'd  to  ride  ;  and,  having  in  this  Mannei-f  conduced 
him  to  Gihony  there  to  let  Zadok  and  Nathan  anoint  him, 
and  then,  by  Sound  of  Trumpet,  to  proclaim  him  King  of 
Jfrael.     All  this  was  accordingly  done,  and  the  People  of 

Jerufalem^ 

It  was  a  Privilege  that,  in  After-Ages,  was  granted  to  ftveral 
good  Princes,  but  among  the  Ifraelites  it  did  not  prevail  long, 
becaufe  the  Conftitution  of  other  Nations  (to  which  the  Ifraelites 
afFefted  to  conform  themfelves)  was  different.  PWs  Annotations 
and  Patrick's  Commentary. 

f  All  the  reft  of  Bawd's  Sons  were  wont  to  ride  upon  Mules, 
when  they  went  abroad,  2  Sam.  xiii.  29.  but  David  had  a  Mule 
peculiar  to  himfelf,  and  the  mounting  Solomon  upon  it  was  a  fuf- 
ficient  Declaration  in  his  Favour.  For,  as  it  was  capital  (ac- 
cording to  Maimonides)  to  ride  upon  the  King's  Mule,  or  fit  on 
his  Throne,  or  handle  his  Sceptre  without  his  Order ;  fo,  on  the 
contrary,  to  have  the  Honour  to  ride  upon  the  King's  Horfe, 
by  his  Appointment,  was  accounted  the  higheft  Dignity  among 
the  Perjians,  as  appears  by  the  Story  of  Mordecai  in  the  Book  of 
Ejiher.     Calmet\  Commentary. 

•f-  Some  Commentators  are  of  Opinion,  that  Gihon  was  the 
fame  with  the  Fountain  of  Siloam ;  but  this  is  a  grofs  Miftake, 
iince  Gihon  was  manifeftly  to  the  Weji,  and  Siloam  to  the  Eajl,  of 
Jerufalem.  There  is  little  or  no  Certainty  likewife  in  the  JNoti- 
pns  of  fome  Rabbins,  who  pretend  that,  in  antient  Times,  Kings 
were  always  anointed  by  the  Side  of  a  Fountain,  by  way  of 
good  Omen,  or  that  the  perpetual  Running  of  the  Stream  might 
be  an  Emblem  of  the  Perpetuity  of  their  King's  Reign.  In  the 
Hiftory  of  Saul,  who  was  their  firft  King,  and  of  David,  who 
was  three  Times  anointed,  we  find  no  Mention  made  of  any 
Spring  or  Fountain.  As  thefe  Fountains  however  were  Places 
of  great  Concourfe,  (for  there  were  not  many  in  Jerufalem)  the 
chief  Reafon,  we  may  imagine,  why  David  order'd  Solomon  to 
be  anointed  at  one  of  thefe,  was,  that  the  Thing  might  be  done 
as  publickly,  and  in  the  Prefence  of  as  many  Spedators,  as  pof- 
fible.    Patrick'%  Commentary. 


I 

460  The  Hijiory   of  ihe  B  I  B  h  E,     Book  V. 

f'  ^    Jerufalem,  by  their  loud  Shouts  and  Acclamations  of  Joy, 
AnJ'chrift.gav^  Teftimonv  of  their  Approbation  of  David's  Choice. 
1023,  &c.       But  how  thunder -Jiruck  vi^%  Adomjah^  and  his  Compa- 
ny, when,  being  juft  upon  the  Point  of  proclaiming  him 
King,  they  heard  the  Sound   of  the  Trumpet,    and  the 
'Shouts  of  the  People  attending  Solomon  !  As  foon  as  they 
were  inform'd  of  the  Occafion  each  Man  thought  proper  to 
(hift  for  himfelf ;  but,  as  for  Jdonijah^  he  *  fled  to  the  Al- 
tar for  Sanctuary,  till,  having  obtain'd  of  Solomon  a  Pro- 
mife  of  Life,  upon  Condition  that  he  would  never  attempt 
any  Thing  for  the  future  againfl  his  Government,  he  was 
conducted  into  the  King's  Prefence,  where  he  made  his  O- 
beifance  to  Solomon,  in  Token  of  Thankfulnefs  for  his  Pre-^ 
fervation,  and  in  Acknowledgement  of  his  Superiority. 
^,"J"'  rt      7^His  Inaupuration  of  Solomon  however  was  a  little  too 

tbe  JrrtnceSf    ,-,  ,         .  ,,  _  r\       •  t     ■ 

and  People  efnaiiy  zr\d  private;  and  therefore  Z/aw^,  intend  mg  a  more 
I&aei,  cor.,  publick  Coronation^  order'd  all  the  Princes  of  Ifrael  and  Tw- 
'Buiidfnl  If  ^'^'^'  ^"^  ^''  ^^^  Officers  of  his  Court  and  Army,  to  attend 
the  lemfii.  him :  When,  having  recover'jd  a  little  from  his  late  Indifpofi- 

tion, 

*  There  is  no  Precept  in  tlie  Lanu  to  make  the  Altara  pri- 
vileg'd    Place ;   but,    in  Conformity  to  the  Cuftoms  of  other 
Nations,  the  ^e^s  feem  to  have  done  it.     Other  Nations  had 
certainly  this  Cuft;om,'^sj  appears  from  that  PafTage  in  Firgil : 
Talibus  orabat  didlis,  arafque  tenebat.  ^neid  vi. 

And  it  feems  not  unlikely,  that,  as  the  People,  when  they  came 
into  the  Land  of  Canaan,  had  Cities  appointed  by  God,  where- 
unto  the  ManJIaye^  might  flee ;  fo,  while  they  continu'd  in  the 
Wildernefs,  the  Camp  of  the  Levites  might  ferve  for  the  fame 
Purpofe.  Nay,  from  the  Words  m  Exadus  xyi.  14.  where  God 
orders  the  wil^l  Murtherer  to  be  taken  from  his  Altar,  that  he 
may  die,  it  fems  unqueftionably  true,  that,  even  in  the  Land  of 
Canaan,  the  Altar  continu'd  a  Sanftuary  for  thofe  who  fled  unto 
it ;  but  then  the  Queftion  is,  to  what  Altar  Adonijah  fled ;  Whe- 
ther to  tlie  brazen  one,  which  Mofes  made,  and  which  was  now 
at  Giheon,  or  that  which  his  Father  had  lately  erefted  in  the 
Threfning-Floor  of  Araunah  ?  'Tis  exprefsly  faid,  i  Kings  i. 
50.  that  he  caught  h'Ad  cf  the  Horns  of  the  Altar  ;  but  we  can 
hardly  fuppofe,  fay  fonte,  vbat  the  Altar  in  the  Threfliing-Floor, 
whichylK/as  run  up  in  fuch  Ha.le  vith  Stones  and  Turf,  was  made 
in  thacFigure.  But  what  fhoiild  hinder  us  from  fuppofing,  that, 
as  David  h^A  built  a  Tlace  for  the  Reception  of  the  Ark  of  the 
Covenant  on  Mount  ^loiu  he  had  likevs^ife  built  there  an  Altar, 
for  the  Oblation  of  the  daily  Sacrifices,  in  the  exadl  Form  of 
the  original  one,  tliat  was  then  at  Giheon,  and  that  it  was  to  this 
Altar,  and  neither  of  the  others,  that  Adonijah  betook  himfelf 
for  Refuge.    Le  Ckrc's,  Patrick's,  and  Calmefs  Commentaries, 


Chap.  V.  from  the  \{v2itX\tt%  entering  Canaan,  &c.     461 

^tion,  he  ftood  up,  and,  *  in  a  folemn   Oration,  put  them  ^  ■^'  ^^ 
in  Mind  of  God's  Goodnefs  to  him,  and  of  his  Defignati-  Ant. 'chrift. 
on  of  Solomon  to  fucceed  in  his  Throne,  and  to  build  him  a  '023,  e^-c. 
Temple.     And  therefore,  fmce  he  had  referv'd  that  Honour  ^^"J^-  j'"** 
for  his  Son,  he  earneftly  recommended  to  him  a  ftridl  Fide- Kings  viu. 
lity  and  Piety  towards  God,  and  a  zealous  Difcharge  of  this ' 
important  Truft.     To  this  Purpofe  he  gave  him  the  Plan^ 

which 

*  The  Speech,  which  Jofephus  puts  in  Da'vid''z  Mouth  upon 

this  Occallon,  is  to  this  Purpofe : "  I  am  now  to  inform 

"  you,  my  Countrymen  and  Brethien,  that  I  have  had  it  a  long 
*'  Time  in  my  Thoughts  to  ereft  a  Temple  to  the  Lord,  and 
*'  have  treafur'd  up  a  mighty  Mafs  of  Gold  and  Silver  toward 
*'  the  Charge  of  the  Undertaking;  but  it  hath  pleas'd  God  in 
"  his  Providence,  by  the  Mouth  of  his  Prophet  Nathan,  to  put 
"  a  Stop  to  my  Defign,  upon  this  Confideration,  that  he  would 
"  not  have  the  Foundation  of  his  holy  Houfe  laid  by  Hands, 
"  that  have  been  dipp'd  in  Blood,  which  mine  inevitably  have 
*'  been,  (tho'  in  the  Blood  of  your  Enemies)  in  the  Wars  I  have 
*'  been  forc'd  to  engage  in,  for  the  neceflary  Defence  of  your 
*'  Liberties :  But,  at  the  feme  Time  that  he  forbad  me  to  do 
*'  this,  the  Prophet  informed  me,  that  God  had  tranfmitted  the 
*'  Care  of  the  whole  Work  to  my  Son  and  Succeflbr.  Our  Fa- 
*'  ther  Jacob  (as  you  all  well  know")  had  twelve  Sons,  and  yet 
*'  Judah  was  chofen  by  common  Confent  to  be  Ruler  of  all 
*'  the  reft.  You  know  likewife,  that  I  myfelf  (tho'  there  were 
**  then  fix  Brothers  of  us)  was  advanc'd  by  God  to  the  Govern - 
**  ment,  and  that  none  of  the  reft  thought  themfelves  injur'd  : 
**  Wherefore  I  muft  nowj  in  like  Manner,  require  it  of  yoff, 
**  and  of  all  your  Sons,  that  you  fubmit  chearfully  and  duti- 
•*  fully  to  my  Son  Solomon,  and  that  ye  do  it  without  any 
*'  Grumbhng,  or  civil  Diffention,  becaufe  it  is  from  God's  im- 
♦'  mediate  Command  and  Commiflion,  that  he  derives  his  Au- 
**  thority.  Put  the  Cafe  now,  that  God  fhould  have  fet  a 
*'  Stranger  over  you,  how  great  a  Folly  and  Madnefs  would  it 
*'  have  been  for  you  to  murmur  at  it  ?  But  how  thankful  ought 
**  you  to  be,  for  the  Choice  of  fo  near  a  Relation,  when  you 
*'  yourfelves  are  Partakers  of  the  Honour,  that  is  done  to  your 
**  Brother.  There  is  nothing  I  fo  much  long  for,  as  to  fee 
*•  God's  gracious  Promifes  take  a  fpeedy  Effeft,  and  the  whole 
•'  People  put  into  a  lafting  PoffeiTion  of  the  Bleffings,  they  are 
•*  to  enjoy  under  the  Reign  of  Solomon.  And  all  this,  my  dear 
"  Son,  (jays  he,  turning  to  Solomon)  will  be  made  good,  and 
*'  every  Thing  fucceed  to  your  Wilh,  fo  long  as  you  govern  ac- 
*'  cording  to  Piety  and  Juftice,  with  a  Refpeft  to  your  Duty 
"  both  towards  God  and  Man,  upholding  a  Reverence  to  the 
*'  Laws,  and  treading  in  the  Steps  of  your  Forefathers :  But, 
*'  whenever  you  pafs  tliefe  Bounds,  there  is  nothing  but  Ruin 
**  and  Mifery  to  be  expefted."    Jiivijh  h-xitiq^.  lib.  vii.  c.  11. 


462  ^he  Hipry  of  fbe  BIB  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.^  which  he  had  made  for  the  Execution  of  this  Undertaking, 
i^!  Chrift.^"'^  an  Account'of  the  Treafures,  which  he  had  provided  for 
1023,  &c.  the  perfecting  of  this  great  Work.     He  gave  him  alfo  a  Lift 
From  a  Sam  of  the  Prie^s  and  Levites,  and  the  Courfes,  in  which  they 
iKingsviii.^^''^  'o  Wait  in  tJie  Temple:    He  gave  him  likewife  the 
l_  --i^-^T-*  Schemes,  and  Regulations,  of  the  Officers  of  his  Court,  of 
the  civil  Officers,  of  the  Treafurers,  and  of  the  Superinten- 
dants  of  \ht  Revenues,  belonging  to  the  Crown;  and,  ha- 
ving made  a  large  Oblation  of  Money  out  of  his  own  pri- 
vate Eftate  for  the  Building  of  the  Temple,  by  his  Example 
and  perfuafion,  he  prevailed  with  the  Princes,  and  the  Peo- 
ple to  contribute  (according  to  their  Abilities)  to  fo  good  and 
pious  a  Work.     And  when  he  found  himfelf  fuccefsful  here- 
in, (for  what  they  gave  upon  this  Occafion  amounted  to  an 
immenfe  Sum)  he  concluded  all  with  a  folemnThankfgiving 
to  God,  and  a  Prayer,  that  he  would  enable    Solomon  to 
perfect  what  he  had  thus  defign'd,  and  recommended. 

The  next  Day  there  was  a  very  great  and  folemn  Sacri" 
fiee,  and  much  Rejoicing  among  the  People.     David,  up- 
on this  -Occafion,  had  Solomon  anointed  a  fecond  Time  in  a 
more  publick  Manner  ;  order'd  that  Zadok  fhould  be  the 
High-Prieft  in  the  Room  of  Jbiathar,  who  had  publickly 
efpous'd  the  Intereft  of  Adonijah  ;  and  (to  put  an  End  to  all 
Difputes  after  his  Deceafe)  had  him  for  the  future  feated  on 
a  r^Tyfl/ Throne,  and  made  fole  Regent  of  the  Kingdom  du- 
ring his  Life-Tme. 
Ai>ddm       Not  long  after  this,  David,   perceiving  his  End  ap- 
ibargt  to  i/iproaching,  called  for  Solomon,  *  and  gave  him  his  laft  Ex- 
Stn  Splomonhortation,  which  was,  to  be  conftant  in  his  Duty  to  God, 

*  Jofephus  introduces  David,  as  taking  his  laft  Leave  of  his  Son 
Solomon  in  thefe  Words  :     '  "  And  now,  Son,  I  am  going 

*♦  to  my  Fathers,  and  you,  that  I  leave  behind  me,  are  in  due 
**  Time  to  follow,  which  is  no  more  than  paying  a  common 
**  Debt  to  Nature.  There  is  no  returning  from  the  Grave,  and, 
**  when  we  are  once  gone,  we  have  done  with  this  World  for 
**  ever.  Wherefore,  while  I  am  yet  among  the  Living,  and  be- 
,*'  fore  it  be  too  late,  pray  let  me  remind  you  of  the  fame  Things 
*'  once  more.  ■  Govern  your  Subjedis  according  to  Juftice. 

«'  Worlhip  that  God,  from  whom  you  have  receiv'd  your  Dig- 
*'  nity,  as  well  as  your  5«»g-,  as  you  are  bound  to  do.  Obferve 
*'  his  Precepts,  and  keep  his  Laws,  as  they  have  been  handed 
**  down  to  you  from  Mofes,  and  have  a  care  that  you  never  for- 
**  fake  them,  either  for  Fear,  Flattery,  or  any  Faflion,  or  Inter- 
*•  eft  whatfoever;  for  otherwife  you  can  never  hope  for  the 

*'  Blefling» 


Chap.  V.    from  the  KraeVites  entering  Czinzan,  &c.      463 

(/)  to  walk  in  his  IVays^  and  f  keep  his  Statutes^  and  his     A.  M. 
Commandments,  his  Judgments,    and  his   Te/iimonies,  that  Ant' Ch^ift. 
he  might  pro/per  in  /. II  that   he  did;  and  then   defcending  1023,  &c. 
to  fome  particular  Affairs  relating  to  the  State,  he  charg'd'^r^'^^Sam. 
him  to  do  Juftice   to  Joab,  for  the  many  Murders  he  had  ,  j^mgs  viii. 
been  guilty  of;  to  fhew  Kindnefs  to  the  Sons  of  Barzillai,' 
for  the  Support  their  Father  had  given  him  in  his  Diftrefs ; 
and  tho'  he  himfelf  had  not  put  Shimei  to  death  for  his  paft 
Offences,  yet  whenever  he  fliould  prove  guilty  again,  not 
to  fpare  him.     Having   thus  ended   his  Exhortation  to  his 
Son,  in  a  fliortTime  after  he  died,  in  the  feventy-firft  Year 
of  his  Age  ;  after  he  had  reign'd  forty  Years  in  all,  H  fe- 

ven 

*'  Bleffings  of  God's  Favour  and  Providence  :  But  if  you  behave 
*'  yourfelf  with  Reverence  and  Submiffion  towards  God,  as  you 
•'  ouglit  to  do,  and  as  I  wifh  you  may  do,  your  Kingdom  will 
*'  be  eftablifh'd  to  yourfelf,  and  the  Succeflion  of  it  continued  to 
*'  your  Family  from  Generation  to  Generation."  Je--wijh  Antiq. 
lib.  vii.  c.   \z. 

(i(   I  Kings  ii.  3, — 11. 

-f-  Under  thefe  four  Words  are  comprehended  all  the  Laws  of 
Mofes.  Statutes  were  fuch  Confitutions,  as  had  their  Founda- 
tion, not  in  Reafon,  but  in  the  Will  and  Pleafure  of  God;  fuch 
was  the  Prohibition  of  fowing  Seeds  of  different  Kinds  toge- 
ther, fif^r.  Comniandments  were  moral  Duties,  that  were  founded 
in  the  Nature  of  Things,  and  cany'd  their  Reafon  along  with 
them ;  as  not  to  fteal,  not  to  murther,  ^c.  Judgments  were  the 
Laws  belonging  to  Civil  Government,  and  the  Dealings  of  one 
Man  with  another ;  fuch  are  all  thofe  Laws,  that  are  recorded 
in  the  Twenty-firft  and  following  Chapters  of  Exodus ;  and  Tef- 
timonies  were  fuch  Laws,  as  preferv'd  the  Remembrance  of  fome 
great  Events,  and  tefilfjd  to  Men  the  Loving-Kindnefs  of  the 
Lord  J  fuch  as  the  Sabhath,  the  PaJ/o've};  and  the  reft  of  the 
Feajis.     Patrick's  Commentary. 

II  In  2  Sam.  v.  5.  it  is  faid,  that  he  reign'd  feven  Years  and 
iix  Months  in  Hebron,  which,  together  with  the  three  and  thirty 
in  Jerufalem,  will  make  his  Reign  to  be  in  all  forty  Years  and 
a  half.  To  folve  this  Difnculty,  (as  fome  of  the  Jeijos  efteem 
it)  they  have  devis'd  a  Conceit,  tliat,  to  punifh  Danjid  for  his 
Adultery  with  Bathjheba,  God  fent  upon  him  a  Leprofy,  which 
continu'd  for  fix  Months,  in  all  which  Time  he  was  look'd  up- 
on as  dead,  and  not  accounted  to  reign  :  But  they  never  confi- 
der'd,  that  thefe  Months  were  Part  of  his  Reign  in  Hebron,  be- 
fore he  committed  that  Adultery  in  "Jerufalem.  The  true  Ac- 
count of  the  Matter  therefore  is,  that  it  is  very  ufual,  in  Scrip- 
ture-Computation, to  omit  fmaller  Sums,  and  only  reckon  by 
a  round  Number ;  for  which  Reafon  thefe  fix  Months,  which 
were  but  Part  of  a  Year,  we  not  taken  Notice  of  in  the  Ac- 
count 


464  the  Hijlory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Boo  k  V. 

A.  M.    >i}eft  in  Hebron,  and  three  and  thirty  in  Jerufalem ;  and  * 
Anl''c?rift."W^5  buried  in  that  Part  of  the  City,  which  himfelf  had  ta- 
1023,  &c,  ken  from  the  Jebufites^  and  called  after  his  own  Name. 
From  a  Sam.  WhEN 

xix.    to 
1  Kings  viii,  _-,  i, 

I  count  both  of  Kings,   1  Kings  11.   11.  and  Chronicles,  I  Chron. 
xxix.  26,  27.     Patrick's  Commentar)-^,  aud  Poors,  Annotations. 
*  After  this  Account,  which  Jofephus  gives  us  of  Du'vidh 
feveral  Speeches  before  his  Death,  he  informs  us,  "  "  That 

"  he  was  bury'd  at  Jerufalern  with  a  Solemnity  of  royal  Pomp 
*'  and  Magnificence,  that  was  glorious  to  the  higheil  Degree, 
"  and  that,  over  and  above  the  Splendor  of  the  Ceremony,  his 
**  Son  Solomon  depofited  in  his  Monument  an  ineftimable  Trea- 
**  fure,  from  which,  when  Antiochus,  furnam'd  the  Pious,  be- 
"  fieg'd  Jerujalem,  Hircanus,  the  High-Prieft,  took  to  the  Sum 
*'  of  three  thoufand  Talents,  and  therewith  brib'd  them  to  raife 
*'  the  Siege ;  and  that,  many  Years  after  this,  Herod,  furnam'd 
*'  the  Great,  took  another  immenfe  Sum  from  thence,  which 
*'  enabl'd  him  to  rebuild  the  Temple."  Among  feveral  Nations 
indeed  it  was  cuftomary  to  bury,  along  with  Princes,  and  other 
great  Men,  various  Things  of  Value,  that  they  took  Delight  in 
while  they  liv'd.  The  Egyptians  were  us'd  to  this ;  and  about 
their  Mummies  are  frequently  found  very  precious  Ornaments. 
When  Alexander  the  Great  had  Cyrus\  Tomb  open'd,  there  was 
found  therein  a  Bed  of  Gold,  a  very  rich  Table,  drinking  Cups, 
and  many  fine  Veftments  ;  but,  notwithftanding  all  this,  feveral 
learned  Men  look  upon  this  whole  Account  of  Jofephus  as  a  mere 
Fable.  For,  to  what  Purpofe,  fay  they,  did  Solomon  bury  all  this 
Treafure  under  Ground,  when  he  had  fo  much  Occafion  for  it ; 
when  he  was  forc'd  to  borrow  Money  of  the  King  of  Tyre,  and 
burthen  his  People  with  fo  many  heavy  Taxes  to  fupply  his 
exceffive  Expences  ?  How  came  it,  that  the  other  Kings  of  Ju' 
dah,  who  were  frequently  put  to  the  Neceffity  of  ftripping  th« 
Temple  of  its  precious  Furniture  to  fatisfy  their  greedy  Enemies, 
never  once  adventur'd  to  lay  hold  on  this  Treafure  ?  How  came 
it  to  efcape  the  Hands  of  the  Chaldeans,  and  other  Nations,  that 
fo  often  had  the  plundering  of  Jerufalem  ?  Or  why  fhould  Hir- 
canus violate  this  Depofltum,  which  his  Predeceffors  efteem'd  more 
facred  than  the  holy  Veffels  of  the  Lord  ?  Thefe  are  QuefUons, 
that  cannot  eafily  be  refolv'd  ;  and,  (what  is  a  farther  Confu- 
tation of  this  Story)  in  that  very  Book,  from  whence  Jofephus 
is  fuppos'd  to  have  taken  it,  it  is  never  once  faid,  that  Hircanus 
broke  open  Da'vidh  Tomb.  The  Words  of  that  Jpurious  Author 
are,  that  Hircanus,  luhilc  he  ivas  hejieg'd  by  Antiochus,  opend  a 
Treafure-Chamber,  'which  belong  d  to  fome  of  DavidV  Defcen- 
dants,  and  that,  after  he  had  taken  a  large  Sum  of  Money  out  of 
it,  he  fill  left  a  great  deal  in  it,  and  feaPd  it  up  again  :  But 
this  is  quite  a  different  Thing,  and  has  no  Manner  of  Relation 
to  the  Sepulchre  of  David.  As  to  the  real  Sepulchre  of  Danjidy 
'iis  certain,  that  it  was  always  held  in  great  Veneration  among 

the 


to 
viii. 


Chap.  V.     from  the  Ifraclites  entering  Canaan,  l^c.       465 

When  David  was  dead,  Solomon  fucceeded  to  the  A-  '^* 
Throne;  and,  to  fecure  his  Pofleflion,  took  an  Occafion,  ^^J'^j^^^rt, 
in  a  fhort  Time,  to  rid  himfelf  of  his  Adverfaries.  Ado-  loz^^^c. 
nijah^  in  his  Father's  Life-time,  made  bold  Pretenfions,  ^''°'^  ^  ^^"™* 
but  was  defeated,  and  pardon'd  by  Solomon^  upon  Condi-  j  Kings 
tion  that  he  would  become  a  good  SubjeSl^  and  give  him 
no  farther  Moleftation  ;  but  by  the  Perfuafion  of  Joah^  Solomon/«<:. 
and  Abiathar^  he  was  now  put  upon  another  bold  Project,  "hnJilvJ' 
which  was  to  defire  Ahijhag  (the  late  King's  Concubine  in  his  and  cuts  of 
old  Age)  in  Marriage,  hoping  thereby  to  flrengthen  his  *"  ^^'^Z-^''" 

Intereft,""-^"""- 

the  jFe^i.  It  was  in  Being  in  St.  Peter's  Time,  for  fo  he  tells 
the  People,  Ails  ii.  29.  Dio  (in  Adriani  vita)  informs  us,  that 
Part  of  it  was  fallen  down  in  the  Emperor  Adrians  Reign.  St. 
Jerom  relates,  that  he  himfelf  us'd  frequently  to  go  and  pray  at 
it ;  and  modem  Travellers  (as  we  took  Notice  before)  defcribe 
fome  magnificent  Monuments  hew'd  in  a  Rock,  not  far  from  Je- 
rufalem,  which  are  doubtlefs  very  antient,  but  they  themfelves 
do  not  agree,  that  they  were  the  Sepulchres  of  the  Kings  of 
Judah.  'Tis  fomewhat  unaccountable  however,  that  the  Place 
of  this  Prince's  Sepulchre,  which  both  the  Chaldeans  and  the 
Romans,  when  they  took  Jerufalejn,  thought  proper  to  fpare, 
Ihoxild  now  be  fo  entirely  loft,  that  we  cannot  find  the  leaft  Re- 
mains of  it.  But  tho'  Providence  has  fo  order'd  it,  that  the  Place 
of  Da'vid''i  Supulchre  ftiould  not  at  prefent  be  known,  yet  there 
does  not  want  an  eternal  Monument  of  his  moft  excellent  Geni- 
us. The  Book  of  Pfalms,  which  for  the  moft  Part  was  com- 
pos'd  by  him,  does  publifh  the  Glory  of  its  Author  more  than 
the  moft  pompous  Elogies,  and  the  Author  of  Ecclejiajiicus  (Chap, 
xlvii.  2,  &c.)  has  confecrated  this  Epitaph  to  his  Memory,  which 

is  more  durable  than  either  Marble  or  Brafs : As  the  Fat 

is  taken  a^wayfrom  the  Peace-Offering,  fo  ivas  David  chofen  out 
cf  the  People  of  l{r?ie].  He  played -with  Lions  as  nuith  Kids,  and 
nuith  Bears  as  nxiith  Lambs ;  he  flenu  a  Giant  ^when  he  ivas 
young,  and  took  aivay  Reproach  from  the  People;  for  he  called  up- 
on the  Mofi  High  Lord,  and  he  ganje  Strength  to  his  Right-Hand 
to  flay  this  mighty  Warrior,  and  tofet  up  the  Horn  of  his  People. 
"So  the  People  honoured  him  ijoith  ten  Thou  funds,  and  fraifed  him 
in  Blefjings  of  the  Lord;  for  he  defiroyed  the  Enemies  on  every 
Side,  and  brought  to  nought  the  Philiftines,  his  Adverfaries : 
'  In  all 'his  Works  he  praifed the  holy  One  moji  high,  and 
bleffedthe  Lord  nxiith  Words  of  Glory :  — — — -  Hefet  Singers  alfa 
before  the  Altar,  that,  by  their  Voices,  they  might  make  f^weet 
Melody,  and  daily  ftng  Praifes  in  their  Songs.  He  beautified  their 
Feafis,  and  fit  their  folemn  Times  in  peyfeil  Order  :  The 

Lord  took  aivay  his  Sins,  and  exalted  his  Horn  for  ever  ;  he  gave 
him  a  Covenant  of  Kings,  and  a  Throne  of  Glory  in  Ifrael.  Cal- 
met\  Commentary,  and  his  Didionary,  under  the  Word 
David. 

Vol.  m,  G  g 


4^6  The  Hi/iory  of  />&<?  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  Intereft,  and  to  be  able  to  play  an  After-game  for  the 
Ant!*Chrift.  C^'own.  To  this  Purpofe  he  prevail'd  with  Bathjheba, 
1023,  &c.  the  ^een-Mother,  to  fpeak  to  the  King :  But  the  King 
From  2  Sam.  ^^5  f^  fj^^  fj^jjj  granting  his  Requeft,  that  he  was  fhock'd 
I  Kings  viii.  at  the  Boldnefs  of  it,  and,  fufpe<9;ing  fome  treafonable 
•  Defign  at  the  Bottom,  fent  immediately  and  had  him  put 
to  Death.  In  the  next  Place,  he  banifh'd  Abiathar  ;  and, 
having  inhibited  him  from  the  Exercifes  of  his  priejily  Of- 
,  iice,  confin'd  him  to  his  Country- Heufe^  and  put  Zadok  in 
his  Place ;  and,  when  he  heard  that  joab  was  fled  into  the 
Tabernacle  for  SanSfuary,  upon  his  refufing  to  come  out 
at  his  Command,  f  he  order'd  Benaiah  (whom  he  after- 
wards made  General  in  his  Room)  to  go  in,  and  kill  him 
there.  But  when  Shimei,  who  deferv'd  the  like  Fate  for 
his  grofs  Abufe  of  the  late  King,  was  brought  before  him, 
he  only  f  confin'd  him  to  Jerufalemy  as  a  Prifoner  at  large, 
but  with  a  ftrift  Injundion  not  to  move  out  of  the  Place 

upon 

f  It  was  formerly  very  cuftomary  among  Princes,  to  employ 
their  Officers,  or  greateft  Confidants,  in  Tuch  like  Executions. 
Among  the  Romans^  the  Soldiers  were  always  the  Perfons,  who 
carry 'd  to  Prifon,  to  Torture,  or  to  Execution,  fuchas  were 
found  guilty  of  any  Offence  ;  and  this  Tertullian  makes  an  Ar- 
gument to  diffuade  Chrifiians  from  engaging  in  the  Wars,  left 
thereby  they  fhould  be  oblig'd  to  imprilbn,  punifli,  or  execute 
Malefadlors.  In  Dan.  ii.  24.  we  read,  that  Nebuchadnezzar 
fent  Arioch,  n.vho  nuas  chief  Commander  of  his  Troops,  to  dejiroy 
the  Wife-Men  of  Babylon,  becaufe  they  could  not  interpret  his 
Dream ;  and  therefore  we  need  lefs  wonder,  that  we  find  Solomon 
employing  Benaiah,  the  Captain  of  his  Guard,  on  the  like  Of- 
fice :  But  whether  he  did  not  firft  drag  Joab  from  the  Altar,  be- 
fore he  flew  him,  for  fear  of  polluting  the  holy  Place  with  Blood, 
or  whether  Salomon  did  not  rather  think  fit  to  have  him  kill'd  even 
at  the  Altar,  and  let  all  Men  fee,  that  no  Place,  though  never  fo 
facred,  fhould  fecure  any  Man  from  the  Hand  of  Juftice,  Com-  . 
mentators  have  not  agreed.  Calms  f$  and  Pair  tele's  Commen- 
taries. 

f  Shimei,  as  we  read,  was  a  very  powerful  Man.  When  he 
came  to  meet  King  David,  and  to  beg  Pardon  for  his  Offence, 
he  had  a  Thoufand  of  his  own  Tribe  to  accompany  him,  2  Sam. 
x\x.  17.  and  therefore  Solomon  might  think  proper  to  confine 
him  to  the  City  of  Jerufalem,  that,  being  remov'd  from  th» 
Place,  where  his  Family  and  Interefl  lay,  to  one  where  he  was 
but  a  Stranger,  and  fufhciently  odious  for  his  former  illTreatment 
of  the  late  King,  he  might  be  incapable  of  raifing  any  Tumults, 
or  Seditions ;  and  that,  being  in  this  publick  Theatre,  all  his 
Words  and  Adions  might  be  narrowly  obferv'd,  which,  confi- 

dering 


Chap,  V.    from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        467 

upon  Pain  of  Death.  Upon  this  Condition  he  thankfully  A.  M. 
accepted  of  his  Life,  and,  for  fome  Time,  kept  within  fhe^^j^^'^^l^f^ 
Bounds  of  his  Confinement ;  but  having  fome  Slaves,  who  1023,  feff.* 
had  run  away,  and  had  entered  themfelves  into  f  the  Service^!^°"'2  Sam. 
of  Achijh^  King  of  Gath^  he  imprudently  went  to  reclaim  i'King°viii. 
them,  and,  upon  his  Return,  by  Solomon's  Order,  was  put( 
to  Death. 

Having  thus  fecur'd  his  Kingdom  at  home,  by  con- 
fining, or  cutting  oiF,  the  Heads  of  the  Fa£lion,  that  waf 
againft  him,  Solomon  bethought  himfelf  of  ftrengthening 
his  Intereft  Abroadhy  foreign  Alliances  j  and,  to  this  Pur- 
pofe,  married  the  Daughter  of  f  Pharaoh  King  of  Egypty 

G  g  2  and 

Bering  his  bufy  and  wicked  Temper,  might  give  Solomon  a  fair 
Advantage  againft  him ;  and  (as  the  manner  of  fome  is)  the 
very  Prohibition  itfelf  might  probably  inflame  his  Defire  to 
tranfgrefs  it.    PooPs  Annotations. 

-f-  Achijh  had  been  fo  great  a  Friend  to  Da-vid,  that,  though 
DavidYoA  conquer'd  the  PhiliJIines,  he  fuiFer'd  him  ftill  to  retain 
the  Title  of  a  King,  and  only  to  be  tributary  to  him  ;  fo  that 
there  was  a  friendly  Correfpondence  between  his  City  and  Je- 
riifalem,  infomuch,  that  Shimei  might  eafily  hear,  by  fomebody 
or  other,  that  had  been  at  Gath,  that  his  Servants  were  there. 
Thefe  Servants,  in  all  probability,  were  fuch,  as  he  had  purchased 
with  a  confiderable  Sum  of  Money,  and  their  running  away 
was  not  Only  a  Lofs,  but  a  great  Affront  likewife,  to  their  Matter  ; 
and  therefore,  partly  out  of  Rage,  and  partly  through  Co<vet- 
oufnefs,  he  undertook  this  dangerous  Journey,  prefuming,  that 
a  Thing,  which  might  be  done  fecretly  and  fpeedily,  would 
never  come  to  Solomons  Ears ;  that,  in  the  Space  of  three  Years 
Time,  5o/oOT0»  might  have  forgot  his  Injundlion;  or  that,  if  he 
remember'd  it,  he  would  not  be  fo  rigid,  as  to  put  it  in  Execu- 
tion ;  efpecially  fince  he  went  out  of  JerufaUm,  not  through 
Wantonnefs,  or  any  Contempt  of  Authority,  but  merely  to  re- 
cover what  he  had  loft,  which,  he  might  think,  was  a  Thing 
excufable.     Poofs  Annotations,  and  Patrick's  Commentary. 

■f-  It  may  feem  fomewhat  ftrangc,  that,  in  all  the  Hiftory  of 
the  Jeixis,  from  the  Time  of  Mofes  to  this  of  Solomon,  no  Mention 
ihould  be  made  of  the  Kings  of  Egypt,  as  if  they  had  no  Con- 
cern in  the  Affairs  of  Canaan,  but  were  wholly  diverted  fome 
other  Way  :  But  for  this,  their  own  Hiftorians  account,  whea 
.they  tell  us,  that,  during  this  Space  of  Time,  the  Egyptian  Kings 
did  nothing  nvorth  recording,  Diodor.  Biblioth.  lib.  i.  p.  29. 
All  thefe  Kings  of  Egypt  were  called  Pharaohs  ;  but  Pharaoh 
was  not  z.  proper  Name,  but  a  Title  of  Dignity  only,  which  im- 
portgd  the  fame  as  Sultan,  or  Etnperor.  They  had,  befides 
this,  other  Names,  and  Clemens  Akfiandrinust  in  a  PafTage  taken 

irom 


468  ne  Hiftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.    and  appointed  her  at  firft  an  Apartment  in  his  own  Palace  ; 

^J  Cjjji^  but,  after  he  had   finifh'd  the  Temple,  built  her  a  very 

1023,  &c.  ftately  Palace  adjoining  to  his  own,  which  (he  badly  de- 

From  aSam.  ferv'd ;  for,  in   Procefs  of  Time,  this  Woman,  among  o- 

I  Kings  viii.t'^6''S5  Contributed  not  a  little  to  the  Perverjton  of  Solomon. 

V.^«-y«««^     He  began  his  Reign  however  with  a  good  Senfe  of  Re- 

Begins  bit   ligion  upon  his  Mind ;  for  which  End,  taking  the  Chief 

foTs^njio/^^  the  Officers  and  Nobility  along  with  him,  he  went  to 

StUgion.      Gibeon^  where  the  original  Tabernacle  and  Altar^  that  were 

made  in  the  Wildernefs^    were  kept,  and  there  ofFer'd  a 

Thoufand  Sacrifices,  in  Acknowledgment  of  God's  Kind - 

nefs  to  him,  in  placing  him  upon  his  Father's  Throne.   In 

the  Night  following,  when  God  appear'd  to  him  in  aVi- 

fion,  and  promis'd  to  grant  whatever  he  fhould  alk,  he  begg'd 

him  to  give  him  f  a  wife  and  underflanding  Heart,  and  (f 

confi- 


.ixoxa.AbxanderT'olyhiJlor,  tells  us,  that  the /ro/iw' Name  of  this 
Egyptian  King,  whofe  Daughter  Solomon  marry'd,  was  Vaphres. 
Le  Clerc^s  and  Calmeth  Commentaries. 

f  Hereupon  feme  Jenvijh  Annotators  have  obferv'd,  that  tho* 
Solomon,  in  his  great  Modefty,  might  requeft  of  God  no  more 
.  than  the  Gift  of  Gcvernment,  or  (as  he  expreffes  it)  an  under- 
jianding  Heart  to  judge  the  People,  and  to  difcern  betnveen  Good  and 
Evil,  I  Kings  iii.  9.  yet  God,  out  of  his  abundant  Grace, 
gave  him  a  general  Knowledge  of  all  other  Things,  as  the  fol- 
lowing Hiftory  informs  us ;  And  that,  whereas  other  Mea 
gather  their  Knowledge  from  Study  and  Obfervation,  Solomon 
had  his  by  an  immediate  Infpiration  from  God,  infomuch,  that 
he,  nuho  nvent  to  Bed  as  ignorant  as  other  Men,  a^walid  in  the 
Morning  like  an  Angel  of  God.  But  though  his  Knowledge  of 
Things  was,  in  a  great  Meafure,  infus'd,  yet  he  did  not 
.therefore  negleft  his  Study.  He  game  his  Heart  to  feek,  and 
fearch  out,  by  Wifdom,  concerning  all  Things  under  the  Sun ;  in 
vj\iich.  Search  (as  he  himfelf  teftifies,  Ecclef.'i.  13.)  he  took  no 
fmall  Pains  :  So  that  his  Gifts  extraordinary  did  not  fuperfede 
the  Ufe  of  other  Means,  in  the  Acquifition  of  Knowledge, 
but,  by  Application  and  Experience,  he  perfeSed  what  he  had 
fo  advantageoufly  receiv'd  from  the  Hands  of  God.  Patrick\ 
and  Calmeis  Commentaries. 

■f-  The  Words  of  Solomon  himfelf  are,  — —  I  am  but  a  lit- 
tle Child ;  I  knew  not  ho'U)  to  go  out,  or  honv  to  come  in,  I  Kings, 
iii,  7.  From  whence  fome  have  inferred,  that  he  was  not  above 
twelve  Years  old  when  he  fpake  them  :  but  this  muft  be  a  grofs 
Mifcomputation.  His  Father,  when  he  left  the  Kingdom  to 
him,  calls  him  a  njnife  Man,  i  Kings  ii.  6,  9.  The  foregoing 
Story  Ihews,  that  he  had  already  fat  fome  Time  on  the  Throne  ; 
and  therefore  he  calls  himfelf  a  Child,  not  in  Refpeft  of  his 

Years, 


Chap.  V.     /r^w //&^  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  i^c.    469^ 

confidering  his  Youth  and  Inexperience)  fuch  Qualities,  as  A.  m. 
were  neceflary  for  the  due  Government  of  the  People  com-  A^nt^'chrift. 
mitted  to  his  Charge ;  which  Petition  God  was  fo  well  1023,  ^<=' 
pleas'd  with,  that,  over  and  above  the  Wifdom  which  heP!^°'"2Sani. 
afk'd,  he  promis'd  to  give  him  fuch  Affluence  of  riches ,  Kingsviij. 
and  Honour,  as  no  King,  in  his  Days,  fhould  be  able  to ' 
equalize.  When  Solomon  awak'd  out  of  Sleep,  he  per- 
ceiv'd  that  this  was  a  Dream  fent  from  God  ;  and  there- 
fore, returning  to  yerufalem,  he  prefented  himfelf  before 
the  Ark  of  the  Covenant^  which  was  plac'd  in  a  Taber- 
nacle^ that  David  had  made  for  it,  and  there  he  ofFer'd 
Sacrifices  in  Abundance. 

SOLOMON  (as  we  faid)  had  obtain'd  of  God  a  '?rom\(Q  4rtd gnat 
of  the  Gift  of  m/dom  ;  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  ^^^^„'"lf^l'' 
an  Opportunity  of  (hewing  it,  to  the  great  Satisfaftion  oiwijdm, 
all  his  Subje£ls.     f  Two  Women,  who  both  liv'd  together 
in  one  Houfe,  were  brought  to  Bed  about  the  fame  Time,  ^% 

and  one  had  overlaid  her  Child.     She,  who  found  the  dead  *l 

Child  by  her,  accus'd  the  other  of  having  ftolen  away  her  tJ 

living  Child,  and  left  her  dead  one  in  its  Place  :  The  other 

G  g  3  pertinacioufly  •< 

Years,  (for  moft  agree  that  he  was  twenty,  when  he  began  to 
reign)  but  his  Skill  in  governing  the  People,  and  managing  the 
Affairs  of  State.  This  was  a  moiieji  Expreffion  in  Solomon  ;  but 
it  is  an  Obfervation  of  Arijlotle,  in  his  Book  of  Politicks,  that 
young  Men  are  unfit  for  Government,  becaufe  their  confultive 
Poixier  is  imperfeft ;  which,  though  it  may  not  be  a  general 
Rule,  was  deliver'd  by  Solomon  himfelf,  in  liis  more 
mature  Years,  for  a  Maxim  ;  for  Woe  to  the  Land,  (fays  he, 
Ecclef.  X.  16,)  <who/e  King  is  a  Child.  Patrick's  Commen- 
tary. 

•f-  Thefe  two  Women  are  faid  in  the  Text  to  be  Harlots,  but 
the  Hebreixj  Word  (as  we  took  Notice  in  the  Cafe  of  Rahab) 
may  equally  fignify  an  Hojiefs,  or  one,  who  kept  a  Houfe  of 
publick  Entertainment ;    and  that  it  is  fo  to  be  taken  here,  we 

have  thefe  Reafons  to  prefume  : That,  as  all  publick 

Pro/?/Va^/o«  was  feverely  forbidden  by  the  Law,  Deut.  xxiii.  17. 
Women  of  this  infamous  Character  durft  not  have  prefented 
themfelves  before  fo  juft  and  fo  wife  a  King  j  that  Women  of 
this  lewd  Behaviour  feldom  do  become  Mothers  of  Children, 
and  when  they  chance  to  have  any,  are  not  fo  foUicitous  for  their 
Prefervation,  but  rather  rejoice  when  they  have  got  rid  of  them. 
There  is  no  Reafon  to  fuppofe  then,  that  thefe  Women  were  com- 
mon Harlots  i  and  yet  it  is  generally  thought,  that  they  were 
both  unmarryd  Perlbns,  and  guilty  of  Fornication,  becaufe  no 
Mention  is  made  of  their  Hulbands,  whofe  Office  it  was  (i^ 
they  had  any)  to  conteft  the  Matter  for  their  Wives.  Poor%  An- 
notations, and  Calmet's  Commentary. 


^ 


The  Hiftory  of  the  BIB  L  E,    Iook  V. 

f  *  "^c  P^ft^"^<^^<^u^y  denied  the  Thing,  fo  that  the  Queftion  was, 
Ant.'chdft.^''  t^hom  did  this-  living  Child  belong  F  And  to  determine 
1013,  ©■<:.  this,  Solomon  commanded  feme  that  flood  by,  to  take  and 
From2Sain.|    ^^^^    j^g    d^jy    ^^  ^  ^^^    ^^  ^^    gg^.j^      ^q, 

xix.    to  ^ 

I  Kings  viii.  man  half ;  whereupon  the  r^a/ Mother  begs  that  the  Child 
I  may  be  fav'd,  even  tho'  it  be  given  to  her  Adverfary,  but  the 
pretended  one  is  clearly  for  dividing  it ;  which  gave  Solomon 
SL  full  Convidion,  that  {he  who  exprefs'd  a  Tendernefs  and 

Companion 

f  Solomon  knew  at  once,  that  the  only  Sign  that  would  dif- 
cover  the  true,  would  be  her  Affedtion,  and  Compaflion,  and 
Tendernefs  for  her  Child ;  and  therefore,  in  order  to  diftinguinx 
4  '^  between  the  two,  his  Bufinefs  was  to  make  Trial  of  this  :  And 
if  we  fuppofe,  that  when  he  commanded  the  Child  to  he  divided j 
he  fpake  with  a  fedate  Countenance,  and  feeming  Earneftnefs, 
(as  the  true  Mother's  Petition  to  the  King  makes  it  apparent  that 
he  did)  then  we  may  fuppofe  farther,  not  only  the  two  Women, 
**  but  all  the  People  prefent  with  Horror  and  Admiration  expeft- 

ittgjjthe  Execution  of  the  Thing  ;   which,  when  it  ended  in  fo 
jufl^^  Decijton,  quite  contrary  to  what  they  looked  for,  rais'd  Joy 
in,^^very  Breaft,    and  gave  a  more  advantageous  Commendation 
toithe  Judge  :    And  yet  Aharbinel,    the  Jeivijh  Commentator, 
th^ks,  that  all  this  was  no  great  Proof  of  Solomon  i  extraordin- 
ary ^ifdom,  nor  could  it  beget  that  Fear  or  Reverence,  which 
tYi&'^ext  fays  (i   Kings  iii.  28,)  it  procured  to  his  Perfon.     His 
Opinion  therefore  is,  that   Solomon  made  a  Difcovery  of  the 
Truth  antecedent  to  this  Experiment ;    that,    by  obferving  the 
Countenance,  the  Manner  of  Speech,  and  all  the  Motions  of  the 
Women,  he  difcern'd  the  Secret  of  their  Heart,  and  penetrated 
to  the  Bottom  of  the  Bufmefs ;    and  that  his  commanding  the 
Child  to  be  divided  afterwards  was  only  to  notify  to  the  Com- 
pany, what  he  before  had  difco<verd.     However  this  be,  it  may 
not  be  improper,  upon  this  Occafion,  to  mention  an  Inftance  or 
two  out  of  profane  Hiftory,  of  a  Angular  Addrefs  (though  much 
inferior  to  this)  in  difcovering  fuch  Secrets,   as  feem'd  to  be  paft 
finding  out.     To  this  Purpofe,  Suetonius  {mhis  Life  of  C/audian, 
Chap.  15.)  tells  us,  how  that  Emperor  difcovered  a  Woman  to 
be  the  Mother  of  a  young  Man,  whom  fhe  would  not  own  for 
her  Son,  by  commanding  her  to  be  marry'd  to  hihx ;  for  the 
Horror  of  committing  Ince^  oblig'd  her  to  declare  the  Truth  ; 
and,   in  like  Manner,  Diodorus  Siculus  relates,  how  Ariopharnes, 
King  of  the  Thracians,  being  appointed  to  arbitrate  between 
three  Men,  who  all  pretended  to  be  Sons  of  the  King  of  the 
Ci7n?nerians,  and  claim'd  the  Succeffion,  found  out  the  true  Son 
and  Heir,  by  ordering  them  to  fhoot,  each  Man  his  Arrow,  into 
the  dead  King's  Body,  which  one  of  them  refuiing  to  do,  was 
<ieem'd  tile  true  Claimant.    PooPi  Annotations,  Patrick'^  and 
Calmet\  Commentaries. 


> 


Ch  A  p .  V.    from  the  IfraeJi tcs  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        471 

Compaffion  for  the  Child,  was  its  true  Mother,  and  ac-    ^.  M. 
cordingly  order'd  it  to  be  given  her.  aV  Chrift. 

The  Wifdom  of  the  King  foon  fhed  an  happy  Influence  1023,  fefc. 
overall  his  Dominions,  and  every  Subjeft  was,  in  fome  ^^°"' *Saip. 
Degree  or  other,  made  Partaker  of  it.     All  Judah  and  If- ,  Kings  viii. 
rael  liv'd  in  the  greateft  Security  ;  and  all  the  Neighbour-  v.««J-«^ 
ing  Nations  either  paid  him  Tribute,  or  were  his  Friends^'"'  /-"S* 
and  Allies.     He  rul'd  over  all  the  Countries  and  Kingdoin§,  f„7^2,. 
f  from  the  Euphrates  to  the  JV/V^,    and  in  many  Pl^ces/«/LMr«;«^, 
his  Dominions  extended  beyond  the  Euphrates.     He  had  la  fl'^  ^"*' 
great  Number  of  Horfes  and  Chariots  of  War.     Inftances '"^^^ 
of  his  Wifdom  were  as  numerous  as  the  Sands  of  the  Sea^       ^ 
and  in  Learning  and  Knowledge  he  f  furpafs'd  all  the  Ori-      ^^ 
entals,  and  the  Egyptians.     In  a  Word,  he  was  the  wifeft 
of  Mankind,  and  his  Reputation  was  fpread  thro'  all  Na- 
G  g  4  tions. 

■f-  The  Words  in  the  Text  are,  And  Solomon  reigned  over  all 
Kingdoms  from  the  River  unto  the  Land  of  the  Philiftines,  and 
unto  the  Border  of  Egypt,  i  Kings  iv.  21.  for  the  Bounds  of  his 
Kingdom  were  to  the  Eaft,  the  Euphrates,  which  is  here,  and  in 
other  Places  of  Scripture,  called  the  River,  without  any  Addi- 
tion ;  to  x}aiiWefty  the  Country  of  the  Philiftines,  which  border'd 
upon  the  Mediterranean-Sea  ;  and  to  the  South,  Egypt.  So  that 
Solomon  had  tributary  to  him  the  Kingdoms  of  Syria,  Damafcus, 
Moab,  and  Amman,  which  lay  between  Euphrates  and  the  Medi- 
terranean J  as  indeed,  without  fuch  a  Number  of  tributary  King- 
doms, we  cannot  conceive  how  the  Country  of  Ifrael  could  have 
furnifh'd  fuch  a  conftant  Supply  of  Provifions,  and  other  Thing*' 
neceflary  for  the  Support  of  this  Prince's  Grandeur.  Patrick^ 
and  Calmet's  Commentaries. 

f  There  were  three  Nations  in  the  Eaft  of  Canaan,  that  were 
very  famous  for  their  Wifdom  and  Erudition  ;  the  Chaldeans,  be- 
yond the  Euphrates  ;  the  Perftans,  beyond  the  Tygris  ;  and  the 
Arabians,  on  the  nearer  Side  of  the  Euphrates,  a  little  towards 
the  South :  But  whether  the  Perftans  and  Chaldeans  were  remark- 
able for  their  Learning  in  Solomons  Days,  is  much  doubted  among 
Commentators.  The  Book  of  Job  fufficiently  fhews,  that  the 
Arabians  {ior  of  that  Nation  was  Job  and  his  Friends)  were  famouj 
for  their  Learning  in  antient  Times  ;  And,  as  to  the  Chaldeans 
and  other  oriental  People,  fince  the  Sons  of  Noah  took  up 
their  Habitation  about  Babylon,  and  the  neighbouring  Countries, 
it  is  reafonable  to  fuppofe,  tliat  where  Mankind  firft  began  to  fet- 
tle themfelves  into  regular  Societies,  there  Arts  and  Sciences  firft 
began  to  appear.  The  Egyptians  however  pretend  to  a  Precedency 
in  this,  and  feveral  other  Accompliftunents.  They  fay,  that  the 
Chaldeans  receiv'd  the  Principles  of  Philofophy  at  firft  from  a  Co- 
iony,  that  came  from  Egypty  as  Diedgrm  indeed  makes  mention 

of 


4  7  2  5';&(f  Hiftory  of  the  BIB  L  E,     Book  V, 

■^' ^'  tions.  Hecompos'd,  or  collected,  *  1  hree  Tioufatid  Pro- 
Ant.  Chrift.'^'^'^^j  and  a  f  Thou/and  and  five  Poems.  He  knew  the 
1023,  &ff.  Virtue  of  all  Plants  and  Trees,  from  the  higheft  to  the 

of  fuch  a  Colony,  conduced  by  Belus :  But  the  Chaldeans,  on 
the  other  Hand,  maintain,  that  from  them  it  was,  that  the  Egyp- 
tians receiv'd  their  firft  Inftruftions,  and  (according  to  fome)  that 
jihraham  was  the  Perfon,  who  firft  communicated  to  the  G&«/- 
</^«?;w  the  Knowledge  of  Aftronomy,  and  other  Sciences.  How- 
ever this  be,  Solojnon  received  from  God  a  perfedl  Knowledge  of 
all  that  ufeful  and  folid  Learning,  for  which  the  Eajlern  People, 
and  the  Egpptians,  were  juftly  fam'd;  for  (as  it  follows)  he  was 
a  great  moral  Philofopher,  a  great  natural  Philofopher,  and  an 
excellent  Poet.     Patrick's  and  Calmei'%  Commentaries. 

*  Jofephus,  who  lov'd  to  magnify  every  Thing,  that  concern'4 
Solomon,  inftead  of  three  Thoufand  Pro'verbs,  tells  us,  that  Solo- 
mon compos'd  three  thoufand  Books  of  Proverbs :  The  greater  cer- 
tainly is  our  Lofs,  (if  the  Thing  were  credible)  becaufe  all  the 
Pro'verbs  of  Solomon,  that  we  have  now,  are  compris'd  in  the 
Book,  that  goes  under  that  Nanrie,  and  in  his  Ecclefiafies  ;  ani 
yet  fome  learned  Cri ticks  are  of  Opinion,  that  the  nine  firft  Chap- 
ters of  the  Book  of  Pro'verbs  were  not  of  Solomons  Compofure, 
and  that  the  Number  of  Proverbs,  which  properly  belong  to  him, 
is  no  more  than  JIx  Hundred  and  Fifty.  Grotius^s  Annotations, 
and  Ca/»zf/'s  Commentary. 

•j-  Thefe,  one  would  think,  were  Poems  enough,  for  a  Perfon, 
that  had  fo  much  more  other  Bufinefs,  as  King  Solomon  had ;  but 
yofephus,  who  is  never  content,  makes  him  the  Author  of  yo  many 
Volumes  of  Poetical  Compojitions  j  and  the  Septuagint  indeed,  ais 
well  a?  other  Interpreters,  make  the  Number  of  them  to  be  no 
lefs,  titaaLnfi've  Thoufand  Songs  or  Odes  :  But,  of  all  this  Number, 
yve  have  none  remaining  but  the  Song  of  Songs,  as  it  is  called  ; 
except  the  Hundred  aud  twenty-fixth  Pfalm,  which  (in  its  Hebreixj 
Title)  is  afcrib'd  to  Solomon,  may  be  fuppos'd  to  be  one  of  thefe. 
The  Pfalter  of  Solomon,  which  contains  eighteen  Pfalms,  (a 
Work,  that  was  found  in  Greek  in  the  Library  of  Aufburgh,  and 
has  been  tranflated  into  Latin  by  John  Lenx^is  de  la  Cerda)  is  fup- 
pofed  by  the  Learned  to  be  none  of  Solomons,  but  of  fome  Hel- 
leniflical  Jevj,  much  converfant  in  reading  the  facred  Authors, 
and  who  had  compos'd  them  in  Lnitation  of  the  Pfalms  of  David, 
whofe  Stile  he  clofely  purfu'd,  and  had  inferted  feveral  Paflages 
of  the  Prophets,  fefpecially  of  Ifaiah  and  Ezekie/)  which  he  ac- 
commodated well  enough  to  hisPurpofe.  However  this  be,  thefe 
eighteen  Pfalms  were  not  Unknown  to  the  Antients ;  for  they  were 
formerly  in  the  famous  Alexandrian  Manufcript,  which  is  with  us, 
as  may  be  feen  by  the  Index,  which  is  ftill  to  be  found  at  the  End 
of  the  AV-xu  Tejlament,  though  the  Pfalms  themfelves  have  either 
been  torn  out  of  the  Book,  or  loft  by  fome  Accident.  Le  Clerc^s 
and  Calmel's  Commentaries,  and  his  Diftionary,  under  the  Word 
Sc/cm/n, 


Chap.  V.     from  the KrsitYiteienf ering  Ca,nzan,^c.      473 

loweft  ;  and   in  his  Books  treated  of  the  Nature  of  f  all^  ^j  ^-^ 
Kinds  of  Beafts,  and  Birds,  and  Reptiles,  and  Fifhcs ;  in-  Ant.  Chrift, 
fomuch,    that  *  there  was  a  Concourfe  of  Strangers  from  1023,  &c. 
all  Countries  to  hear  his  Wifdom,  and  Embafladors  from^5°«'^f  ^ 
the  moil  remote  Princes,  that  had  heard  of  his  Fame.  i  Kings  viii. 

As' 

f  The  feveral  Books  which  treated  of  the  Nature  and  Virtue 
of  Jnimals,  as  well  as  Plants,  are  fuppos'd  to  have  been  loft  in 
the  Bahylonijh  Captivity ;  but  Eufebius  (as  he  is  quoted  by  Jnaf- 
tajius)  informs  us,  that  King  Hezekiah,  feeing  the  Abufe  which 
his  Subjedls  made  of  SolomonsWoxks,  by  placing  too  much  Con- 
fidence  in  the  Remedies  which  he  prefcrib'd,  and  the  natural 
Secrets  which  he  difcover'd,  thought  proper  to  fupprefs  them  all. 
Notwithftanding  this,  fince  his  Time,  many  Books,  concerning 
the  Secrets  of  Magick,  Medicine,  and  Inchantments,  have  appear- 
ed under  the  Name  of  this  Prince ;  and  feveral  Pieces  have  been 
quoted,  fuch  as  the  InJiruSlions  of  Solomon  to  hit  Son  Rehobo-!- 
am  ;  ne  Tejiament  of  Solomon ;  The  Books  of  the  Throne  of  So- 
lomon j  The  Books  of  Magick,  compos'' d  by  the  Damons,  under  the 
Name  of  Solomon  ;  The  Clavicula,  or  Key  of  Solomon  ;  The 
Ring  of  Solomon  ;  The  ContradiSiion  of  Solomon,  ^c.  which 
were  moft  of  them  very  wicked  and  pernicious  Trafts,  to  which 
the  Authors  prefix'd  this  great  Name,  to  give  them  more  Credit 
and  Sanftion,  'Tis  fomewhat  ftrange  however,  that  Jojephus 
Ihould  inform  us,  that  Solomon  compos'd  Books  of  Inchantments, 
and  feveral  Manners  of  Exorcifms,  or  of  driving  away  Devils,  fo 
that  they  could  return  no  more ;  and  that  he  Ihould  further  affure 
us,  that  himfelf  had  feen  Experiments  of  it  by  one  Eleazar,  a 
Jenv,  who,  in  the  Prefence  of  VefptMn,  his  Sons,  and  the  Offir 
cers  of  his  Army,  cur'd  feveral,  fl^t  were  pofTefs'd.  Je^ijh 
Antiq.  lib.  viii.  c.  2.  and  Calmefs  Diftionary,  under  the  Word 
Solomon. 

*  It  is  a  Conceit  of  one  of  the  Jeiuijh  Interpreters,  that  al! 
the  Kings  of  the  neighbouring  Countries  went  to  hear  the  Wif- 
dom of  Solomon,  and  that,  upon  their  Return,  their  Subiedls  came 
to  them  to  hear  what  he  had  faid  ;  but  as  we  hear  of  none,  but 
fhe  Queen  of  Sheha,  who  came  to  vifit  Solomon,  we  cannot  but 
think,  that  if  any  other  cronund  Heads  had  reforted  to  him,  the 
Hiftory  would  have  recorded  them,  as  well  as  her.  The  Words 
denote  no  more,  than  that  the  Kings  of  all  the  neighbouring  Na- 
tions fent  their  Embaffadors,  and  People  of  every  Land,  that 
had  heard  of  Solomon's  Fame,  came  to  fee  him ;  for  "  no  Spec- 
*'  tacle  (fays  an  ingenious  Author)  is  more  lovely  and  grateful, 
"  than  a  wife  and  good  King;  all  Men  flock  to  fee  him,  and  to 
*'  partake  of  his  pious  and  prudent  Mind.  They  that  fee  him, 
*'  are  loth  to  leave  him,  and  they  that  hear  of  him,  are  as  deli- 
*'  rous  to  fee  him,  as  Children  are  to  find  their  unknown  Father." 
Dion  Prufaus  Orat.  de  Regno, 


474  '^e  Hifiory  of  the  hi  "Q  L  E,    Book  V. 

2981'  ^c.  ^^  ^°°"  ^^  Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  underftood  that  So' 
Ant/chiiA  Jof^o^  was  t  made  King  of  I/rael,  *  he  fent  Embafladon 
T023,  &c.  to  him   to  condole  his  Father's  Death,  and  congratulate 

FromiSam*  **        ,. 

xjx     to  "'"» 

I  Kings  viii. 

K-^-y/m-mj     f  Thc  ivth  Chapter  of  the  firft  of  Kings  is  chiefly  taken  up 
His  League   in  recording  the  Prime  Minifters  and  Officers  of  Solomon's  Court, 
ZfifuiTi-^  ^^^  Compafs  and  Extent  of  his  Kingdom,  theHappinefs  and  Se- 
^,' '  y^*'^^' curity  of  his  Subjefts,  the  Pomp  and  Magnificence  of  his  Living, 
for  Matfriak  ^'^^  ^he  Excellence  of  his  own  Wifdom  and  Erudition. 
tiJididtbe        *  This  Hiram  was  doubtlefs  the  Son  of  that  other  Hiram, 
Temple,        who  fent  David  Timber  and  Artificers  wherewith  to  build  hi$ 
^^jfj"  J"  ^Palace:    For,    if  (according  to  7o>/.;6w)  the  Temple  was  built 
rfI4" vf      ^"  '■^^  twelfth  Year  of  Hiram%  Reign,  and  the  fourth  of  5o/»- 
""     "       vwn\,  this  Hiram  could  not  be  the  fame  with  him,  who  fent  Dtf 
-^         "urVMen  and  Materials ;  becaufe  that  Hiram  was  upon  the  Throne 
when  Daqjid  took  Jerufalem,   which  happen'd  to  be  three  and 
thirty  Years  before  Sohmon  began  his  Reign.     There  are  two 
Letters,  which  pafs'd  between   this  Hiram  and  King   Solomon, 
recorded  by  Jofephus,  and  for  xhc  Authenticknefs  of  which,  he  ap- 
peals both  to  the  Jenfjijh  and  Tyrian  Records,  that  are  to  this 
EfFea  : 

"  King  Solomon,  to  Hirj^m,  greeting, 
*'  Be  it  known  unto  thee,  O  King,  that  my  Father  David  h^ 
**  it  a  long  Time  in  his  Mind  and  Purpofe  to  ereft  a  Temple  to 
*'  the  Lord  ;  but  being  perpetually  in  War  in  his  Days,  and  un- 
"  der  a  Neceffity  of  clearing  his  Hands  of  his  Enemies,  and 
"  making  them  all  his  Tributaries,  before  he  could  attend  this 
"  great  and  holy  Work,  he  hath  left  it  to  me,  in  a  Time  of 
*'  Peace,  both  to  begin  and  finifti  it,  according  to  the  Direction, 
"  as  well  as  Predidion,  of  the  Almighty,  BlefTed  be  his  great 
**  Nanie  for  the  prefent  Tranquillity  of  my  Dominions!  And,  by 
"  his  gracious  Affiftance,  I  fhall  now  dedicate  the  bell  Improve- 
*'  ijnents  of  this  Liberty  and  Leifure  to  his  Honour  and  Worlhip. 
"  Wherefore  I  make  it  my  Requeft,  that  you  will  let  fome  of 
'"  your  People  go  along  with  fome  Servants  of  mine  to  Mount 
*'  Libanus,  to  affift  them  in  cutting  down  Materials  towards  this 
*'  Building;  (for  the  Sydonians  underftand  it  much  better  than 
*'  we  do)  and  as  for  the  Workmen's  Reward,  or  Wages,  what- 
«•  ever  you  think  reafonable  {hall  be  punftually  paid  to  them." 
"  King  Hiram,  to  King  Solomon. 
**  Nothing  could  have  been  more  welcome  to  me,  than  to 
*•  underftand,  that  the  Government  of  your  bleffed  Father  is,  by 
*«  God's  Providence,  devolv'd  into  tlie  Hands  of  fo  excellent,  fo 
"  wife,  and  fo  virtuous  a  Succeffor.  His  holy  Name  be  prais'd 
^'  for  it !  That  which  you  write  for  fhall  be  done  with  all  Care 
."  and  good  Will :  For  I  will  give  Orders  to  cut  down,  and  ex- 
**  port,  fucli  Quantities  of  the  faireft  Cedars,  and  Cyprefs-Trees, 
"  as  you  Ihall  have  Occafion  for.  My  People  fhall  bring  them 
**  to  the  Sea-fide  for  you,  and  from  thence  Ihip  them  away  to 

"  \yh2t 


Chap.  V.    from  the  UmtVitQS  enfering  Canaan,  fcfr.     -475 

him  upon  his  Acceflion  to  the  Throne  :  And,  in  a  fhort  A.  M. 
Time  after,  Solomon,  in  Return,  fent  an  Embafly  to  him,  Aau'chiii. 
defiring  him  to  fupply  him  with  Wood,  and  Workmen,  1023,  &€. 
and  to  lend  him  his  Afliftance  in  Building  the  Temple  of  the^'.^^ ^^^* 
Lord.  Hiram  very  readily  complied  with  his  Defire,  and ,  Kings  vIh^ 
fent  him  word,  that  he  would  order  Cedar-Trees,  and  Fir-  \m 
Trees  to  be  cut  down  upon  Mount  Libanus ;  that  his  Peo- 
ple fhould  put  them  on  Floats,  and  bring  them  by  Sea  to 
the  Harbour  of  foppa ;  and  that  from  thence  Solomon, 
(who  contrafted  to  give  Hiram  fuch  a  Quantity  of  Wheat 
and  Wine,  and  Oil,  yc.  every  Year  for  the  Maintenance 
of  his  Houlhold,  and  Workmen)  might  fend,  and  fetch 
them  to  Jerufalem. 

All  Things  being  thus  agreed  on,  the  Preparations  for 
the  Building  of  the  Temple  went  on  apace.  Seventy 
Thoufand  Profelytes,  who  were  the  Remains  of  the  antient 
Canaanites,  Solomon  employ 'd  in  carrying  Burdens  upon 
their  Shoulders;  fourfcore  Thoufand,  in  cutting  Stone  out 
of  the  Quarries  ;  and  three  Thoufand  fix  hundred,  in 
overfeeing  the  Work.  Of  his  own  SubjeSfs,  he  fent  thirty 
Thoufand  to  work  with  the  King  of  Tyre's  Men  in  the 
Quarries  of  Lioanus:  And  (to  finifh  the  inner  Fart  of  the 
Temple,  as  well  as  frame  fome  of  its  choiceft  Veffels)  Hi- 
ram  *  fent  him  a  moft  (kilful  Artift  of  his  own  Name, 

whofe 

**  what  Port  you  pleafe,  where  they  may  lie  ready  for  your  own 
*'  Men  to  tranfport  them  to  Jerufalem.  It  would  be  a  great 
*'  Obligation,  after  all  this,  to  allow  us  fuch  aProvifionofCom 
*'  in  Exchange,  as  may  Hand  with  your  Convenience  j  for  that 
*'  is  the  Commodity,  that  we  IJlanders  want  moft."  Je'wijh 
Antiq.  lib.  viii.  c.  2.  But  notwithftanding  all  his  Appeal  to  the 
Tyrian  Records,  fome  have  fufpedted  Jofephus,  as  to  the  Genuine- 
nefst^thefe  two  Letters,  efpecially  where  they  find  him  bring- 
jn,^n  Hiram,  fpeaking  of  Tyre,  as  if  it  had  been  an  Ifland, 
whereas  it  is  plain,  that  the  Old  Tyre,  which  was  then  ftanding, 
and  muft  be  the  Place  here  fpoken  of,  was  fituate  on  the  Conti- 
nent.    Le  cure's  Commentary. 

*  In  former  Times,  among  the  Hebrenvs,  there  had  been  very 
excellent  Workmen,  wlio  knew  how  to  cut  and  engrave  precious 
Stones,  to  caft,  and  work  upon,  Metals,  t^c.  but  this  was  be- 
'  fore  they  came  into  the  Land  of  Canaan,  in  the  Time  of  Mofes, 
when  Bezaleel  and  Aholiab  were  excellent  in  many  different 
Arts,  which  were  neceflary  for  the  Work  of  the  Temple ;  but, 
as  the  Scripture  acquaints  us,  that  they  had  their  Skill  by  Infpi- 
ration  from  God,  it  docs  not  appear  that  they  had  any  Succef- 
fors:  And,  after  the  People  had  got  Poiffffion  of  Canaan,  they 

ncgletled 


476  ^e  Hijlon  of  the  BIB  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  whofe  Mother  was  of  the  Tribe  of  Dan,  but  his  Father  » 
Ant!'chr[ft.  ^' ^'''" »  and  (what  was  prodigious)  his  Abilities  extended 
1013,  Sff.  to  all  Kind  of  Works,  whether  in  Gold,  Silver,  Brafs,  or 
From 2 Sam. Iron,  whether  in  Linen,  Tapeftry,  or  Embroidery;  and 
^Kingsviii.^y  ^^^  Diredion  all  the  curious  Furniture  of  the  Temple 
(was  bothdefign'd  and  finifli'd. 

And  now  all  Things  being  in  Readinefs,  the  Founda- 
tion of  the  Temple  was  laid  in  the  f  fourth  Year  of  King 
Solomon's  Reign,  in  the  Year  of  the  Creation  two  Thou- 
fand  nine  Hundred  and  ninety  two,  four  Hundred  and 
eighty  Years  after  the  Ifraelites  Efcape  from  the  Egyptian 
Bondage  5  and,  in  the  *  Space  of  feven  Years  and  an  half, 

was 

ncglefted  all  Manufa£lures,  and  apply'd  themfelves  wholly  to 
Agriculture,  and  feeding  of  Cattle;  fo  that,  in  the  Time  of  ^o- 
loman,  there  were  no  profefs'd  Artifts,  that  could  undertake  the 
Work  of  the  Teniple,  but  in  Tyre  and  Sidon  there  were  many ; 
for,  both  in  his  Iliads  and  his  Odyjfey,  Homer  gives  the  People 
«f  thefe  two  Places  this  Charafter,  whom  (upon  every  Turn)  he 
calls  rioAuSa/SaAy.'j  »"-  e.  excellent  Arfifis  in  federal  Kinds  of 
Works.     Patrick's  Commentary. 

f  If  it  be  aflc'd,  why  Solomon  did  not  begin  the  Building  of 
the  Temple  fooner,  and  even  in  the  firft  Year  of  iiis  Reign,  fmce 
his  Father  had  left  him  a  Plan,  and  all  Things  neceffary  for  the 

Undertaking  ?  Aharbiml\  Anfwer  is, That  Solomon  woul4 . 

:tjot  make  ufe  of  what  his  Father  had  prepared,  but  v/as  refolv'd 
to  build  this  Temple  all  at  his  proper  Coft  and  Charge.  He 
therefore  put  into  the  Treajure  of  the  Lord's  Houfe  all,  that  Da'vidl 
had  dedicated  to  the  Work  ;  and,  to  gather  together  as  much 
Gold  and  Silver,  as  was  neceffary  to  defray  fo  vaft  an  Expence, 
four  Tears  can  be  accounted  no  unreafonable  Time.  Nay,  eveii 
fuppofe  that  he  made  ufe  of  the  Treafure,  which  his  Father  had 
amafs'd,  yet,  if  the  Materials,  that  his  Father  had  provided,  lay 
at  a  confiderable  Diftance,  and  were  left  rude  and  unfafliion'd,  it 
would  coft  all  this  Time  to  form  them  into  the  exaft  Symmetry, 
wherein  the  Scripture  reprefents  them  before  they  were  brqught 
together,  efpecially  confidering  that  the  very  Stones,  which  made 
the  Foundation,  were  very  probably  vaft  Blocks  of  Marble,  or 
Porphyry,  i  Kings  V.  ij.  And  all  polifti'd  in  the  moft  exquifite 
Manner.     Patrick's  Commentary,    and  PooFs  Annotations. 

*  The  Temple  itfelf  indeed  was  but  a  fmall  Edifice,  but  the 
many  Courts  and  Offices  that  were  about  it,  made  the  Whole  a' 
vaft  Pile,  and  the  Exquifitenefs  of  the  Art,  and  the  Fewnefs  of 
the  Artifts,  that  could  be  employ'd  about  it,  made  a  longer  Time 
requifite.  It  muft  be  ovvn'd  however,  that,  confidering  all 
Things,  Solomon  made  an  extraordinary  Difpatch :  For,  if  the 
Building  of  Diana's  Temple  at  Ephcfus,  employ'd  all  Afta,  for 
the  Space  of  two  hundred  Years,  and  no  lefs  than  three  hundred 
and  fwty  Thoufand  Men,  for  twenty  Ye?rs  together,  were  taken 

up 


Chap.V.  from  the Ui&eWtei  eniering  Canaan,  ^c.      477 

was  compleated  with  fuch  Dexterity^  that  neither  *  Ham-  ^  A.  m.^ 
mer^  nor  Ax,  nor  any  Tool   of  Iron  was  heard  in  it,  all  Ant!*chrift. 
the  while  that  it  was  building.     Such  admirable  Care  and  J023,   Sfc 
Contrivance  was  us'd,  in  preparing,  and  adjufting,  ih^Ma-  ^[°™^^^* 
ierialsy  before  they  were  brought  together  !  i  Kings  viii. 


I'he    Objection. 

*<  13  UT  how  commendable  foever  the  Zeal  both  of 
<*  jj  David,  and  his  Son  Solomon,  to  build  the  Temple 
*'  of  the  Lord,  might  be  }  yet  we  are  much  in  the  wrong, 
**  if  we  think,  that  this  would  be  any  Commutation  for  the 
**  Blood  and  Cruelty,  which  the  facred  Hiftorian  feems 
**  to  leave  charg'd  upon  them. 

•*  DAVID  had  given  Saul  the  moft  folemn  AfTurance 

'*  upon 

up  in  erefting  one  Pyramid,  (as  Pliny,  lib.  xxxvi.  c.  12,  affirms) 
no  reafonable  Man  can  wonder,  that  this  Temple  was  feven  Years 
and  an  half  in  building.  Poofs  Annotations,  and  Calmefs,  Com- 
mentary. 

*  The  Jeivijh  Doftors  have  entertain'd  a  very  odd  Conceit, 
upon  the  Occafion  of  this  Paflage  in  the  facred  Hiftory,  whereia 
the  Temple  is  faid  to  have  been  built  without  Noife.  They  tell  us, 
that  the  Damon  A/modem  drove  Solomon  once  from  his  Throne, 
and  reign 'd  in  his  Place,  while  that  Prince  was  forc'd  to  travel 
over  the  feveral  Kingdoms,  and  Provinces,  of  the  World ;  but 
that,  at  his  Return  to  Jeru/alem,  he  defeated  Afmodeus,  and 
having  chain'd  him  fo,  that  he  could  do  no  Hurt,  he  compelled 
him  to  teach  him  the  Art  of  cutting  Stones  for  the  Temple, 
without  making  any  Noife,  which  was  done,  as  they  fay,  not 
with  any  Tool  or  Inftrument,  but  by  the  Help  of  a  Worm,  called 
Samir,  which  cuts  and  polilhes  Stone  with  a  marvellous  Facility, 
But  the  Foundation  of  all  this  Fiftion  (as  Bochart,  Hieroz.  p.  2. 
lib.  vi.  c.  1 1 .  has  obferv'd)  is  laid  in  Somebody's  miftaking  the 
Senfe  of  the  Word  Samir,  which  fignifies  a  very  hard  Stone, 
called  Smiris,  that  is  of  ufe  to  cut  and  polifh  other  Stones,  and 
which  Solomons  Workmen  might  poffibly  have  Recourfe  to  upon 
this  Occafion.  But  the  true  Reafon  why  no  Noife  was  heard  in 
the  building  of  the  Temple,  was,  that  the  Stones,  and  all  other 
Materials,  were  hewn,  and  fquar'd,  and  fitted  at  a  Diftance, 
fo  that,  when  they  were  brought  to  the  Place,  where  the 
Temple  was  to  ftand,  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  join  them 
together.  And  this  might  be  done,  not  only  for  the  Eafe  and 
Convenience  of  the  Carriage,  but  for  the  Magnificence  of  the 
Work,  and  the  Commendation  of  the  Workmen's  Skill  and  la- 
genuity.  Poors  Annotations,  and  Calmef^  Didionary,  under 
the  Word  Solomon, 


.478  ^e  Hifiory  cfihe  BlBh E,    Book  V. 

2  ti  ^c  "  "P^'^  ^^'^'  *^^'  ^'^'^  ^^  ^^"^^  "^'  ^"'  ^-^  ^"  ^''''» 
^t^'chtift.'*  "^^  dejiroy  his  Name  out  cf  his  Father's  Houfe  j  he  knew 

1023,  &c.  "  full  Well  too,  that  it  was  an  exprefs  Command  in  the 

■  xfHo^f'"'"  ^^^'  *^^^  ^^^  Children  Jhould  not  be  put  to  death  for  the 

Kiiigsviii.   *'  Fathers,  but  that  every  Man  Jhould  be  put  to  death  for 

V.,r«^— iiij"  his  own  Sin:  And  yet,  notwithftanding  this  double  Ob- 

*'  ligation,  we  find  him  tamely  giving  up  feven  of  Saul'i 

"  innocent  Progeny  (which  he  had  promised  to  protect) 

*'  into  the   Hands  of  bloody-minded  Men,  by  them  to  be 

•'  hung  up,  as  long  as  they  thought  fit,  in  order  to  atone 

f^  **  for  what  Saul  had  done  amifs  ;    and   to   appeafe  the 

^  «  Wrath  of  God,  as  if  he  (like  the  Idol  Moloch)  could 

"be  pleas'd  with  the  Tortures  of  the  Innocent,  or  took 

**  delight  in  the  Oblation  of  human  Blood. 

"  SJUL's  Family  was  very  numerous  indeed,  and  fome 
*'  of  them  might,  in  Procefs  of  Time,  grow  up  to  be  an- 
<^  *'  other  JJhbo/heth  to  David^  and   give  him  fome  Diftur- 

**  hznce  in  his  Ufurpation.  It  was  highly  neceflary,  there- 
**  fore,  to  difpatch  thofe,  of  whom  he  might  have  any 
•*  fuch  Apprehenfion,  and  (if  any  were  to  be  left)  to  fpare 
**  fuch  only,  as  were  lame  and  impotent,  and  incapable 
*'  to  difpute  his  Title.  This,  in  all  probability,  was  the 
**  Motive  of  his  {hewing  fome  Favour  to  Mephihojhethy 
*'  becaufe  {m)  he  was  lame  in  both  his  Feet ;  and  yet  he 
**  was  minded  to  cut  him  fhort  and  keep  him  low,  when 
*'  he  granted  away  his  Eftate  (without  ever  giving 
•*  him  a  fair  Hearing)  to  a  vile  and  perfidious  Servant ; 
*'  and,  notwithftanding  his  clearing  his  Character  from 
**  every  falfe  Afperfion  thrown  on  it,  ftill  continuing  the 
*'  bafe  Informer  in  the  full  PolTeffion  of  half  of  it. 

*'  What  the  Zeal  of  King  («)  Saul  to  the  Children  of 
*'  Ifrael  and  Judah  might  be,  that  led  him  into  the  Error 
'*  of  deftroying  the  Gibeonites,  we  cannot  tell  j  but  furely 
*'  it  is  unaccountable,  why  God  did  not  immediately 
*'  chaftife  him  for  it,  inftead  of  deferring  his  Punifhment, 
*'  and  at  laft  transferring  it  to  his  Pofterity.  His  Pofterity 
**  perhaps  might  be  juftly  included  in  his  Punifhment;  but 
*'  what  had  the  whole  Nation  done  to  deferve  a  Famine  of 
*'  three  Years  Continuance  ?  *  That  be  far  from  thee,  O 
*'  Lord,  to  fay  the  Righteous  ijuith  the  Wicked,  and  that 
*'  the  Righteous  Jhould  be  as  the  Wicked,  that  be  far  from 
**  thee  J  for  Jhall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  Earth  do  right  ? 

"  We 

{k)  I  Sam.  xxiv.  21.        (/)  Deut,  xxiv,  16,        [m]  2  Sam. 
ix.  13.         (»)  Ibid.  xxi.  2. 
*  Gen.  xviii.  25. 


Chap.V.     from  the  UratVites  entering  Canmn,  ^c.      479 

"  We  readily  ^rant,  that  David's  refifting  the  Impor-    A.  M. 
*'  tunity  of  his  Officers,  and  promifing  Shimei   his  Life,  /^t.^  Chriii. 
*'  when  fo  many  were  ready  to  put  him  to  Death,  was  an  1023,  &c. 
"  A61  of  great  Generofity,  confidering  the  Heinoufnefs  of^|°'^|.J^.™' 
*'  his  Crime  ;  but  this  Promife  he  utterly  cancels,  when  kings  viii. 
*'  he  leaves  it  with  his  Son,    as  his  dying  Injundion, 
*'  (0)   not  to  hold  him  gwltlefs,  but   to  bring  down    his 
**  hoary  Head  to  the  Grave  with  Blood :  Nor  can  we  con- 
*'  ceive  for  what  Reafon  he,  who  durfl:  not  attempt  to 
*'  punifli  Joab  in  his  Life-time,    fliould  now  upon  his 
*'  Death-Bed,  (a  proper  Seafon  for  Forgivenefs)    recom- 
*'  mend  the  dangerous  and  ungrateful  Tafk  to  his  Son, 
*'  (p)  who  was  but  young,  and  as  yet  unfettled  on  his 
**  Throne. 

*'  Our  blefled  Saviour  lays  it  down  for  a  Rule  of  good 
*'  Policy  among  Princes,  to  keep  an  Eftimate  of  their  Forces; 
*'  for  (q)  what  King  going  to  War  againjl  another  King^hys 
*'  he,  fitteth  not  fir  ft  down^  and  confulteth,  whether  he  be  abky 
**  with  ten  Thoufand^  to  meet  him  that  cometh  againji  him  with 
*'  twenty  Thou f and?  And  therefore,  if  i)izw'^  was  minded 
**  to  take  an  Account  of  the  military  Men  in  his  King- 
*'  dom,  where  was  the  great  Offence  againft  God  ?  Da- 
*'  vidt  who  knew  himfelf  beft,  and  with  what  Purpofc  he 
**  number'd  the  People,  might  perhaps  have  Reafon  to 
**  fay,  /  have  finned,  (r)  /  have  done  wickedly ;  but  his 
*'  following  Words,  viz.  thefe  Sheep,  what  have  they 
*'  done?  are  a  fad  Imputation  upon  the  ^|ii^ine  Juftice  j 
*'  for,  upon  the  Prefumption  that  they  were  innocent,  how 
"  could  they,  with  any  Juftice,  be  punifh'd  with  a  raging 
"  Peftilence,  for  the  Tranfgreffion  of  their  ^fc  ? 

*'  The  Truth  is,  there  are  fo  many  Cm^adkiion^^ 
•*  and  Inconfijlencies,  in  this  whole  Story,  {s)  th#t  Ihei^  is 
•'  no  reconciling  it  to  itfelf.  In  one  Place  it  is  faid,  that 
**  (/)  God  moved  David  to  number  Ifrael,  and  in  another, 
*'  that  (u)  Satan  provoked  him  to  it :  But  it  were  highly 
•*  profane  and  blafphemous,  to  fay,  that^pod  confpir'd 
**  with  Satan  in  this  Adt,  on  Purpofe  to  dfeftroy  a  Multi- 
•*  tude  of  innocent  Perfons.     In  like  Manner  to  fay,  (x) 

«  that 

{0)  I  Kings  ii.  g.    {p)  Calmet\  Commentary,    {q)  Luke  viv.3 1/ 
(r)  2  Sam.  xxiv.  17.     (j)  Chriftianity  as  old  as  the  Creation,  p. 
266.         (/)  2  Sam.  xxiv.  i .         (a)  i  Chron.  xxi.  i .  [x)  2 

Sam.  xxiv.  9.  The  Account  in  i  Chi-on.  xxi.  5.  is  much  high- 
er, for  there  it  is  faid,  that  all  they  of  Ifrael  ivere  a  Thoujavd 
Thou/and,  mid  an  hundred  Thoujavd  Men,  that  drciv  the  Sit.oidf 
and  of  j[adah,  four  hundred  three/core  and  ten  Thoufand. 


480  ^e  Hiftory  of  the  BIB  L  E,    Book  V, 

^'  ^'  **  ^^^^  there  were  in  Ifrael  eight  hundred  Thoufand  valiant 
^t!  Chr^ft."  ^^^^  that  drew  the  Sword,  and  in  Judah  five  hundred 
1023,  Sff.  *'  Thoufand,  belides  Women  and  Children,  old  Men  that 
VtQm2.Szxa.ii  ^gj.g  unfit  for  War,  and  two  entire  Tribes,  that  were 
not  number'd,  is  a  Thing  incredible.  For,  (y)  if  in  a 
Nation,  the  Men,  that  are  able  to  bear  Arms,  are  ge- 
'*  nerally  accounted  the  fifth  Part  of  it,  the  Sum  total  of 
"  the  ten  Tribes  only,  that  were  number'd,  will  amount 
*'  to  above  fix  Millions,  which  (together  with  the  Tribes 
*'  unnumber'd)  will  make  up  a  Multitude,  too  large  for  fo 
"  fmall  a  Country,  as  that  of  Canaan,  to  maintain. 

*'  Wh  a  t  the  Conftitution  of  the  Jewijh  Monarchy  was, 
*'  it  is  difficult  to  fay  :  Kings,  from  the  firft,  might  have 
**  the  Right  of  nominating  their  SuccelTors;  but  certainly 
**  David  would  never  have  poftpon'd  his  eldeft  Son  Ado- 
**  nijah,  had  he  not  been  in  his  Dotage,  and  therefore  in- 
**  fluenc'd  by  his  Wife  to  chufe  her  Son  Solomon;  But 
*'  after  all,  what  great  OflFence  had  Adonijah  done,  in  de- 
"  firing  Ahifhag  for  his  Wife  ?  Or  how  does  it  appear, 
**  that,  by  foUiciting  this  Alliance,  he  afFe£ted  to  fupplant 
*'  Solomon  of  the  Kingdom  ?  To  have  put  him  under  fome 
*'  civil  Reftraint  might  have  been  excufable,  but  to  take 
*'  away  his  Life  upon  that  Account,  without  any  regular 
*'  ^rocefs,ctx  Licenfe  given  him  to  make  his  Defence, 
*'  was,  to  the  laft  Degree,  arbitrary  and  tyrannical.  Ef- 
*'  pecially,  confidering  that  himfelf  was  never  known  to 
'*  fet  anyfl^b^  to  his  Love,  and,  in  marrying  of  P^a- 
**  raoh's  Daughter,  had  trampled  upon  a  Law,  which 
*'  oblig'd  the  King  as  well  as  the  People,  (z)  to  make  no 
*'  Coven^Sb^ixh  idolatrous  Nations,  nor  to  enter  into 
*'  M^riH*  with  them,  for  fear  that  their  Daughters 
*'  ^allckdraw  them  afide,  to  go  a  whoring  after  their  Gods, 
*'  whereof  himfelf  was  a  notorious  Inftance. 

**  What  the  Conjiitution  of  the  Jewijh  Church  was, 
*'  and  how  far  fubordinate  to  the  civil  Power,  'tis  no  eafy 
*'  M!atter  to  i^termine ;  but  Solomon  feems  to  have  tranf- 
*'  cended  his  Authority,  when,  (a)  he  thruji  out  Abiathar 
*'  from  being  Prieji  unto  the  Lord,  merely  for  advifing 
* '  Adonijah  to  marry  the  late  King's  Concubine.  But  well 
**  might  the  Writer  of  his  Life  extend  the  Royal  Preroga- 
*'  tive  beyond  its  juft  Bounds,  when  we  find  him  fo  very 
"  lavifh  in  his  Account  of  other  Matters,  as  quite  to  tranf- 

cend 

{y)  Le  Clerc  in  Locum.  (z)  Exod.  xxxiv.  16.  and 

Deut.  vii.  3,   4.  {«)  i  Kings  ii.  27. 


Chap.  V.     from  the  KratVites  entering Cznaa.%  ^c.       481 

«  cend  all  Poffibility  of  Truth.      For  what  Ihall  we  fay  ^  A.  M^ 

•*  to  his  making  Solomon  hold  a  long  Conference  with  God  A^.'chrift. 

*'  in  his  Sleep ;  and  reprefenting  that  as  a  Divine  Revela-  1023,  &c. 

*'  tion,    which  was  only    the  Refult  of  an  idle  Dream  ?  J5°"*  ^  ^^^' 

**  What  ihall  we  fay  to  the  Thou/and  (b)  Burnt- Offerings  yiing°yiL 

**  which  he  makes  him  facrifice  at  Gibeon^  and  all  on  one 

*'  Altar  only,  that  was  of  no  larger  {c)  Dimenfions^    than 

*'  five  Cubits  fquare  ?  To  the  forty  Thou/and  Stalls  (fome 

**  Interpreters  make  them  fo  many  Stables)  for  Horfes^ 

•*  which  he  gives  him  ;  and  yet  his  Horfe-Men  are  no  more 

**  than  twelve  Thoufand-i  and  to  (d)  the  fourteen  Hundred 

*«  Chariots  of  War  which   he  informs  us  he  kept,  when 

**  fome  of  the  greateft  Princes  in  After-Ages  had  not  half 

*'  that   Number,    and  God's  general    Injunction  to  the 

"  King  oi  Ifrael'W2&y  {e)  that  hcjhould  not  multiply  Horfes 

«  to  himfelf? 

"  These  are  fome  of  the  Faults  and  Failings  (to  give 
"  them  the  fofteft  Term  we  can)  of  David  and  his  Son 
*'  Solomon^  whom  the  facred  Hiftorian  endeavours  to  extol, 
**  tho'  it  be  at  the  Expence  of  fome  Abfurdities^  and  Sclf- 
**  ContradiSlions.  The  moft  remarkable  Part  of  their  Sto- 
"  ry  is,  their  Concern  for  the  Building  of  the  Temple  at 
**  ferufalem ;  and  yet  it  is  very  juftly  to  be  queftion'd, 
**  whether  in  this  they  deferved  any  Praife,  or  did  God 
*'  any  real  Service,  fmce  {f)  the  Moji  High  dwelleth  not 
•'  in  Temples  made  with  Hands,  as  the  Apofle  teftifies  j 
*'  for  {^)  the  Heaven  is  my  Throne,  and  the  Earth  is  my 
*'  Foot-Stool,  faith  the  Lord,  where  then  is  the  Houfe 
"  which  ye  build  for  me,  or  where  is  the  Place  of  my 
«  Reft  f"' 

There  is  hardly  any  one  Paflage  in  Scripture  more-^"f'^^'''^>h 
difficult  to  give  a  fatisfadory  Account  of,  than  this  Rfla- c',^""^^/ 
tion  of  Saul's  Cruelty  to  the  Gibeonites ;  becaufe  we  have  Saul'*  war- 
little  or  no  Intimation,  either  when,  or  where,  or  why,'p'_"''Sf^'' 
their  Slaughter  was  committed.  i  eomcs. 

The  Gibeonites  were  not  of  the  Children  of  Ifrael,  but 
the  Remains  of  the  Amorites,  who,  upon  fojlma's  taking 
Poffeffion  of  the  promised  Land,    impob'd  upon  him   and  , 

his  Counfellors,  and  cunningly  drew  the  Ifraelites  into  a 
League  with  them,  which  was  inftantly  confirm'd  by  an 

Oathi 

{b)  Ibid.  ili.  4.  (c)  Patrick  in  Locum.  (</)  Vid.  i  Kings 
jv.  26.  and  2  Chron.  ix.  25.  {e)  Deut.  xvii.  i6.  (^)  Ads 
vii.  48.        (^)  Ifaiahlxvi.  I. 

Wqu  m.  H  h 


4^2  The  Hijlory  of  the  Bl  hi.  E,      Book  V. 

A.  M.  Oath  ;  and,  becaufe  it  was  fo  confirm'd,  for  above  three 
^f|'cjjf[[^  hundred  Years,  was  reputed  inviolable.  But  tho*  the  G/- 
1023,  Srcbeonites,  by  their  Craft  and  Fallacy,  fav'd  their  Lives,  yet 
From  aSara.  j^  ^^s  upon  this  Condition,  that  they  fhould  {h)  become 
Kings  viii.  Hewers  of  Wood,  and  Drawers  of  Water  for  the  Service 
}of  the  Tabernacle.  Now  while  the  Tabernacle  Was  at  Nohp 
which  was  a  City  of  the  Priejls,  and  where  fome  of  the 
Gibeonites,  their  Attendants,  may  be  fuppos'd  to  refide, 
the  facred  Hiftory  informs  us,  that  Saul,  {i)  in  Revenge 
to  the  Priefts,  whom  he  took  to  be  Favourers  of  David*3 
Caufe,  deftroy'd  the  City,  and  maflacred  all  the  Inhabitants 
thereof ;  fo  that  feveral  of  the  Gibeonites  muft  have  been 
llain  upon  this  Occafion,  and  for  (hedding  of  their  Blood 
this  Famine  was  fent.  This  is  the  Account  which  fome 
learned  Men  give  us  of  the  Matter :  But  they  never  con- 
fider'd,  {k)  that  as  SauVs  Sin,  in  murthering  the  Priejisy 
was  greater,  than  in  flaying  the  Gibeonttes,  God  (hould 
have  infli(9:ed  this  fevere  Punifhment  upon  the  Land  for 
the  greater  Sin,  rather  than  the  lefs.  It  has  been  faid  in- 
deed, that  for  the  Slaughter  of  the  Priefts,  God  had  a- 
veng'd  himfelf  on  Saul  before,  by  fufFering  him  and  his  Sons 
to  be  flain  jn  Battle  by  the  Phili/iines,  but  that  the 
Slaughter  of  the  Gibeonites  was  not  as  yet  expiated ;  yet  it 
will  be  difficult  to  conceive,  why  there  fhould  be  two 
different  and  diftin(^  Punifhments  for  one  and  the  fame  Sin 
tommitted  at  the  felf-fame  Time. 

When,  or  by  whom,  or  on  vrtiat  Occafion,  the  Ta- 
bernacle and  Jltar  of  Burnt-OfFerings,  which  were  made 
by  Mofes  in  the  Wildernefs,  were  remov'd  from  Nob  to 
Gibeon  we  cannot  tell,  becaufe  the  Scripture  is  filent :  But 
'tis  the  Conjecture  of  (I)  fome  learned  Men,  that  it  was 
not  long  after  the  Murder  of  the  Priejis  at  Nobf  and  that 
SauU  very  probably,  to  regain  the  Favour  of  the  People, 
■which  he  found  he  had  loft  by  being  fo  barbarous  to  Men 
of  their  facred  Charailer,  quarrell'd  with  the  Gibeonites^ 
and  banifh'd  them  out  of  their  City,  in  order  to  make 
room  for  the  Tabernacle  of  the  Lord. 

The  Scripture  indeed  acquaints  us,  that  {m)  he  fought 
to  flay  the  Gibeonites  in  his  Zeal  to  the  Children  of  Ifrael 
and  Judah ;  where  the  ExprefKon  feems  to  denote,  (n) 
that  the  Children  of  Ifrael  envied  thefe  miferable  People, 

infomuch 

{h)  Jofh.ix.  23,  (i)  I  Sam.  xxli.  17.  {k)  he  Gere's  Com.' 
snentary  on  z  Sam.  xxi.  i.  (/)  Calmet\  Commentary  on  i  Sam* 
^U.  ig»         («)  2  Sam.  xxi.  2.        (»)  LeClerc  in  Lgcura. 


Chap.  V.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.        483 

infomuch  that  Saul  thought  he  could  not  do  a  more  popu-    '^-  ^• 
lar  A61,  than  to  cut  them  ofF.  i?nt!'<Sift. 

But  by  the  Children  of  Ifrael,  (0)  fome  rather  under- 1023,  ^"^. 
Hand  the  Tribe  of  Benjamin  in  particular,  viz.  that  very  ^5°™^^^* 
Tribe  from  whence  King  Saul  defcended,  and  thence  they  Kings  viii. 
infer,  that  his  Zeal,  or  earnefl  Defire,  to  promote  his  own  V  —yiM 
Tribe  to  Riches  and   Grandeur,    made  him  feek  O^ca- 
lion  to  fall  foul  upon  the  Gibeonitesy    in  order  that  the 
three  Cities,    which  they  poflefs'd  in  the  Territories  of 
Benjamin,  might  fall  into  his  Hands,  and  fo  be  divided  a- 
mong  his  own  Family.     That  he  either  had,  or  intended 
to  advance  and  enrich  his  own  Tribe,  is  manifell  from 
thefe  Words  of  his  j    (/•)  Hedr  now,  ye  Benjamites,  will 
the  Son  of  Jefle  give  every  one  of  you  Fields  and  Vineyards, 
end  make  you  all  Captains  of  'Thoufands,    and  Captains  of 
Hundreds ;  i,  e.  will  he  do  for  you,  as  I  have,  and  mean 
to  do  ?  Now,  if  we  look  into  the  Adions  of  Saul^  we  do 
not  find,  that  he  made  any  Purchafe  of  the  Pofleffions  of 
another  Tribe,  or,  that  he  took  from  his   Enemies  any 
confiderable  Territories,  in  order  to  accommodate  his  Ben- 
jamites,  and  are  therefore  left  to  fuppofe,  that  the  Fields 
and  Vineyards.)  wherewith  he  enrich'd  them,  he  unjuftly 
acquir'd  by  deftroying  and  difpofleffing  the  Gibeonites.    'Tis 
but  fuppofing  then,  that  fome  of  the  chief  of  thefe  Gibeo- 
'^ites  had,  in  fome  Inftance  or  other,  ofFended   Saul,  for 
which  he  was  minded  to  deftroy  the  whole  Race  ;  or,  that 
he  had  caft  a  greedy  Eye  upon  their  Lands  and  Pofleffions, 
which,  in  cafe  of  their  Excifion^  would  be  forfeited  to  the 
Crown,  and  fo  might  be  given  to  his  own  Family ;    and 
then  he  had  Allegations  plaufible  enough  againft  them,  pre- 
tending, '*  That  it  was  not  for  the  Honour  or  Intereft  of 
"  God's  People,  to  nourifh  any  of  that  viperous  Brood  in 
*'  their  Bofoms;  and  that,  however  ]i/^«?/Z?z/a  and  the  Pr/wc^j, 
*'  v/ho  then  bore  Sway,  had  by  their  Fraud  been  drawn 
•  *'  into  an  Oath  to  preferve  them,   yet,  in  Truth,    that 
"  Oath  was  contrary  to  God's  Command,  which  requir'd 
**  them   {q)   to  fmite  them.,  and  utterly  dejiroy  them,  and 
*'  therefore  ought  not,  as  he  thought,  to  be  obferv'd." 

Thus  5^^/ might  fet  up  for  a  Reftorer  of  the  Divine  Wuw  ;,&/ it- 
Laws  to  their  antient  Rigour,  and  Stridtnefs  of  Execution,"^^^^^^'"'fM 
■  and  a  Supplier  of  the  Default  of  Jojhua,  and  the  Princes  J^*"^'*"'-'* 

Hh  2  of    * 

{0)   The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  Daiitd,  Vol.  III. 
i^)  i_^Sam.  xxii.  7.         (^)  Deut.  vii.  2. 


484  ^-^^  Btpry  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  T^  of  Ifrael,  in  fparlng  the  G'lbeonites^  even  tho'  they  were 
y^nt^'chhii.  c°'^P'''s'd  in  the  general  Ori/Vz^nr^  of  Extirpation  ;  and, 
1023,  &c.  under  this  Charafter,  he  might  eafily  draw  in  his  own  Sub- 
•je6ls  to  abet,  and  affift,  his  Cruelty  againft  a  poor  People, 
for  whom  they  had  never  any  good  Liking.  Regis  ad  ex- 
'emplum  is  the  known  Max'tm^  and  therefore  we  may  eafily 
fuppofe,  that  a  wicked  and  hard-hearted  People,  who  had 
affifted  Saul  in  the  Perfecution  of  David ;  had  adher'd  to 
Jbfalem  in  his  Rebellion  againft  his  own  Father  ;  and  who, 
at  the  Beck  of  fo  many  impious  Princes,  left  the  true 
Worftiip  of  God,  and  fell  into  Idolatry ;  would  not  be 
backward  to  aflift  Saul^  in  putting  in  Execution  any  of 
his  Contrivances  againft  the  poor  Gibeonites.  And  if  fo, 
we  cannot  but  admire  the  Wifdom,  and  Juftice  of  God, 
i«  making  the  Punifhment  national,  when  the  whole  Na- 
tion (for  aught  we  know)  was  confederate  with  Saul  in 
murdering  the  Gibeonites,  or  guilty  at  leaft  in  not  hinder- 
ing it ;  when  the  next  Generation  was  involv'd  in  the 
Guilt,  by  not  repairing  the  Injury  as  much  as  poffible,  or 
not  exprefling  their  Horror  and  Deteftation  of  it  by  fome 
fublick  hdi  ;  when  an  A6t  of  Difcipllne  might,  at  this 
Time,  be  neceffarv,  to  prefervc  'he  remaining  Gibeonites 
from  Infults,  to  bee  vt  in  the  Ifraelites  a  proper  Refpeit  for 
them,  to  prevent  trrj  like  Murders  for  the  future,  and  the 
like  Breaches  of  national  Compa£ls. 
4ndGod  Nay,  fuppofing  the  People,  who  liv'd  in  that  Time, 
Plight  jujiiy  vvhen  the  Famine  prevail'd,  to  be  never  fo  innocent  oi  the 
fumj  t  "'^•],>jr)od  of  the  Gibeonites,  yet  it  cannot  be  denied,  but  that 
Ciod  (who  is  the  Author  and  Giver  of  Lite)  has  an  abfo- 
lute  Right  over  the  Lives  of  all,  and  can  recall  that  Gift, 
whenever  he  pleafes :  And  (r)  therefore,  if  in  the  Cafe  be- 
fore us,  he  made  a  Demand  (as  certainly  he  had  a  Right 
to  do  it)  of  fo  m^ay  fcives  at  fuch  a  Time,  and  in  fuch  a 
Manner,  as  might  beft  anfwer  the  Ends  of  Difcipline  ; 
then,  that  which  was  ju/i  in  other  Views,  and  without  any 
fuch  fpecial  Reafon,  could  not  become  unjuji,  by  having 
that  additional  Reafon  to  recommend  it.  In  a  Word,  if 
the  Thing  was  righteous,  confider'd  merely  as  an  A£l  of 
Dominion  in  God,  it  could  not  but  be  both  righteous  and 
kind,  by  being  made,  at  the  fame  Time,  an  JSt  of  Dif- 
cipline for  the  Punifhment  of  Sin  and  Perfidy,  and  the 
Promotion  of  Juftnefs  and  Godlinefs  among  Men. 

fZfnf*  ^^  ^^^  ^'^  ^^^"^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^  '^  ^  ^^^  j"^  ^"^ 
GTanajors,  rightcous  Being,  can  never  require,  that  the  Innocent  fliould 
wight  bt  cut'  die 

(r)  Scnpture  Vindicated,  Fan  ii. 


Cmap.  V.     from  the  Kradkcs  entering  Canaan,  &c.    4S5 

die  for  the  Guilty ;  and  therefore  we  have  Reafon  to  be-    ^'^  ^^ 
lieve,  that,  when  Saul  (for  Reafons  sbove-mention'd)  was  Ant, 'chrift. 
fo  outrageous  againft  the  Gibeonites,  his  Sons,  and  Grand-  [^o'^3>  ^'' 
fons,  might  be  the  Inlhuments   of  his  Cruelty,  ;ind   very  ^'""^  ^  ^^* 


XIX.  to 


probably  bear  fome  Part  in  the  military  Execution.  For  it  Kings  viii. 
frequently  fo  happens,  that  whatever  a  King  commands,  <-*-^/-"*-l 
be  it  never  fo  abominable,  is  generally  approved,  and  exe- 
cuted, by  his  Family  ;  and  therefore,  {s)  when  we  are  told, 
from  the  Mouth  of  God,"  that  the  Plague  fent  upon  the 
People,  was  for  Saul,  atid  his  bloody  Houfe^  becauje  he  f 
Jlew  the  Gibeonites  ;  it  (eems  to  be  evident,  that  it  was  for 
their  Guilt,  as  well  as  his  ;  nor  can  wc  imagine,  that  this 
Guilt  of  theirs  could  be  any  Thing  lefs,  than  that  of  be- 
ing the  Executioners  in  this  Slaughter.  'Tis  plain,  that 
they  were  his  Captains  of  'Thoufands^  and  Captains  of  Hun - 
drtds  J  and  it  is  as  plain,  that,  as  fuch,  they  muft  be  the 
Inftruments  of  his  Cruelty  ;  for  if  they  were  not,  why  are 
they  call'd  bloody  f  They  refus'd  indeed  (t)  to  flaughter  the 
Priejls  at  his  Command,  but  there  is  no  Reafon  to  believe, 
that  they  were  fo  fcrupulous  in  Regard  to  the  Gibeonites  ^ 
and  if  they  were  not,  is  there  lefs  Equity,  in  God's  def- 
troying  their  Sons  for  the  Sins  of  their  Fathers,  which  they 
adopted  and  fhar'd  in,  than  there  was  in  his  deftroying 
Jehoram^  the  Son  of  Ahab^  for  that  Vineyard,  which  the 
Father  had  cruelly  and  unjuftly  acquir'd,  and  Son  as  unjuft- 
ly  detain'd  ? 

Without  calling  then  to  our  Affiftance  God's  great 
Prerogative,  {u)  of  vifiting  the  Sins  of  the  Father  upon 
the  Children  unto  the  third  and  fourth  Generation,  we 
may  fairly  fay,  that,  if  thefe  Defcendants  of  Saul  did  either 
concur  in  this  Murder  of  the  Gibeonites,  when  doing,  or 
avow  and  defend  it,  when  done,  tney  became  culpable  up- 
on their  own,  as  well  as  their  Anceftor's,  Account,  and 
thereupon  juftly  deferv'd  to  be  deliver'd  up  to  the  Refent- 
ment  of  a  People,  that  had  fufEir'd  fo  much  by  their  Inhu- 
tnanity. 

Upon  this  Suppofition  then,  (for  it  is  by  Suppofitions^  <?("/</«- 
that  we  muft  go  in  this  obfcure  Part  of  llidory)  that  both  ^p^'^J'''"' 
the  People  and  the  Princes  of  the  Blood  were  accejfary.  or/j"wf  *"' 
injirumentaly  to  Saul's  Cruelty,  the  Reafon  why  God  de- 

Hh3  '        Jay'd 

[s)  The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of   King  David,    Vol.   IIT. 
\  The  Words,  which  we  render  he  Jlew,    might  as  properly 
be  render'd  they  Jle^w. 

(0  I  Sam.  xxii.  17.    •    (»)  Exod,,  xx.  5. 


486  The  Hiftory  of  the  BIBLE,    Book  V. 

8^'  ^f    ^^y'^  '^^^"^  Punifhment  fo  long  is  obvious ;    even  becaufe 
Ant'.'chrift. his  infinite  Goodnefs  Waited  for  tiieir  Repentance,  which 
1023,  &e.  Goodnefs  we  badly  requite,  if  we  pervert  it  as  an  Argu- 
Sx"'to^»™'  "^^"^  againft  his  Providence.     For  may  not  God  be  gra- 
Kings  viii.    cious  and  merciful  as  long  as  he  pleafes  ?  Or  have  we  any 
Km^^mmmJ  Right  to  fct  Bounds  to  his  Patience  and  Long-fufFering  ? 
'Tis  but  fuppofing  then,  that  while  God  continu'd  in  this 
State  of  ExpecSlance,  upon  fome  fpccial  Occafion  or  other, 
to  us  unknown,  both  the  People  of  Ifrael  and  Saul's  Pof- 
terity  might  difcover,  that  they  were  fo  far  from  repenting, 
that  they  gloried  in  the  Murder  of  the  Gibeonites,  and  thi»  . 
would  determine  God,  who  had  hitherto  waited  for  their 
Penitence  in  vain,  to  pour  out  his  Indignation  upon  them, 
and  exad  a  fevere  Punifhment  both  for  their  Cruelty  and 
Obftinacy. 
rbe  Cihca-      WHETHER  the  Gibeonites  did  right  or  wrong  in  ex- 
vkntjuperfti-  zQxng  {q  fevere  a  Retaliation^  as  that  of  hanging  up  feven 
Mn,N»mn,.  Qf  ^^j^i,^  Progeny,  for  the  Injury  that  he  and  his  Family  had 
done  them,  the  facred  Hiftory  is  no  ways  concern'd.     It  re- 
lates the  Tranfaction  juft  as  it  happen'd  ;  but  to  Ihew  us  from 
whence  this  barbarous  Cuftom  of  hanging  up  Men  to  appeafc 
the  Anger  of  the  Gods  did  proceed,  it  prefaces  the  Account 
of  the  Matter,  with  this  Obfervation  ; {x)  Thefe  Gi- 
beonites were  not  of  the  Children  <?/"  Ifrael,  (for  among  them 
they  learnt  no  fuch  Practice)   but  a  Remnant  of  the  Amo- 
xites,  who  were  addi<3:ed    to  this  horrid  Superjiition,  of 
which  the  Gibeonites  (notwithftanding  their  Abode  among 
People  of    better   Sentiments )  flill   retain' d  fome   Tinc- 
ture,   and  propounded  it  to  David,  as  an  Expedient  to 
make  the  Earth  become  fruitful  again;  (y)  Let  feven  of 
Saul'f  Sons  be  given  unto  us,  and  we  will  hang  them  up 
unto  the  Lord. 
TL>t  Reafont     The  Scripture,  you  fee,  fpeaksin  the  Dialed  of  thefe 
cf  God's  ex-  People  ;  but  from  thence  we  make  a  wrong  Conclufion,  if 
'p^fj^fgt,  we  think,  that  God  can  be  delighted  with  human  Sacri^ 
fcesy  which  fo  frequently,  and  fo  vehemently,  we  find  him 
declaiming  againft,  and  profeffing  his  utter  Deteftation  of. 
He  defires  the  Death,  or  Punifhment,  of  no  Man,  except 
it  be  in  Purfuance  of  the  Ends  of  his  wife  Providence,  or 
when  the  Criminal j  by  his  bad  Conduft,  has  forfeited  his 
Life  to  the  Government,  he  lives  under  ;   nor  would  he 
have  requir'd  the  Execution  of  any  of  5<»«/'s  Pofterity> 

had 

(jf)  2  Ssinr,  XAJ.  r.        (y)  Ibid.  vcr.  5,' 


Chap.V.    from  t^e  Kr^ditcs  entering  CanRzn^  ^c.         487 

iiad  it  not  been   to  procure  the  poor  diftrefs'd  Gibeonites    ^'  ^^ 
(who  were  true  Drudges  to  their  Hebrew  Mafters)  a  ^^^^-'aia.' Chiilk, 
er  Treatment,    and  better  Quarter  for  the  future  ;  had  it  1023,  ^'^• 
not    been    to   teftify    his    Abhorrence    of    all  Oppreflion  ^.'^°'^^^^* 
and  Violence  j    to  fiiew,    that  the  Cries  of   the  meaneft  Kings  viii. 
Slave ^  as  well  as  of  the  mightieji  Monarch,  enter  the  Ears  t— »vi«>  .Ji 
of  the  mofl  High  ;    that  with  him  ihere  is  no  Refpe6t  of 
Perfons,  but  the  Rich  and  the  Poor  to  htm  are  both  alike : 
(z)  Had  it  pot  been,  to  repair  the  Injury  done  to  his  mofl: 
holy  Name,  in  the  Violation  of  the  Compail,  which  both 
yojhua,  and  the  Princes  of  Ifrael^  made  with  this  People, 
and  confirm'd  with  the  Solemnity  of  an  Oath :  Had  it  not 
been,  by   this  exemplary  Puniftiment,  to  give  Mankind  a 
LefTon  of  Inflru<£tion,  concerning  the  Sacredntfs  of  Oaths 
and  Treaties,  znd  how  religioufly  they  ought  to  be  obferv'd, 
even  towards  thofe,  that  are  in  the  loweft  State  and  Cir- 
cumftances  of  Life. 

Under  thefe  Confiderations  only  could  the  Death  of 
Saul's  Sons  be  acceptable  to  God  ;  and  how  far  David,  in 
like  Manner,  came  to  be  concern'd  in  it,  we  Ihall  now 
proceed  to  confider. 

Both  the  Septuagint,  and  vulgar  Latin  Txzn^z.iAoni'hat'biyii 
make  the  Demand  of  the  Gibeonites,  when  David  (ent  to^'"^J'°^'-^S'*' 
ofFer  them  Satisfadlion,  run  in  this  Strain :  —-(a)  The  Man,Sa^',Fa* 
who-  confumed  us,  and  opprejfed  us  unjujlly,  we  ought  ut-  mily, 
terly  to  dejiroy,  fo  as  not  to  leave  one  of  his  Race  remaining 
in  any  of  the  Coajls  of  Ifrael ;  and  in  this  Demaixl,  we 
may  prefume  that  they  perfifted,  until  David,  partly  bj 
his  Authority,  and  partly  by  kind  Intreaties,  prevail'd  with 
them  to  be  content  with  feven  only.  Here  then  was  a  fair 
Opportunity  for  David  (had  he  been  fo  minded)  to  have 
cut  off  the  whole  Race  of  $aul  as  it  were  at  one  Blow, 
and  to  have  avoided  all  the  Odium  of  the  Adtion,  by  but 
barely  faying,  *'  That  the  Gibeonites  demanded  all,  and 
"  his  Inflrudions  from  God  were,  to  grant  whatever  they 
*'  demanded."  But,  inftead  of  that,  we  find  him,  before 
this  happen'd,  making  Enquiry  for  fuch  (b)  as  were  left 
of  Saul'j  Family,  that  he  might  jhew  Kindnefs  to  them  for 
Jonathan's  Sake ;  interpofing  his  good  Offices  here  with 
the  Gibeonites,  to  have  them  abate  the  Keennefs  of  their 
Refentment,  and  make  the  Slaughter  of  Saul's  devoted 
Houfe  as  moderate  as  poflible ;  and,  after  that  Slaughter 
H  h  4  was 

{%)   Calmet\  Commentary  it>   Locwm,  (a)  2  Sam, 

Xxi.  5,         [b]  Ibid.  ix.  i. 


488  ne  Hiftory  cf  tbs  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  was  overy'(e)  giving  them  a  publick  and  folemn  Intermenf, 
^J'chrlft.'^''^  ^^^  Bones  of  Saul  and  Jonathan  his  Son,  in  the  Sepul- 
1023,  &c.  chre  of  their  Anceftors,    and  himfelf  attending  them  in 

SxTo^r*  ^^^^°"  '°  ^^^  GtZVQ. 

Kings  viii.       The  Death  of  SauPs  Pofterity,  procur'd  by  the  Gibeth' 
Smm^^^/mmmJnites,  had  it  not  proceeded  from  God's  pofitive  Command, 
but  been  only  a  plaufible  Pretence  for  David  to  get  rid  Cff 
his  Rivals  in  Empire,  {d)  we  cannot  imagine,  why  he 
Ihould  flay  no  more  than  feven  of  thefe  Defcendants  ;  why 
he  fhould   cut  ofF  only   collateral  Branches,  and  fpare  all 
thofe,  who  were  in  a  direct  Line  of  Succeflion   to   the 
Throne ;  why  he  fpar'd  JJhboJheth,  his  Competitor  for  the 
Kingdom,  whom,  by  Ahner's  Means  he  might  have  dif- 
patch'd,  and,  according  to  their  Defert,  punifh'd  the  two 
Traitors,  who  had  ofEcioufly  murther'd  him ;  and  why  he 
fpar'd  Mephibojheth  the  Son  of  Jonathan,  and  Micah  his 
Son,  and  Micah's  four  Sons,  (whom  in  all  Probability  he 
liv'd  to  fee)  and  in  them  {e)  a  long  long  Generation,  all 
defcended  from  Saul's  Family,  and  all  related  to  the  Crown. 
Had  this  Affair  of  the  Gibeonites  happen'd  indeed  about 
the  Beginning  of  David's  Reign  over  all  IJrael,  foon  af- 
ter the  Death  of  JJhboJheth,  and  when  he  had  Reafon  to 
apprehend,  that  fome  other  Rival  might,  perchance,  fpring 
up  in  his  Stead  ;    there  might  then  be  fome  Umbrage  to 
think,  that  the  Branches  of  Saul's  Family  were  to  be  cut 
I         off  for  Reafon s  of  State,  and  to  make  his  Poffeflion  of  the 
Crown  more  fafe :    But,  fince  thefe  Things  came  to  pafs 
very  near  the  Conclufion  of  his  Reign,  when  (as  he  him- 
felf acknowledges  (f)  in  the  very  next  Chapter)  God  had 
not  only  covered  him  with  the  Shield  of  his  Salvation,  and 
fo  enlarged   his   Steps  under  him,  that  his  Feet  could  not 
flip,  but  given  him  Ukewife  the  Necks  of  his  Enemies,  and 
made  him  the  Head  over  many  ftrange  Nations ;  he  could 
have  no  juft  Conception  of   Danger  from    any  Quarter, 
and  confequently,  no  Neceflity  to  eftablifti  his  Throne  by 
Blood. 
Futtvaicom-      It  could  not  be  then  for  any  private  End,  that  David 
fiilcdeo  deli,  deliver' d  thefe  Children  of  Saul  into  the  Hands  of  the  Gi- 
vtrt  em.      J^conites,  but  purely  in  Obedience  to  the  Will  of  God,  who 
had  both  directed,  and  warranted,  him  fo  to  do.     For  wc 
cannot  but  fuppofe,  (as  fofephus  does)  that,  when  David 

con- 

(<:)  Ibid.  xxi.  12.  13.  [d)  The  Hillory  of  the  Life  of  King 
Da'vid,  Vol.  III.  [e]  Vid.  i  Chron.  viii.  33,  ISc.  (f)  z 
Sam.  xxii.  36,  ^r. 


Chap.V.     from  thelCratYites  entering  Canaan,  &c.      4S9     ^ 

confulted  the  Oracle  concerning  the  Famine,  God  inform'd    ^.  M. 
him,  not  only  for  what  Crime  it  was  inflifted,  but  by  what  Ant/'chrift, 
Means  Hkcwife  it  was  to  be  remov'd :   And  therefore,   being  1023    fife 
let  into  all  this,  he  was  not  at  Liberty  to  do  what  he  pleas'd,  ^'oniz  Sam. 
but  compell'd  rather  to  give  up  the  Children  as  fo  many  i  Kings  viii, 
Vi£fims^  notwithftanding  his  Prcmife  and  Oath  to  their  Fa-  ^— v-*^ 
thers    becaufe  a  yw/i^r/or  Power  interpos'd,  and,  in  fo  do- 
ing, cancell'd  the  prior  Obligation.  .*■ 

His  making  a  Grant  of  Mephibofheth's  Eftate  to  a  vile^^"  gx^^^g 
Mifcreant  of  a  Servant,  without  giving  his  Mafter  a  fair  p^boihedi** 
Hearing,  is  another  Exception,  that  is  commonly  made  to  Eftate,  «- 
the  Juftice  of  King  David's  Proceedings  in  this  Period  o{t'>'""-^f»'* 
Time.  But  how  could  David  have  Leifure  to  fend  for 
Mephibojheth  from  Mount  Olivet  to  Jerufalem,  and  en- 
quire into  the  Merits  of  the  Caufe  depending  between  him 
and  his  Servant,  when  he  was  in  fo  great  an  Hurry,  and 
under  Flight  from  the  Arms  of  his  rebel  Son  f  Or  how 
could  he  fuppofe  that  Ziba  could  have  dar'd  to  have  told  him 
fo  notorious  a  Lye,  when  it  might,  in  a  fhort  Time,  be 
difprov'd  ?  Every  Circu«iftance,  in  fhort,  on  Ziba's  Side, 
look'd  well;  but  none  on  the  Mafter's.  To  his  Matter, 
David  had  been  extremely  kind  in  reftoring  to  him  the  for- 
feited Eftate  of  his  Grand-Father  Saul,  and  in  allowing 
him  (g)  to  eat  at  his  own  Table,  as  one  of  the  Kings  Sons  ; 
and  now,  at  the  general  Rendezvous  of  his  Friends,  David 
might  well  have  expedled,  that  the  Perfon,  to  whom  he 
had  extended  fo  many  Favours,  fhould  not  have  been  fo  ne- 
gligent of  his  Duty,  as  to  abfenthimfelf,  unlefs  it  had  been 
upon  fome  extraordinary  Bufinefs :  And  therefore,  when 
Ziba  acquaints  him  with  the  Occafion  of  his  Abfence,  the* 
it  was  a  mere  Fidion,  yet  with  David  it  might  find  a  rea- 
dier Credence,  becaufe  at  this  Time  he  had  reafon  to  mif- 
truft  every  Body,  and  feeing  his  own  Family  difconcerted 
and  broken,  might  think  the  Crown  liable  to  fall  to  any 
new  Claimant,  that  could  pretend  to  the  fame  Right  of 
Succeffion,  that  Mephibojheth  might. 

On  the  contrary,  every  Thing  appear'd  bright  and  plau- 
fible  on  Ziba's  Side.  He,  tho'  but  a  Servant,  came  to  join 
the  King,  and ,  inftead  of  adhering  to  his  Mafter's  pretended 
Schemes  of  Advancement,  had  exprefs'd  his  Duty  to  his 
rightful  Sovereign,  in  bringing  him  a  confiderable  Prefent., 
enough  to  engage  his  good  Opinion.  The  Story  that  he  told 
of  his  Mafter  likewife,  tho'  utterly  falfe,  was  cunningly  con- 

triv'd, 

[g)  2  Sam.  ix.  1 1 . 


490  ^e  mftory  of  the^l^  L  E,    Book  V. 

2  \\  ^f  ^riv'vl,  and  fitly  accommodated  to  the  Nature  of  the  Time  s: 
Ant.  Chrift.  So  that,  in  this  fituation  of  Affairs,  as  wife  a  Man  as  Da- 
1023,  feff.  vid  might  have  been  induc'd  to  believe  the  whole  to  be 
kix^to  r""""^'  ^'^'^»  "P°"  *^^  Prefumption  of  its  being  fo,  might 
icings  viii.  have  proceeded  to  pafs  a  Judgment  of  Forfeiture  (as  in 
mofl  Eajiern  Countries  every  Crime  againft  the  State  was 
always  attended  with  fuch  a  Forfeiture)  upon  Mephibo* 
/heth's  Eflate,  and  to  confign  the  PofTeilion  of  it  to  another. 
All  therefore,  that  David  can  be  blam'd  for  in  this 
whole  Tranfadlion,  is,  an  Error  in  Judgment,  even  when 
he  was  impos'd  upon  by  the  plaufible  Tale  of  a  Sycophant, 
and  had  no  Opportunity  of  coming  at  the  Truth;  but  upon 
his  Return  to  ferufalem,  when  Mephibojheth  appears  before 
him,  and  pleads  his  own  Caufe,  we  find  this  the  Decifion  of 
it : — [h)  Why  fpeakejl  thou  any  more  of  thy  Matters?  I  have 
faid,  thou  and  Ziba  divide  the  Land :  Which  Words  mufl 
not  be  fo  underfleod,  as  if  he  appointed,  at  that  Time,  an 
equal  Divifion  of  the  Efiate,  between  Mephibojheth  and  his 
Servant,  (for  where  would  the  Juflice  of  fuch  a  Sentence 
be?)  but  rather  that  he  revok'd  the  Order,  he  had  given  to 
Z/T-a,  upon  tlie  fuppos'd  Forfeiture  of  his  Mafler,  and  put 
Things  now  upon  the  fame  Eflablifhment  they  were  at  firfl, 
(i)  I  havefaid,  i.  e.  "  My  firft  Grant  fhall  fland,  when  I 
*'  decreed,  that  Mephibojheth  Ihould  be  Lord  of  the  whole 
**  Eftate,  and  Ziba  his  Steward  to  manage  it  for  him." 

The  Words  of  the  Grant  are  thefe, (k)  Then  tha 

King  called  Ziba,  Saul'j  Servant^  and  faid  unto  him,  I  havd 
given  unto  thy  Ma/ier^s  Son,  all  that  pertained  to  Saul 
and  to  all  his  Houfe.  Thou  therefore,  and  thy  Sons, 
and  thy  Servants,  jhall  Till  the  Land  for  him,  and 
thou  Jhalt  bring  in  the  Fruits,  that  thy  Majier's  Son  may 
have  Food  to  eat,  i.  e.  may  be  enabled  to  maintain  himfelf 
and  Family  in  Plentyj  but  Mephibofheth,  thy  MoJier's  Son, 
fifall  eat  Br(iad  alway  at  my  Table.  From  whence  it  fcems 
manifefl,  that  this  Ziba  had  been  an  old  Steward  in  SauVs 
Family,  and  had  manag'd  his  private  Eftate,  which  lay  at 
Gibeah  of  Benjamin,  (I)  This  Efiate,  upon  one  Account  or 
other,  had  come  into  David's  PoffefHon,  either  in  Right  of 
his  Wife,  upon  the  Death  of  SauVs  Son,  or  by  Forfeiture 
to  the  Crown,  n'^on  IJhboJhetVs  Rebellion;  but  he,  being 
willing  now  to  do  a  generous  Aft  to  Saul's  Family,  in  Me- 
mory of  his  Friendfhip  to  Jonathan^  pafs'd  a  free  Grant  or 

De- 

[h]  Ibid.  xlx.  2g.         (;■)  Seiden,  de  Succeffionlbus  25.         [k)  2 
Sam.  ix.  iQ,  u.        {I)  i'cj/'s  AnnotaftQns  in  Lomcu. 


Chap.  V.    from  the  l(ra.d\tes  enlering  Canaan,  ^c.       491 

Dedition  of  it  to  bis  Son,  and  (that  he  might  make  a  Provi-     A.  r^ 
fion  for  all  his  Dependants  at  once)  put  Ziba  into  the  fame  AnJ'chrift. 
Place  he  had  enjoy'd  before,  conftituting  him  f  Steward  of  1023,  &c. 
the  royal  Manour  of  Gibeah,  even  as  he  had  been  in  the ^''*™ ^  ^'"' 
Life  of  Saul.     So  that  David's  Sentence  or  Determination, ,  Kings  viii. 
(m)  thou  and  Ziba  divide  the  Land,   refers  us  to  this  original 
Grant,    and  confequently  implies  no  more,  than  that  all 
Things  {hould  be  in  the  fame  Situation  they  were  in  before  ; 
vi%.  That  Ziba,  and  his  Sons,  fliould  manage  the  Eftate, 
and  fupport  themfelves  out  of  it,  as  ufual,  and  that  the  Re- 
mainder of  the  Profits,  which  accru'd   from  thence,  they 
fhould  bring  to  Me'^hiboJJoeth,  for  him    to  difpofe  of  as  he 
pleas'd  ;  and  to  this  Senfe  of  the  Words  the  following  Re-  / 

ply  feems  to  be  accommodated,  yea  let  him  have  all,  viz.  to 
his  own  Ufe  and  Property,  fince  my  Lord  the  King  is  come 
again  in  Peace. 

That,  which  leads  many  into  a  Mifconception  of  L)a-      r  j  cm 
vid,  as  if  he  left  the  World  in  a  vindictive  and  unforgiving  towardi  Shi- 
1'emper,  (becaufe  we  find  him  giving  his  Son  fomelnftruc-meianijoab 
tions  concerning  two  Perfons  who  had  grofsly  mif- behaved '"'"''^'""^* 
towards  him)  has  been  nothing  elfe,  but  the  Want  of  dif- 
tinguifliing  between  the  fame  Perfon,  when  acting  or  advi- 
fing  in  a  publick,  and  when  in  a  private.  Capacity.     Shimei 
curfes  David  in  the  Time  of  his  Troubles  ;  and  yet  David 
forgives  him,  and  promifes  he  fhall  not  die,     Joab  does  ma- 
ny valourous  and  brave  Ails  for  the  Honour  of  his  King, 
and  the  Enlargement  of  his  Dominions,  but  then  he  fullies 
all  with  his  infolent  Behaviour,  and  barbarous  Murthers, 
They  both  had  committed  Crimes  enough  to  forfeit  their 
Lives ;  David  however,  for  Reafons  of  State,  thought  it 
not  advifeable  to  feize  cither  of  them  for  the  prefent,  but 
diredled  his  Son,  if  ever  they  ftiould  give  him  a  fufficient 
Provocation,  not  to  fpare  them.     *'  Thou  hajl  Shimei  with 
"  thee,  (n)  and  fome  Share  perhaps  he  may  have  in  thy 
"  Favour ;  but  trufl  him  not,  he  is  no  Friend  to  Kings, 
<«  or  kingly  Power.    Remember  what  he  did  to  me  in  my 

"  Diftrefs  ; 

.  -f-  The  ancient  Way  of  Tenancy  (nor  is  it  yet  quite  difus'd) 
was  that  of  occupying  the  Land,  and  giving  the  Proprietor  a 
certain  annual  Proportion  of  the  Fruits  of  it.  When  the  Tenaik 
paid  one  Half  of  the  annual  Produce,  he  was  called  Colonus  Par- 
tiarius ;  and  fuch,  in  the  Judgment  of  the  bell  Criticks,  was 
Ziba  to  Mephibojheth,  as  he  had  been  before  to  Saul.  TheHifto- 
ry  of  the  Life  of  King  David,  Vol.  III. 

{m]  2  Sam.  xix.  29^  30.        {n)  Patricias  Commentary  no  z 
Kings  ii.  8, 


492 

A.  M. 
2981,  fiff. 
Ant.  Chrift. 
1023,  Gff. 
i^rom  a  Sam. 
XIX.     to 
I  Kings  viii. 


^he  mjlory  of  the  BlhL  E,     Book  V. 

Diftrefs  ;  how  bitterly,  how  virulently,  he  curs'd  me  to 
my  Face  ;  and  I  make  no  Doubt,  but  that  he  would  be 
the  fame  to  thee  in  the  like  Circumftances.  I  forgave  him 
in  my  Exile^  becaufe  I  look'd  upon  him,  as  an  Inftru- 
ment  in  God'sHands  to  humble  me  for  my  great  Offence. 
I  forgave  him  in  my  Retur;i  home,  becaufe  he  came  to 
me  Vy'hen  my  Heart  was  open,  and  unwilling  to  damp 
the  Joy  of  my  Reftoration  with  the  Effufion  of  any  Blood. 
I  promis'd  him  his  Life  ;  and  let  not  that  promife  be  vi- 
olated in  my  Days  :  But  what  I  did  is  no  Rule  or  Obli- 
gation to  thee.  Let  him  not  die  however  for  his  Offence 
againft  me,  but  rather  watch  his  Conduct,  and,  if  he 
(hould  chance  to  give  thee  a  frefh  Occafion,  be  fure  to 
lay  hold  of  it,  becaufe  it  is  not  in  his  Nature  to  be  a 
good  SubjeSf. 

"  Thou  rememberefl  likewife,  what  Joab  did  unto 
me ;  with  what  Infolence  he  treated  me  in  the  Time  of 
the  War  againfl  Abfalom ;  how,  contrary  to  my  Orders, 
he  flew  him,  and  afterwards  talk'd  to  me  in  a  menacing 
and  imperious  Manner.  Thou  remembereft  what  he  did 
to  Amafa,  whom  I  intended  to  have  put  in  his  Place,  and 
made  the  General  of  all  my  Forces  ;  and  what  to  Abner^ 
who  was  then  endeavouring  to  gain  over  to  my  Party  all 
that  adher'd  to  the  Houfe  of  Saul.  The  Injury  done  to 
thefe  two  brave  Men  redounds  uppn  me,  fmce  they 
were  both  under  my  Protedion,  and  both  murder'd, 
bafely  murder'd,  becaufe  I  had  an  Efleem  for  them  j  and 
till  Juftice  be  done  to  their  Murderer,  (which  I  in  my 
Life-time  had  not  Power  to  do)  (0)  their  Innocent  Blood 
will  not  depart  from  my  Houfe.  Do  thou  therefore  take 
Care  to  a/foil  it,  and  whenever  he  commits  any  Tranf- 
greffion  againft  thee,  let  the  Blood  of  thefe  two  valuable 
Men  be  charg'd  to  his  Account,  and  let  him,  as  he  has 
longdeferv'd,  be  put  to  Death." 
This  is  the  Senfe  of  David's  Words  to  his  Son  concern^ 
ing  thefe  two  Men  ;  and  it  is  eafy  to  obferve,  that,  in  thefe 
dying  Inftruflions  of  his,  (p)  he  is  not  to^e  confider'd  as  a 
private  Man,  ading  upon  principles  of  Refentment,  but  as 
a  King  and  Governor,  giving  Advice  to  his  Son  and  Suc- 
cefTor  in  Affairs  of  State.  It  was  for  the  publick  Good, 
that  fuch  Offenders,  as  Shimei  and  yoab,  fliould  fuffer  at  a 
proper  Time,  and  as  Prudence  fhould  diredl ;  And  there- 
at fore» 


(oj  1  Kings  ii,  31, 
p.  106. 


(pj  Ssripture  vindicated,  Part  ii; 


Chap.V.  from  the  KtSLeWiQ^  ««/m«^  Canaan,  ££?f.       493 

fore,  fince  his  Promife  and  Oath  to  one  of  them,  and  the  ^^-  ^-^^ 
formidable  Power  and  Intereft,  which  the  other  had  ufurp- Ant/chrift. 
ed,  reftrain'd  him,  in  his  Life-time,  from  puniftiing  them  1023,  &c. 
as  they  deferv'd  ;  and  fmce  it  would  have  been  an  unjuft  ^1°'^^^  ^"^ 
Thing  in  itfelf,  and  a  Derogation  to  the  Glory  of  his  Reign,  i  Kings  viiw 
to  fuffer  fuch  publick  and  crying  Sins  to  go  unpunifh'd  ;  he  <   i^^— Jl 
recommended  the  Confideration  of  thefe  Things  to  his  Son, 
and,  (q)  like  a  wife  Magijirate,  laid  a  Scheme  for  the  Pun- 
ifhment  of  Wickednefs,  without  Regard  to  any  private 
Revenge. 

DAVID,  as  we  faid,  durft  not  call  J oab  to  an  ^<^-whsheUfi 
count,  becaufe  his  Power  and  Intereft  was  fo  great  in  the  Solomon /» 
Army,  (and 'twas  the  Army,  thzt  DavU,  ina  greatMea-^*""^'*""* 
fure,  depended  on)  that  it  mi^ht  have  occafion'd  an  Alterati- 
on in  the  Government,  had  he  pretended  to  do  it:  But,  when 
Solomon  came  to  the  Throne,  Joab  was  not  that  mighty 
Man  he  had  formerly  been.  He  was  at  leail  of  an  equal 
Age  with  David  \  had  commanded  the  Armies  of  Ifrael 
for  twenty  Years,  and  upwards ;  and,  as  he  was  only  for- 
midable at  the  Head  of  his  Troops,  and  in  the  Times  of 
War  and  publick  Diforder;  fo  [s)  the  profound  Peace, 
which  had  fubfifted  for  fome  Time,  both  before,  and  after, 
the  Beginning  of  Solomon's  Reign,  had  impair'd  his  Power, 
and  made  him  in  a  Manner  ufelefs.  Upon  this  Account, 
Solomon  had  not  the  like  Reafon  to  fear  him,  that  his  Father 
had  ;  nor  did  he  lie  under  the  like  Obligations  to  fpare  him. 
He  had  done  Z)flwV  great  Services  indeed,  and  a  fufficient 
Recompence  it  was,  that  he  had  been  indulg'd,  for  fo  many 
Years,  with  an  Impunity  for  his  Crimes ;  but,  whatever 
the  Father  might  be,  the  Son  was  under  no  Ties  or  Obli- 
gations, efpecially,  when  he  found  him  confpiring  to  take 
away  his  Kingdom,  and  tranflate  it  to  another. 

Wherein  the  Formality  of  David's  Sin  in  numbering David'f5/«»)t 
the  People  (which,  at  firft  View,  feems  not  to  be  fo  very  ^""^^"''^'^* 
heinous)  did  confift,  it  is  not  fo  well  agreed  among  Inter-         *^ 
preters.     {t)   When  thou  takeji  the  Number  of  the  Children  of 
Ifrael,  fays  God  to  Mofes^  after  their  Number,  then  Jhall 
they  give  every  Man  a  Ranfom  fo*"  his  Soul  unto  the  Lord, 
that  there  be  no  Plague  among  them,  when  thou  numbereji 
them :    Upon  which  Paflage  Jofephus,    and  fome  others, 

have  founded  this  Conjecture  j That  David  had  quite 

forgot 

(q)  Calmet*?,  and  Le  Clercs  Commentaries,  on  i  Kings  ii. 
(j)  C«/wf/'s  Commentary.  (/)  Exod.xxx,  12.         {u)  Cal- 

fffefs  Commentary  in  Locwn. 


494  ^^  Hifiory  of  the  B  I B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  forgot  to  demand  of  every  Man,  that  was  mufter'd,  znhalf 
^■nt.*Qhx\k.^^^^^^i  which  was  appointed  by  the  Law,  and  is  here  called 
1033,  fife  a  Ranfom  for  his  Soul,  and  therefore  God  fent  among  the 
Frem  aSam.pgQp]g  ^  Pcftijencc ;  becaufe  amidft  the  great  Plenty  and  A- 
Kings  viii.  bundance,  which  they  now  enjoy'd,  it  was  a  very  impious 
'and  provoking  Thing  not  to  pay  him  his  Dues.  («)  But 
where  do  we  find,  that  upon  every  Numbering  of  thp  Peo- 
ple, an  half  Shekel  was  order'd  to  be  paid  ?  'Twas  in  this 
Cafe  only,  when  the  People  were  to  contribute  towards  the 
Building  of  the  Tabernacle,  and  God  threatens  thofe  who 
fliould  refufe  to  do  it ;  but  this  has  no  Manner  of  Relation 
to  what  David  d'ldy  who  no  where  ftandscharg'd  with  fuch 
an  Omiffion,  {x)  any  more  than  with  a  Defign  of  railing  a 
Capitation-Tax  (as  others  conceive)  upon  every  Poll  through 
the  Kingdom. 

Others  are  of  Opinion,  that  this  Numbering  of  the 
People  was  a  Thing  contrary  to  the  fundamental  Promifc, 
which  God  made  Abraham,  viz.  that  his  Seed  (hould  fo  en- 
creafe,  as  even  to  exceed  the  Stars  in  Multitude ;  and  there- 
fore, fmce  God  i^d  promis'd  to  increafe  them  beyond 
Number,  it  favour'd  of  Infidelity  and  Diftruft  in  God,  for 
any  one  to  go  about  to  Number  them  :  But,  quite  contrary 
to  this,  the  Scripture,  in  another  place,  tells  up,  that  Da^ 
ijid  (out  of  a  religious  Regard  to  the  Promife  of  God)  never 
intended  to  take  an  exadl  Number  of  all,  but  of  fuch  only 
as  were  fit  to  bear  Arms  j  for  fo  the  Words  are,  (y)  He 
took  not  the  Number  of  them,  from  tzventy  Tears  old  and  un- 
der, becaufe  the  Lord  had  faid,  he  would  increafe  Ifrael, 
like  to  the  Stars  of  the  Heavens. 

The  moft  common  therefore,  and  indeed  the  only  pro- 
bable. Opinion  is,  that  this  Acl  of  David's  proceeded  (z) 
from  Pride  and  Ambition,  and  a  foolifti  Curiofity  to  know 
the  Number  of  his  Subjects,  the  Strength  of  his  Forces,  and 
the  Extent  of  his  Empire :  As  if  all  thefe  had  greatly  con- 
tributed to  his  Glory  and  Renown  ;  as  if  they  had  been  of 
his  own  acquiring,  and  more  proper  to  place  his  Confidence 
in,  than  the  Power  and  Afliftance  of  him,  whofe  Prote6ii- 
on  he  had  fo  long  experienc'd ;  whom,  upon  other  Occaii- 
ons,  he  was  wont  to  call  his  Rock,  his  Shield,  and  Ca/ile  of 
Defence  ;  and  who  was  able,  at  all  Times,  to  fave  with  a 
Handful  of  Men,  as  well  as  a  Multituds. 

Pride 

{x)  Patrick  in  Locum.  {y  )  i  Chron.  xxvii.  23,  24. 

{z)  Calmefs,  Commentary  in  Locum.        («)  2  S^m.  xxiv.  3. 


Chap.  V.     from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      495 

Pride  then,  and  an  arrogant  Conceit  of  himfelf,  (which    A.  m. 
is  always  attended  with  a  Forgetfulnefs  of  God)  was  at  the  Ant.'chrift. 
Bottom  of  Dav!d'&  numbering  the  People  ;  and  indeed  fo  1023,  ^  c. 
vifible  to  others,  as  well  as  to  the  All-feeing  Eye  of  God,^5°™  »Sam. 
that  we  find  Joab  (who  was  then  of  his  Privy- Council)  thus  Kings  vUi. 
remonftrating  againft  it :  (a)  Now  the  Lord  thy  God  add  <.  ■■^■^  JT 
unto  thy  People  {how  many  foever  they  he)  an  hundred  Fold^ 
and  that  the  Eyes  of  my  Lord  the  King  may  fee  it',  but  why 
doth  my  Lord  the  King  delight  in  this  Thing  ? 

It  is  a  judicious  Obfervation  of  the  Apoftle,  {h)  Let  no  God  mt  the 
iidan  fay,  when  he  is  tempted,  I  am  tempted  of  God;  for^^Hfi  "f ''' 
Cod  cannot  tempt  with  Evil,  neither  tempieth  he  any  Man  : 
But  every  Man  is  tempted,  when  he  is  drawn  away  with  his 
own  Luji,  and  enticed  ;  and  therefore  it  may  juftly  be  rec- 
koned a  peculiar  Elegance  in  the  Hebrew  Tongue,  that  it 
frequently  leaves  out  the  Nominative  Noun  to  a  Verb  ^f- 
tive,  which  when  it  happens,  the  Accufative  following  fup- 
plies  the  Place  of  the  Nominative,  that  is  wanting.  This 
fhews  that  our  Tranflators  have  made  a  grofs  Miftake  in  ren- 
dering the  Paffage,  the  Lord  moved  David  to  number  Ifrael 
and  Judah,  becaufe  in  the  Original  there  is  no  fuch  Thing 
as  the  Lord',  for  the  Nominative  is  omitted,  as  I  faid,  and 
the  Accufative,  fupplying  its  place,  makes  the  Senfe  fimply 
David  was  moved  (by  what  is  not  nam'd,  but  by  his  Pride 
and  Vanity,  we  may  fay,  as  well  as  (r)  the  Inftigations  of 
the  Devil)  to  number  the  People.  So  that  there  is  no  Con- 
tradiction in  the  Scripture- Account  of  this  Tranfa6lion,  no 
Appearance  of  a  Confederacy  between  God  and  Satan  ;  nor 
was  God  any  farther  concern'd  in  it,  than  as  his  Providence, 
for  wife  Ends,  thought  proper  to  permit  it. 

*'  But,  if  David  only  was  culpable  in  this  Affair,  why  ^^:¥^«^ /«j 
"  did  not  God  immediately. punifti  him  for  it,  inftead  of[pl„ff^p'Jg' 
"  falling  upon  the  People,    who  were  confeffedly  inno-fU. 
««  centr* 

The  Generality  perhaps  were  innocent,  as  to  the  Affair 
of  numbering  the  People :  That  might  be  chiefly  David's 
Sin  5  but,  in  other  Refpefls  they  were  not.  They  had  ma- 
ny great  and  grievous  Sins,  which  jufHy  deferv'd  Punifh- 
ment,  and  for  which  probably  they  would  have  been  pu- 
nifh'd  before,  had  it  not  been  for  God's  Tendernefs  to  Da- 
'vid,  who  mufl  have  been  a  Sufferer  in  the  common  Calami- 
ty ;  but  now,  when  both  King  and  People  had  deferv'd 
Corre(3ion,  God  was  pleas'd  to  let  loofe  his  Anger  upon 
both.    David,  indeed,  was  not  fmitten  in  Perfon,  but  a 

King 

(^)  James  i.  ij,  14,  (rj  i  Chron.  xxi.  i. 


49S  ^e  Hijiory  of  the  ^l^  L  E,    Book  V: 

apti  &'(:.  ^^"^  ^^  "^^^''  "^^"^^  fenfibly  punifh'd,  than  when  the  Judg- 
Ant.  chria.  i^ent  of  God  falls  upon  his  People,  and  diminifhes   their 
1023,  &c.  Number,  and  their  Strength.     For  the  Body  politick  is  not 
^g™j*/'°'' unlike  the  Body  natural-,  no  fooner  does  the  Head  fufFer, 
t  Kings  vili.but  all  the  Members  fuffer  with  it;  nor  can  the  leaft  Part  of 
^"-yr*^'  the  Body  be  in  Pain,  but  the  Head  is  immediately  affeded: 
And  therefore  we  need  not  doubt,  but  that  David,  when 
he  faw  {d)  the  Angel Jir etching  out  his  Hand  upon  Jerufalem, 
to  deflroy  it,  and  thereupon  broke  out  into  this  Exclamati- 
on*  Let  thy  Hand,  I  pray  thee,  be  againfi  me,  and  againjf 
my  Father's  Houfe,  had  his  Heart  as  full  of  Grief  and  Aflxie- 
ty  as  any  one,  that  lay  languiftiing  in  the  Plague. 
Aniwion       Thus,  in  all  the  AfiiSiiom  of  his  People,  David wza 
^^"^'        afflided  :  And,  if  this  fore  Judgment  befel  the  Nation  a 
little  while  before  Ahjalsm's  Rebellion,  ( as  fome  have  fuf- 
pedled  a  Mif-Ucation  in  this  Part  of  the  Hiftory^  this  may 
fuggeft  a  Reafon,  why  God  might  think  fit  to  preferve  Ptf-» 
n}id,  and  not  cut  him  off,  as  he  deferv*d,  for  his  Sin ;  (*) 
that  the  Diflention,    which  might  have  arofe  among  hi| 
Sons,  about  the  Right  of  Succ^ffion  jn  Cafe  of  his  Death, 
and  ih^  foreign  and  domejlick  Wars,  that  would  thereupon 
have  enfu'd,  and  *  prov'd  more  fatal  to  the  Ifraelites,  than 
this  deftroying  Peji Hence,  might,   by  David* s  Life,    and 
Interpofition,   be  prevented.     And  from  the  Senfe  of  this, 
very  probably   it  is,  that  we  find  him  commemorating  hi$ 
Deliverance  from  this   publick  Calamity   in   fuch  exalted 
Strains,  as  make  it  difputable,  whether  their  Piety  or  Poe- 
try are  more  remarkable,     [f)  He  that  dwelleth  in  the  ft- 
cret  Place  of  the  moft  High,  jhall  abide  under  the  Shadow 
of  the  Almighty,     He  Jhall  deliver  thee  from  the  Snare  of 
the  Fowler,  and  from  the  noijome  Pejlilence.     thou  Jhalt 
not  be  afraid  for  the  Terror  by  Night,  nor  for  the  Arrow 
that  flieth  by  Day,  nor  for  the  Pejlilence  that  walketh  in 
Darknefs,  or  for  the  DeJiruSfion  that  wa/ieth  at  Noon- Day, 
jlThoufand  Jhall  fall  at  thy  Side,  and  ten  Thoufand  at  thy 
Right-hand,  but  it  Jhall  not  come  nigh  thee. 
The  Difft'       It  muft  be  own'd  indeed,  that   there  is  a  very  large 
fence  in  the  Difference,  in  the  Scripture- Accounts  of  the  Number  of 

Book  of  Si'  '  ^  TV/r 

mud,  <.«</  Men, 

that  o/ChrO- 

sicles  recon*      ^^j  2  Sam.  xxiv.  1 6, 17,  (e)  Le  Clerc's  Commentary  in  Locun^, 
" '  *  The  Charafter,  which  Li-vy  gives  us  of  fuch  Faftions  and 

Difientions,  is  conceiv'd  in  thefe  Words :  ■     Fuere,  eruntquc 

pluribus  populis  magis  exitio,  quam  bella  externa,  quam  fames, 
morbive,  quasque  alia  in  numinis  iras,  velut  ultima  publicorum 
jnalorum,  vertunt.  Lib.  inj. 
(f)  Pfal.  xci,  r  ^^ , 


died. 


CttAP.  V.    from  the  l(x2it\\itz  entering  CzT\7izn^  ^c.       497 

Men,  fit  to  bear  Arms,  that  were  found  in  David's  Do-  A.  M. 
minions  :  (g)  In  Samuel  \t  is  faid,  that  they  were  in  Jfi''^f^Ant!'cht\i\. 
eight  hundred  Thoufand^  and  in  Judah  five  hundred  Thou- 1023,  &c. 
fand;  but  in  [h)  Chronicles,  they  (j/'Ifrael  were  a  T])oufiind^^°^'^^^^' 
thoufand,  and  an  Hundred  thoufand,  and  they  of  Judah  ,  'y^i^n  viii. 
four  hundred  threefcore  and  ten  Thoufand :  And  various 
have  been  the  Attempts  to  adjuft  and  fettle  this  Difagree- 
ment.  Some  fuppofe,  that,  as  Jeab  undertook  this  Office 
with  no  fmall  Reluftancy,  and  David,  very  probably, 
might  repent  of  the  Thing,  before  it  was  fully  executed > 
tho'  the  Commijftoners  might  make  an  exadt  Review,  (if) 
yet  they  thought  proper  to  lay  before  the  King  no  more 
than  what  the  Sum  in  Samuel  amounts  to  ;  but  that  the 
Author  of  the  Book  of  Chronicles  nlight,  from  fome  of  thefe 
Commiffioners,  receive  the  compleat  Sum,  which  occaft- 
on'd  the  Difference. 

(/f)OTHERs  imagine,  that  this  Difference  arifes  from 
the  Legionary  Soldiers,  (as  they  are  called)  or  thofe  Com- 
panies of  Militia,  which  attended  the  King's  Perfon  by- 
Turns,  and  might  make  the  Number  either  greater,  or 
\t(s,  according  as  they  were  number'd,  or  not  number'd, 
in  the  Account :  But  this  Solution  is  purely  arbitrary,  and 
fuch  as  has  no  Foundation  in  Scripture.  It  fuppofes  with- 
al!, that  the  real  Number  was  what  is  recorded  in  Chroni- 
cles,  which,  taking  in  the  feveral  Articles  that  are  faid  to  be 
omitted,  furpalTes  all  Faith. 

Since  there  is  then  no  Poflibility  of  reconciling  thefe 
different  Computations,  the  Queftion  is,  Which  of  the  two 
we  are  to  receive :  And  this,  without  all  Controverfy,  muffc 
be  that  in  Samuel,  not  only  becaufe  the  Arabick  Tranfla- 
tors,  in  their  Verfion  of  the  Chronicles^  have  inferted  if, 
but  becaufe  there  is  nothing  exceffive,  or  extravagant,  in 
the  Suppofition,  that,  in  a  fertile  and  well- cultivated  Coun- 
try of  fixty  Leagues  in  Length,  and  thirty  in  Breadth,  a 
Multitude  of  People,  to  the  Number  of  fix  or  feven  Mil- 
iions,  (which,  taking  in  the  other  Articles,  will  be  the 
Sum  total)  might  very  comfortably  be  maintain'd.  (I)  Ra- 
ther then,  than  have  Recourfe  to  fuch  Solutions,  as  do  but 
more  embarrafs  the  Matter,  we  may  adventure  to  fay, 
without  any  Diminution  to  the  Scripture's  Authority,  that 

the 

{g)  2  Samxxiv.  9.  (h)  i  Chroti.  xxi.  5,  (/)  Ibid. 

xxvii.  24.         [k)  Vide  C^Aw^'s  Commentary  on  2  Sam.  :vxiv.  9. 
(/)  Le  Clerc'i  Commentary  in  Locum. 

Vol.  IIL  1  i 


498  ^e  Hipry  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  the  exceflive  Number  in  the  Chronicles  was  a  Miftake  of 
Ant''c?rift  ^^^  Perfon,  who,  after  the  Captivity,  tranfcrib'd  this  Part 
io"3,  ©■<:.  of  thefacred  Writ  ;  Nam  non  dubito  (fays  Sulpicius,  (m) 
From  zSain.  in  bis  Sacred  Hijiory)  Lihrariorum  potius  negligentia^  pra- 
^^^.  "  ...  fertim  tot  jam  faculis  intercedentibus,  veritatem  fui/Je  cor- 

.1  Kings  viii.y  s  r»        ;  •  J     •iJ 

^  —  J  rupta/Nj  quam  ut  fropneta  err  aver  it. 

jffifcy  David  It  muft  be  aclcnowlcdg'd,  that  in  moft  Nations,  where 
^"^nltTu  ^^  ^^*^'  Power  was  at  this  Time  eftablifh'd,  the  Right  of 
cejfor,  '  Succeffion  was  generally  hereditary^  and  the  eldeft  Son  fel- 
dom  (except  in  Cafes  of  Incapacity)  poftpon'd.  This  is 
what  Adonijah  urges  to  Bathjheba  j  (n)  Thou  knovoeji.^  that 
the  Kingdom  was  mine  by  Right  of  Primogeniture,  ande 
that  all\Uzt\fet  their  Faces  on  me,  that  I Jheuld  reign: 
But  then,  there  was  this  peculiar  to  the  Jewijh  Conftitu- 
tion,  that,  as  God  had  been  their  only  King  from  the 
Time  that  they  firft  became  a  Nation,  fo,  when  they 
thought  fit  to  have  that  Form  of  Government  alter'd,  he 
ftill  referv'd  to  himfelf  the  Right  of  nominating  the  Suc- 
cefTor,  when  the  Throne  became  vacant :  [o]  When  thou 
art  come  unto  the  Land^  ivhich  the  Lord  thy  God  givetb 
thee,  and  Jhall  fay,  Iwillfet  a  King  over  me,  like  all  the 
Nations,  that  are  about  me,  thou  jhalt  by  all  Means  make 
him  King  over  thee,  whom  the  Lord  thy  Godjhall  chufe.  So 
that,  when  God  had  declar'd  his  Pleafure  concerning  the 
Perfon,  that  was  to  fucceed  him,  (as  he  did  by  the  Prophet 
Nathan)  David  was  not  at  Liberty  to  make  Choice  of  any 
other. 

We  do  not  difpute  at  all,  but  that  Bathjheba,  who  was 
his  favourite  Wife,  had  a  great  Afcendancy  over  her  Huf- 
band  ;  but  Solomon's  Title  was  not  founded  upon  her  Inter- 
eft  and  Management  with  the  King,  but  upon  the  Ordi- 
nation and  Appointment  of  God.  (p)  Of  all  my  Sons^ 
fays  David,  (for  the  Lord  hath  given  n\e  many  Sons)  he 
•hath  chofen  Solomon  7ny  Son  to  fit  upon  the  Throne  of  the 
Kingdom  of  the  Lord  over  Ifrael ;  and  therefore  Adonijah 
himfelf  acknowledges,  [q)  that  it  wa\  of  the  Lord,  that  the 
Kingdom  was  turned  about,  a7;d  become  his  Brother^ s. 

NATHAN  indeed  puts  Bathjheba  upon  another  Argu- 
ment, vi%.  the  Sacrednefs  of  the  King's  Oath,  in  order  to 
prevail  with  him  in  Behalf  of  her  Son  :  (r)  Didji  not  thou. 

fwear 

(m)  Vii.\.  "  (.u)  I  Kings  ii.  15.  (o)^Deut.  xrii.  14,  15. 
{p)   \  Chron.  xx-viii.  j.  (y)   \  Kings  ii.  15.         (r)   x  Kings. 

i.  I-;.  2  Sam.  xii.  zx 


Chap.  V.     from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan,  ^c.    4.90 

/wear  unto  thy  Handmaid,  faying,    ajjuredly  Solomon  thy     A.  M, 
Bon  /hall  reign^after  me,  and  he  /ball  ft  upon  my  Throne  f  a^'V?  vi. 
But  at  what  Time  this  Promife  was  made,  is  a  Matter  of  1023,  &c.' 
fome  Difpute.     The  Generality  of  Interpreters  are  of  0-Pf°"i  2  Sam, 
pinion,  that,  after   the  Death  of  the  firft    Child,    which  ^j' J.  ^°  ^Uj^ 
David  had  by  Bathjheba,  he   comforted  her  for  her  Lofs,  \_  -,  —  j*' 
and  gave  her  Aflurance,  that,  if  God  fhould  give  him  ano- 
ther Son  by  her,  he  would  not  fail  to  make  him  his  Suc- 
ceflor.     But  it  is  much  more  probable,  that  David  did  not 
make  any  Declaration  of  a  Promife  to  Bathjheba,    until 
God  had  reveal'd  it  to  him,  (j)  that  he  fhould  have  a  Son, 
diftiniSt  from  what  he   had  already,    who  fhould    fucceed 
him  in  the  Kingdom,    and  have  the  Honour  of  building 
him  a  Temple  ;    and,  no  fooner  was  Solomon  born,  but 
David  was  convinc'd  that  this  was  the  Child  to  whom  the 
Promifes  belong'd,  by  Nathan's  being  fent  to  give  him  a 
Name,  denoting  his  being  [t)  beloved  of  the  Lord :    And 
*twas  at   this  Time,  mofl  probably,  that  David  gave  his 
Mother  a  Promife,  confirm'd  upon  Oath,  that,  fmce  God 
had  fo  manifefily  declar'd  in  Favour  of  the  Child,  he,  for 
his  Part,  would  do  his  utmofl  to  facilitate  his  Succeflion : 
But,  upon  the  whole,  he  did  not  chufe  for  himfelf,  («) 
neither  was  his  Declaration  to  Bathjheba  previous  to  Na- 
than's  Information,  but  rather  the  EfFedl,  and  Confequence, 
of  it. 

But  even  fuppofe  there  had  been  no  divine  Interpofi- <rbat  he  had 
tion  in  Favour  of  Solomon,  why   might  not  David,  who «  Rig'"' " 
had  done  fuch  fignal  Service  in  his  Reign,  nominate  his'"""'*"'* 
SuccefTor  ?   [x)    Several    great  Princes,    in  moft  Nations, 
have  claim'd  this  Privilege.     Among  the  Romans,  Aurelius 
nam'd  Nerva,  and  Nerva  chofe  Trajan,  and  fo  did  y^u- 
gujius  appoint  his  SuccefTor.     And,  that  this  was  a  Prero- 
gative belonging  to  the  Crown  of  Ifracl,  and  what  conti- 
nued with  it  for  fome  Time  after  David,  is  evident  from 
the  Story  of   his  Grandfon  Rehoboam,  (^)  who,    tho'  a 
Prince  of  no  great  Merit,  took  upon  him  the  Authority 
of  nominating  his  SuccefTor,  and,  to  the  Prejudice  of  his 
cldefl  Son,  made  one  of  his  youngefl  King. 

Far  are  we  from  vindicating  Solomon  in  all  his  hS(\' Why  s^-Ao- 
ons,  any  more  than  David  in  the  Matter  of  Uriah.  His  ^1^^.ff* 
Severity  to  his  Brother,  for  a  feemingly  fmall  OfTence,  Adonijak'i 

I  i  2  look'di'/*^ 

{s)  I  Chron.  xxii.  9,  10.  (/)  The  Name  was  Jedidiah, 

2  Sam.  xii.  25.      [li]  Calmet't  Commentary  in  Locum,     {x)  Pa- 
trkk\  Commentary  on  i  Kings  i.  20.     [y)  2  Chron.  xii  21,  22. 


50O  ^e  Hijiory  of  //5>/?  B  I  B  L  E,      Book  V. 

A.  VL  look'd  like  Revenge,  and  as  if  he  had  taken  the  firft  Op- 
^nt!  Chrift.  portunity  to  cut  him  off,  for  his  former  Attempt  upon  the 
1023,  ^'*  Kingdom  :  And  yet  we  cannot  but  imagine,  (z)  from  5tf- 
From2Sam./(,^c„»s  Words  to  his  Mother,  Why  doeji  thou  ajk  Abiftiag 
1  Kings  \va.f°^  Adonijah  ?  JJk  for  him  the  Kingdom  alfo,  for  he  is  mint 
\ elder  Brother',  that  there  was  fome  farther  Confpiracy  a- 
gainft  him,  (tho'  not  mention'd  in  holy  Writ)  whereof  he 
had  got  Intelligence,  and  wherein  Joah  and  Abiathar  were 
engag'd  ;  and  that  he  look'd  upon  this  afking  >^^/)^^^  in 
Marriage  as  the  Prelude  to  it,  and  the  firft  Over-A£l,  as 
it  were,  of  their  Treafon.  It  is  certain,  that  they  thought 
to  impofe  upon  the  King,  as  they  had  done  upon  his  Mo- 
ther, and  carry  their  Point,  v/ithout  ever  difcovering  the 
malevolent  Intent  of  it. 

The  Wives  of  the  late  King  (according  to  the  Cuftoms 
of  the  Eaji)  belong'd  to  his  SucceiTor,  and  were  never 
marry'd  to  any  under  a  crown'd  Head,  {a)  Abijhag  was 
doubtlefs  a  beautiful  Woman,  and,  by  her  near  Relation 
to  David,  might  have  a  powerful  Intereft  at  Court ;  Ado- 
Tiijah  might  therefore  hope,  by  this  Marriage,  to  ftrengthen 
his  Prctenfions  to  the  Crown,  or,  at  leaft,  to  lay  the  Foun- 
dation for  fome  future  Attempt,  upon  a  proper  Opportu- 
nity, either  if  Solomon  fhould  die,  and  leave  a  young  Son, 
not  able  to  conteft  the  Point  with  him,  or  if,  at  any  Time, 
he  fhould  happen  to  fall  under  the  People's  Difpleafure,  as 
his  Father  had  done  before  him. 

This  might  be  Adonijah's  Defign,  and  Solomon,  ac- 
cordingly, might  have  Information  of  it :  But  fuppofing 
that  his  Brother's  Defign  was  entirely  innocent,  yer,  fmce 
his  Requeft  ^according  to  the  Cuftoms  then  prevailing) 
was  confefledly  bold  and  prefumptuous,  and  had  in  it  all 
the  Appearance  of  Treafon,  (b)  it  was  none  of  Solomon's 
Bufinefs  to  make  any  farther  Enquiry  about  it,  or  to  in- 
terpret the  Thing  in  his  Brother's  Favour.  It  was  fuffici- 
ent  for  him,  that  the  Ai^ion  was  in  itfelf  criminal,  and 
of  dangerous  Confequence  to  the  State  ;  for  'tis  by  their 
Adlions,  and  not  Intentions,  that  all  Offenders  muft  be 
tried. 

ADONIJAH  indeed,  had  he  liv'd  under  our  Conjli- 
iution,  would  have  had  a  fair  Hearing  before  ConviSfion  : 
but  we  ought  to  remember,  that,  in  the  Kingdoms  of  the 
£a/}y  the  Government  was  abfolute,   and  the  Power  of 

Life 

^    (s)  I  Kings  ii.  22.  (a)  PooA  Annotations  oa  I  Kings, 

li.  22.        {b)  Calmt's  Commentary  in  Locum. 


Chap.  V.    from  the  KrsitWtt^  entering  Canz^vi^^c.       501 

Life  or  Death  entirely  in  the  Prince ;  fo  that  Solomon,  A.  IVL 
without  the  Formality  of  any  Procefs,  could  pronounce  his  An  J  Chrift! 
Brother  dead  :  And,  becaufe  he  conceiv'd,  that,  in  Cafes  1023,  ©"<:. 
of  this  Nature,  Delays  were  dangerous,  might  fend  imme-^f°""^^^™* 
diately,  and  have  him  difpatch'd  ;  tho'  we  cannot  but  fay,  i  Kings  viii. 
that  it  had  been  more  to  his  Commendation,  had  he  fliew'd  \  — Jw  mj 
more  Clemency,  and  fpar'd  his  Life. 

And,  in  like  Manner,  had  he  not  marry'd  his  Egyptian  Marry  an 
Queen,    there  might  be  lefs  objected  to   his  Charader :  ^gyptian 
For,  whatever  Augmentation  of  Power  he  might  promife"^""' 
himfelf,  from  that  Alliance,  {c)  he  certainly  ran  the  Ha- 
zard of  having  his  Religion  corrupted  by  this  unlawful 
Mixture.     Others  however  have  obferv'd,  that  as  the  facred 
Scriptures  commend  the  Beginning  of  Solomon's  Reign,  in  aU 
otherRcfpe£ts,except  the  [d)People^  s  facrificing  inhighPlacesy 
which  m  ight  be  the  rather  tolerated ,  becaufe  there  was  no  Houfe 
built  unto  the  Name  of  the  Lord^  in  thofe  Days  5  and,  as  they 
give  him  this  Character,  (f)  thzt  he  loved  the  Lord,  and  walked 
in  all  the  Statutes  of  David  his  Father,  he  would   never 
have  done  an  A61  fo  directly  contrary  to  the  Laws  of  God, 
as  marrying  an  idolatrous  Princefs,  had  (he  not  been  firft 
profelyiedio  the  Jewijh  Faith.     The  Scripture  indeed  takes 
Notice  of  the  Gods  of  the  Moahites,  Ammonites,  and   Zi- 
4pnians,  for  whom  Solomon,  in  Compliance  to  his  Jirange 
Wives,  built  Places  of  Worfhip  :  But,  as  there  is  no  Men- 
tion made  of  any  Gods  of  the  Egyptians,  it  feems  very 
likely,  that  this  Princefs,  when  ihe  was  efpous'd  to  Solo- 
mon, quitted  the  Religion  of  her  Ancejlors,  to  which  thefc 
Words  in  the  Pjalm,  fuppos'd  to  be  written  upon  this  Oc- 
cafion,  (f)  Hearken,  O  my  Daughter,  forget  thine  own 
People,   and  thy  Father's  Houfe,  fo  Jhall  the  King  have 
Pleafure  in  thy  Beauty,  for  he  is  the  Lord,  are  thought  by 
fome  to  be  no  diftant  AUufton.     However  this  be,    it  is 
certain,  that  we  find  Solomon  no  where  reprov'd  in  Scrip- 
ture for  this  Match ;  (g)  nor  can  we  think,  that  his  Book 
of  Canticles  {  which  is  fuppos'd  to  be  his  Epithalamium  ) 
would  have  found  a  Place  in  the  facred  Canon,  had    the 
Spoufe,  whom  it  all  along  celebrates,  been  at  that  Time 
an  Idolatrefs  ;  tho'  there  is  Reafon  to  believe,  that  fhe  af- 
terwards relaps'd  into  her  antient  Religion,  and  contribut- 
ed, as  much  as  any,  to  the  King's  Sedu<5tion,  and  the  many 
great  Diforders,  that  were  in  the  latter  Part  of  his  Reign, 
113  How 

[c)  Vid.  I  Kings  xi.  [d)  i  Kings  iii.  2.  [e]  Ibid. 

vex.  %.        if)  Pfal.  xlv.  10,  II.         ig)  Calmt's  Comm»n« 
jary  on  i  Kings  iii,  i. 


502  iT^e  Hijfory  //  /^<f  B  1  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M-        How  far  the  High-Prieft,  Jbiathar,  was  concern'd  ia 
^^j.^'qjj[^  the  Plot  againft  Solomon^  the  facred  Hiftory  does  not  parti- 
1023,  (^c.  cularly  inform  us  ;  but  fuch  was  the  Reverence  paid  to  the 
From  '2-^^^-J'acerdotal  Charafter,  that  Solomon  would  have  hardly  dared 
^Kings  viii.  ^0 have  depos'd  fuch  an  one  from  his  Office,  had  not  the 
V— y— -J  Co«/?//«//(j«  of  the  Nation  authoriz'd  him  fo  to  do.     The 
And  degrade  Kings  in  the  Eaji  indeed  foon  found  out  Ways  to  make 
Abiathar.      themfelves  abfolute  ;  but  it  looks,  as  if,  at  the  firft  Eftablifti- 
ment,  the  King  was  at  the  Head  of  the  Hebrew  Repub- 
lick,  and  the  High-Prieft  his  Subject,  and,  in  all  Civil  Af- 
fairs, fubmitted  to  his  Correction  ;    (  h)    infomuch,  that 
when  any  one  abus'd  the  Power  of  his  Office  to  the  Pre- 
judice of  the  Commonweal,    or  endangering  the  King's 
Perfon,  the  King  might  juftly  deprive  him  of  his  Honours 
and  Titles,  of  his  Temporalities  and  Emoluments,  and  even 
of  Life  itfelf.      And   therefore,    when  Jbiathar,  by    his 
Confpiracy,  had  merited  all  this,  whatever  was  dependent 
on  the  Crown,  (as  all  the  Revenues  of  this  Place,  as  well 
as  the  Liberty   of  officiating  in  it,  were  dependent)  Solo^ 
nton  might  lawfully  take  from  him  ;  but  the  facer  dotal  Cha- 
ra5ler^  which  he  receiv'd  from  God,  and  to  which  he  was 
anointed,   this  he  could  not  alienate :    And  therefore  we 
may  obferve,  that  after  his  Deprivation^  and   even  when 
Zadok  was  in  Pofleffion  of  his  Place,  he  is  neverthelefs  ftill 
mention'd  (?)  under  the  Stile  and  Title  of  the  Prie/l. 

The  Truth  is,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  Difference  be- 
tween depriving  a  Man  of  the  Dignity^  and  of  the  Exercife 
of  his  FunSiion  in  fuch  a  determinate  Place;  and  between 
taking  from  him  an  Authority^  that  was  given  him  by  God, 
and  the  Profits  and  Emoluments  arifmg  from  it,  which 
were  originally  the  Gift  of  the  Crown.  The  former  of 
thcfe  Solomon  could  not  do,  and  the  latter  it  is  probable  he 
was  the  rather  incited  to  do,  out  of  Regard  to  the  Prophecy 
of  Samuel^  wherein  he  foretold  £//,  (from  whom  Abiathar 
was  defcended)  that  he  would  tranflate  the  Priefthood  from 
his  to  another  Family,  as  he  did  in  the  Perfon  of  Zadoky 
who  was  of  the  Houfe  of  Eleazar^  even  as  Eli  was  of  that 
of  Ithamar  ;  fo  that,  by  this  Means,  the  Priefthood  revert- 
ed to  its  antient  Channel. 
The  dtf(rent  ^^  ^^^  Account  which  we  have  of  Solomon's  fumptuous 
Acc'M'tsin  Manner  of  Living,  [k)  we  read  in  the  Book  of  Kings,  that 
King^ar^    he  had  forty  Thouf and  Stalls  of  Horfes  for  his  Chariots', 

{i)  C?//)!?f/'s  Commentary  en  i  Kings  ii.  27.  (z)  I  Kings 

iv,  4.  (k)  Ibid.  vex.  26.       ,  • 


Chap.  V.  from  theUrsLtVite^  eniermg  Canaan,  ^c.         503 

(/)  but  in  that  of  Chronicles  it  is  faid,  that  he  had  no  more    ■^-  ^• 
thzn  four  y  and  yet,  in   this  feme  will  acknowledge   no  Ant^'chrift. 
Difagreement  at  all.     The  Author  of  Samuel^  fay   they,  1023,  &c. 
fpeaks  of  the  Horfes,  the  Author  of  the  Chronicles,  of  the  J.;^°'"^^^Sani. 
Stalls  or  Stables,  which,  fuppofmg  every  one   to  contain  i  Kings  viii. 
fen  Horfes,  anfwer  the  Number  exactly.     It  is  obfervable 
however,  that  the  Hiftory  makes  Mention  (m)  of  Charict- 
Citiesy    i.  e.  Cities,    wherein   Solomon   kept  Chariots  and 
Horfemen  in  feveral  Parts  of  his  Kingdom,  for  the  Securi- 
ty of  his  Government,  and  the  Suppreffion  of  any  Diforder, 
that  might  happen  to  arife;    and   therefore    others  have 
thought,    that,    in  the   Chronicles,  the  Author  fpeaks  of 
thofe  Stalls,   which  Solomon  had  at  ferufalem  for   his  con- 
^nt  Life- Guard,  and  were  no  more  than/owr  Ihoufand; 
but  in  Kings,  of  all  thofe  Stalls,  which  were  difpers'd,    up 
and  down,  in  the  feveral    Parts  of  his  Kingdom,  which 
might  be  forty  Ihoufand :  Becaufe,  upon  the  Account  of 
the  Conquefts,  which  his    Father  had  made  on  the  Eaji 
Side  of  Jordan,    it  was  neceflary  for  Solomon  to  have  a 
ftronger  Armament  of  this  Kind,  than  other  Kings  before 
him  had,  in  order  to  keep  the  People,  that  would  other  wife 
be  apt  to  rebel,  in  due  Subje6tion. 

But,  without  any    Prejudice  to   the  Authority  of  the 
Scriptures,  why  may  we  not  own,  that  an  Error  has  poffibiy 
crept  into  the  Text  through  the  Negligence  of  fome  Tran- 
fcriber,  who  has  inferted  Arhahim,  i.  e.  forty,  inflead    of 
Arhah,  four,  and  fo  made  this  large  Difparity  in  the  Num- 
ber ?  Four  thoufand  Stalls  (fuppofmg  each  Stall  for  a  fingle 
Horfe)  are  moderate  enough,  but  forty  Thoufand  is  incredi- 
ble :  And  therefore  (to  proportion  the  Horfes  to  the  Cha- 
riots, (n)  which  were  a  Thoufand  and  four  hundred)  we 
may  fuppofe,  {0)  with  the  learned  Author,  from  whom  we 
have  borrow'd    this   Conjedure,    that,  of  thefe    Chariots 
fome  were  drawn   with  two,  fome  with  three,  and  fomc 
with  four  Horfes.     Now  if  the  Chariots  were  drawn  with 
a  Pair  only,  the  Number  of  Solomonh  Chariot-horfes  niuft 
be  two  Thoufand  eight  hundred;  if  by  two  Pair,  then  it 
mu-ft  be,  five  Thoufand  fix  hundred;  but  the  Medium,   be- 
tween thefe  two  Numbers  is  very  near/o^r  Thoufand;  and 
therefore   it  feems   moft  likely,  that  the   Horfes,    which 
the  King  kept  for  this  Ufe  only,  might  be  much  about  this 
Number.     Too  many  for  the  Law  to  tolerate^  (/>)  but  the 

I  i  4  King 

(/)  3  Chrpn.  ix.  2j.         {771)  Ibid.  (»)  i  Kings  x.  26- 

(0)  Vid.  ^9ihm  Hierof.  P.  I.  lib.  ii.  c.  9.  (/)  LJeut.  xvii. 

16,. 


504  ^e  Hiftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  King  perhaps  might  have  as  little  Regard  to  this  Claufe  in 
Ant' Chria.^^-  Law,  as  he  had  to  the  following  one,  which  forbad 
1023,  &c.  him  {q)  to  multiply  Wives  and  Concubines  to  himfelf,  er 
FromzSzm.^^^^f/y  ^^  ff^uifiply  Silver  or  Gold. 

iKiogsviii.     The  Only  remaining  Difficulty  (except  the  divine  Vifistt 
v,_.— s^— — ^vouchfaf'd  Solomon^  which  has  not  been  mention'd)   is  the 
Solomon"!    great  Qi^iantity  of  Sacrifices,  which  he  is  faid  to  have  of- 
f'c°°  on'aut  ^^^'^   f^n   or»e  Altar  only  \  but,  without  recurring  to  any 
^itar.         Miracle  for  this,  or  without  fuppofing,  that  this  Fire,  which 
originally  came  from  Heaven,  was  more  ftrong  and  intenfe, 
than   any  common  Fire,  and  therefore,  after  the  Return 
from  the  Captivity,  the  Altar  (as  fome  obferve)  was  made 
larger,  becaufe  there  wanted  this  celeftial  Flame :  Without 
any  forc'd  Solution  like  this,  we  have  no  Reafon  to  think, 
that  all  thefe  Sacrifices   were  ofFer'd  in  one  Day.     The 
King,  (we  may  imagine)  upon  one  of  the  great  Fejlivals^ 
went  in  Proceffion  with  his  Nobles,  to  pay  his  Devotion  at 
Gibeon^  where  the  Tabernacle  was,  and  the  brazen  Altar, 
which  Mofes  had  made.     Each  of  the  great  Fejlivah  lafted 
for  feven  Days  j  but    Solomon  might  flay  much  longer  at 
GibeoHy  untill,  by  the  daily  Oblations,  a  thoufand  Burnt- 
offerings  were  confum'd  j    and,    at   the  Conclufion  of  this 
Courfe  of  Devotion,  he  might  offer  up  his  ardent  Prayer 
to   God  for  Wifdom,    and  God,  for  the  Confirmation  of 
his  Faith,  might  appear  to  him  in  a  Dream  by  Night,  and 
have  that  Converfe  with  him,  which  the  Scripture  takes 
notice  of, 
A'd  his  di.    c^^  Sleep  indeed  is  like  a  State  of  Death  to  the  Soul, 
Holb  proba^'  wherein  the    Senfes   are  lock'd  up,  and  the  Underftanding 
ik.  and  Will  depriv'd  of  the  free  Exercife  of  their  Fundlions  ; 

and  yet  this  is  no  Impediment  to  God  in  communicating 
himfelf  to  Mankind  :  For  (5)  God  fpeaketh  once^  yea  twice 
(fays  the  Author  of  the  Book  of  Job)  in  a  Dream,  in 
a  Vifion  of  the  Nighty  when  deep  Sleep  falleth  upon  Men, 
in  Slumberings  upsn  the  Bed^  then  he  openeth  the  Ears  of 
Men^  and  fealeih  their  InJiruSiion  :  For  God,  no  doubt, 
has  Power,  not  only  to  awaken  our  intelleftual  Faculties, 
but  to  advance  them  above  their  ordinary  Meafure  of  Per- 
ception, even  while  the  Body  is  afleep. 

{t)  A  very  eminent  Father  of  the  Greek  Church,  fpealc- 
ing  of  the  different  Kinds  of  Dreams,  has  juftly  obferv'd, 

that 

[q]  Le  Cure's  Commentary  on  i  Kings  iv.  26,      (r)  Calmtt\ 
Commentary  on  1    Kings  iii.  {s\  Job.  xxxiii.  14, 

(/}  Gregarjf  de  Opiftcio  Hominis,  c.  1 3. 


Chap.  V.    from  the  KraeVitQS  entering  CanzsLn,  ^c.      505 

that  the  Organs  of  oiu*  Body,  and  our  Brain,  are  not  un-    ^.  m.^ 
like  the  Strings  of  a  mu/tca llnfkrnment.     While  the  Strings ^nt'/chrift. 
arc  fcrew'd  up  to  a  proper  Pitch,  they  give  an  harmonious  1073,  &c. 
Sound,    if  touch'd  bv  a   (kilful  Hand  ;    but,  as  foon  as  ^f*''"  ^Sam. 
they  are  relax'd,  they   give  none  at  all.     In  like  Man- ,  Kings  viii. 
per,  while  we  are  awake,  {fays  he)  our  Senfes,   touch'd  U-i-V*"** 
and  direded  by  our  Underftanding,    make  an  agreeable 
Concert ;  but  when  once  we  are  afleep,  the  Inftrument 
has  done  founding,  unlefs   it  be,  that  the  Remembrance  of 
what  pafs'd,  when  we  are  awake,  comes  and  prefents  itfelf 
to  the  Mind,  and  fo  forms  a  Dream,  juft  as  the  Strings  of 
an  Inftrument  will  for  fome  Time  continue  their  Sound, 
even  after  the  Hand  of  the  Artift  has  left  them.     It  is  no 
hard  Matter  to  apply  this  to  Solomon's  Dream.     He  had 
pray'd  the  Day  before  with  great  Fervency,  and  defir'd  of 
Ood  the  Gift  of  Wifdom.     In  the  Night-time  God  ap- 
pear'd  to   him   in   a  Dream,  and  bid  him  a(k   whatever 
he  would.     Solomon,  having  his  Mind  ftill  full  of  the  De- 
fire  of  Wifdom,    aflc'd  it,    and  obtain'd  it :  So   that  the 
Prayer,  or  Defire,  which  he  utter'd   in  his  Dream,  was 
but  the  Confequence  of  the  Option^  he  had  made  the  Day 
before,  when  he  was  awake. 

In  a  Word,  tho'  we  (hould  allow,  that  the  Soul  of 
Man,  when  the  Body  is  afleep,  is  in  a  State  of  Reft  and 
InaSfivity ;  yet  we  cannot  but  think,  that  God  can  ap- 
proach it  many  different  Ways  ;  can  move  and  actuate  it, 
juft  as  he  pleaies ;  and  when  he  is  minded  to  make  a  Dif- 
cpvery  of  any  Thing,  can  fet  fuch  a  lively  Reprefentation 
of  it  before  the  Eyes  of  the  Man's  Underftanding,  as  fhall 
make  him  not  doubt  of  the  Reality  of  the  Vifton. 

SOLOMON  indeed,  at  the  Confecration  of  the  Tern- :^^*"BuiH. 
pie,  owns,  that  {u)the  Heaven  of  Heavens  could  not  ^ <?«- «7w/«,ai 
tain  God,  and  much  lefs   then  the  Houfe,  that  he  had  huiltcommmia- 
him  ;  but  it  will  not  therefore  follow,  that  there  is  no  Ne-'jJ*- 
(ceffity    for   Places  appropriated   to  divine  Worfhip,    nor 
^ny  Occafion  for  making  them  fo  magnificent  and  fumptw 
ms.     That  God,  who  is  the  Author  and  Giver  of  our 
Being,  and  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  every  Thing  we 
have,  and  every  Thing  we  hope  for,  ftiould  be  conftantly 
attended  with  the  Homage  and  Adoration,  with  the  Praifes 
and  Acknowledgments,  of  his  Creatures  (his  own  dependent 
Creatures)  is  a  Pofition,  that  will  admit  of  no  Controverfy; 
»nd  that  there  ihould  be  fome  Places  appointed  for  this  Pur- 

pofe, 

(u )  I  Kings  viii,  27. 


5o6  I'he  Hiflory  of  ibe  BIB  L  E,    Book  V." 

A.  M.  pofe,  that  all  the  Offices  of  Religion  may  be  perform'd 
^^j''(.jj^  with  more  Decency,  and  more  Solemnity,  is  another  Pt- 
1013,  &e.  fition,  that  feems  to  arife  from  the  Nature  of  the  Thing, 
From  2  Sam. Xhefe  Buildings  we  ftile  ihQ  Houfes  of  God ;  but  it  is  not 
I'Kings  viti/^  defend  him  (as  Arnohim  {x)  fpeaks)  from  Heat  or  Cold, 
(from  Wind  or  Rain,  or  Tempefts,  that  we  raife  fuch 
Structures,  but  to  put  ourfelves  in  a  Capacity  of  paving 
our  Duty  to  him,  and  of  nourifliing  in  our  Hearts  fuch 
Sentiments  of  Refpeft  and  Reverence,  of  Love  and  Gra- 
titude, as  are  due  from  Creatures  to  their  great  Creator. 

In  thefe  Places,  God  is  faid  to  be  more  immediately 
prefent,  to  hear  our  Supplications,  receive  our  Praifes,  and 
relieve  our  Wants  ;  and  therefore,  to  make  his  Habitation 
commodious,  David  exhorts  his  Subjects  to  a  liberal  Coh- 
iribution^  and,  Becaufe  I  have  a  Joy^  fays  he,  in  the  Houfe 
of  my  God,  I  have^  of  mine  own  Gold  and  Silver^  given 
three  Thoufand  Talents  of  Gold,  even  the  Gold  o/"Ophir, 
and  f even  Thoufand  Talents  of  fine  Silver.  *'  He  indeed 
*'  makes  mention  (as  the  learned  {y)  Hooker,  with  whofe 
*.*  Words  I  conclude  this  Argument,  has  obferv'd)  of  the 
*'  natural  Conveniency,  that  fuch  Kind  of  bounteous  Ex- 
*'  pences  have,  fince  thereby  we  not  only  teftify  our  chearful 
*'  AfFedlion  to  God,  which  thinks  nothing  too  dear  to  be 
*•  beftow'd  about  the  Furniture  of  his  Service;  but  give 
*'  Teftimony  to  the  World  likewife  of  his  Almightinefsy 
**  whom  we  outwardly  honour  with  the  chiefeft  of  out- 
**  v/ard  Things,  as  being,  of  all  Things,  himfelf  incom- 
*'  parabl>  the  greateft.  To  fet  forth  the  Majefly  of  Kings, 
•'  his  Vicegerents  here  below,  the  moft  gorgeous  and  rare 
•'  Treafures,  that  the  World  can  afford,  are  procur'd; 
•'  and  can  we  fuppofe,  that  God  will  be  pleas'd  to  accept 
•'  what  the  meaneft  of  thefe  would  difdain  ?  In  a  Word, 
•'  tho'  the  true  Worth ip  of  God,  fays  he,  be  to  God  in 
«'  itfelf  acceptable,  who  refpe(fts  not  fo  much,  in  what 
•'  Place,  as  with  what  AffeSlion,  he  is  ferv'd  ;  yet  mani- 
*^  fed  it  is,  that  the  very  Majefty  and  Holinefs  of  the 
"  Place,  where  God  is  worfhipp'd,  hath,  in  Regard  ef  us, 
**  great  Virtue,  Force,  and  Efficacy,  as  it  is  a  fenfible 
•*  help  to  ftir  up  Devotion,  and,  in  that  Refpe6t,  better- 
«'  eth,  no  doubt,  our  holieft  and  belt  Actions  of  that 
«'  Kind." 

DIS- 

(;v)  Contra  Gent.  lib.  vi.       (y)  Ecclef.  Polity,!  ib.  v. 


Ch AP.  V.  from  the  Ifraelites  entering  Canaan, ,  ^c.        507 

A.  M. 

DISSERTATION   V.      'if^'clS.. 

1023,  ^'• 
From  2  Sam. 

Of  the  antient  Jerufalem,  and  its  Temple.       xix.  to  1 

•^  Kings  viii. 

IT  is  an  Opinion  vulgarly  receiv'd,  and  not  without j,j^^„,^^„^ 
much  Probability,  that  "Jerufalem  is  the  fame  City,  Situation^ 
which  (zj  elfewhere  is  called  Salem,  and  whereof  Mel- 
chifedeck  is  faid  to  have  been  King.  Not  that  Salem ^  or 
the  City  of  Melchifedeck,  was  of  equal  Extent  with  JerU' 
falem  in  After-Times  ;  but  Jerufalem  was  no  other,  than 
the  City  of  Salem  enlarg'd  and  beautify 'd  by  tlie  Kings  of 
all  Ifrael,  at  firfl:  by  David  and  Solomon^  and,  after  that, 
by  the  fucceeding  Kings  of  Judahy  when  the  Monarcliy 
came  to  be  divided  into  two  diftinft  Kingdoms. 

The  Word  Salem^  in  the  Hebrew  Language,  (a)  fig- 
nifies  Peace :  And,  as  the  City  oi  Melchifedeck,  called  5^- 
lem,  is  probably  thought  to  be  the  fame  with  Jerufalem  ; 
fo  is  it  certain,  that  Jerufalem  was  (b)  otherwife  called 
Jebusj  and  therefore,  as  it  preferves  the  Name  of  Salem  in 
the  latter y  fo  is  it  thought  to  preferve  the  Name  of  Jebus 
in  the  former.  Part  of  it,  and  to  be  nothing  elfe,  but  a  Com- 
pound  of  Jebus  and  Salem,  which,  for  the  better  Sound's 
Sake,  by  the  Change  of  one  Letter,  and  the  Omiflion  of 
another,  is  foften'd  into  Jerufalem. 

Whether  this  City  flood  in  the  Center  of  the  World, 
or  no,  we  fhall  not  pretend  to  determine,  the'  fome  f  very 

zealoufly 

{&)  Gen.  xiv.  18.         [a)  Heh.  vii.  z.  {b)  Compare  Jolh. 

XV.  8.  with  I  Chron.  xi.  4. 

•j-  To  this  Purpofe  they  obferve,  that  the  facred  Writers  are 
very  well  acquainted  with  this,  as  appears  by  that  PafTage  of 
Ezekiel,  Chap.  v.  5.  Thus  faith  the  Lord  God,  this  is  Jerufalem ; 
/  have  fet  it  in  the  Midji  of  the  Ncrtions  and  Countries  roundabout 
her.  For  what  Purpofe  he  did  this,  the  Pfalmift  has  not  been 
wanting  to  inform  us,  Out  of  Sion,  fays  he,  the  FerfeSiion  of 
Beauty y  God  hath  fhined^  Pfal.  1.  2.  Here  the  Almighty  kept  his 
Court,  and  from  hence  he  fent  out  his  Embafladors,  the  Prophets, 
to  publifh  his  Decrees  to  the  whole  World  around  him,  with  more 
Eafe,  and  fpeedier  Conveyance,  than  could  poffibly  be  done  from 
any  other  Region  of  the  habitable  World.  From  hence,  as  from 
a  central  Point,  the  Light  of  the  Law  at  firft,  and  the  Gofpel  af- 
terwards, ftione  out  to  the  furrounding  Nations,  and  therefore 
we  find  Jerufalem,  emphatically  called  the  City  of  our  God,  the 
Mountain  of  bis  Holinefs,  beautiful  for  Situation,  and  the  Joy  of 
the  luhole  Earth,  Pfal.  xlviii,  I,  2.  The  Hiftory  of  {he  Life  of 
King  Dawd,  Vol.  IL 


5oS  The  Hipry  of  the  BIB  \^  E,     Book  Vi 

A.  M-  zealoufly  contend  for  it  ;  fince  it  is  a  Matter  of  more  ma- 
^^^J'c'^[fl  terial  Difquifition,  in  what  Tribe  it  may  be  fuppos'd  to 
1023,  iyc.  have  been  fituated.  In  the  Conqueft  of  the  Land  of  Ca- 
From2Sam.„^a„^  and  at  the  famous  Battle  of  Gibeon^  (c)  Jojhua^xxt 
rKingtviii.  to  Death  the  King  of  Jerufalem^  and,  very  probably,  took 
/the  City,  tho',  by  fome  Means  or  other  not  mention'd  ia 
Scripture,  the  Jebufites  afterwards  got  Pofleffion,  and  con- 
tinu'd  their  Pofleffion  even  till  the  Days  of  David.  Tn  the 
Divifion  of  the  Land,  it  was  apparently  one  of  thofe  Cities, 
which  {d)  were  given  to  the  Tribe  of  Benjamin  ;  and  yet, 
when  we  read  that,  at  one  Time,  (e)  the  Children  of  Ju- 
dah  could  not  drive  out  the  Jebufites,  and,  at  another,  (f) 
ihat  the  Children  of  Judah  took  and  burnt  Jerufalem,  one 
would  be  tempted  to  think,  that  it  lay  within  the  Limits 
of  that  Tribe  :  But  then  this  Difference  may  be  eafily  re- 
concil'd,  if  we  will  but  confider,  that  as  this  City  wa» 
built  on  the  Frontiers  of  both  Tribes,  it  is  fometimes  made 
a  Part  of  the  one,  and  fometimes  of  the  other ;  that,  by 
yojhua^s  Divifion  of  the  Country,  Benjamin  had  moft 
Kighttoit,  but,  by  the  Right  of  Conqueft,  Judah  ,  how- 
ever, when  it  came  to  be  made  the  Metropolis  of  the  whole 
Nation,  it  was  thought  to  belong  to  the  Ifraelites  in  com- 
mon, and  therefore  was  claimed  by  neither. 

Th  E  City  of  Jerufalem  was  built  upon  two  Hills,  and 
encompafs'd  all  round  with  Mountains.  It  was  fituated  in 
a  barren  and  ftony  Soil;  but  the  Places  adjacent  were  well 
water'd,  having  the  Fountains  of  Gihon  and  Siloam^  and 
the  Brook  Kidren  at  the  Foot  of  its  Walls.  Jebus,  or 
the  antient  City,  which  David  took,  was  feated  on  a  Hill 
towards  the  South  ;  and,  on  the  oppofite  Quarter,  towards 
the  North,  was  Mount  Sion^  where  David  built  a  new  f 
City,  and  called  it  after  his  own  Name,  and  where  flood 

his 

{()  Jofh.  X.  23,  40,andxii.  10.  [d)  Jofli.xviii.  28.  {e)  Jofli» 
XV.  63.         (/)  Judg.  i.  8. 

-f-  This  City  was  of  a  circular  Form,  fituate  on  a  much  higher 
Hill,  and  furrounded  with  a  broad,  deep  Trench,  hewn  (whether 
hy  Art,  or  Nature)  out  of  a  natural  Rock.  This  Trench  was 
defended  by  a  Wall  of  great  Strength,  erefted  upon  its  inner 
Edge,  and  this  Wall  v/as,  in  like  Manner,  defended  and  beau- 
tify'd  with  ftrong  and  fquare  Toiuers,  at  regular  Diftances  j 
which  Towers  are  faid  to  have  been  tuilt  of  white  Marble,  the 
loweft  60,  and  the  higheft  1 20  Cubits  high,  but  all  exadly  of  on« 
Level  on  the  Top,  altho'  in  themfelves  of  very  different  Heights, 
according  to  the  Declivity  of  the  Ground,  on  which  they  ftood. 
The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  DavU,  Vol,  IL 


CflAP.  V.    fromthe\({a.Q\ites  entering  Cmnin^  &c.       509 

bis  royal  Palace  likewife  f,  and  the  Tempk  of  the  Lord  j^  ^^  ^^ 
for  the  Temple  was  built  upon  Mount  Moriah^    which  JJt.^  chriiti 
was  one  of  the  Hills  belonging  to  Mount  Sion.  1025,  -^' 

■  Between  thefe  two  Mountains  lay  the  Valley  of  M7/(7,P^^^3am. 
which  formerly  feparated  antient  Jehus  from  the  City  of ,  King?  vi«. 
Davidy  but  was  afterwards  filled  up  by  David  znd  Solomon,  v.^>>-y>^«j 
to  make  a  Communication  between  the  two  Cities  :  But, 
befides  this  Valley  of  Millo,  we  read  in  Scripture  of  (g)  the 
Houfe  of  Millo,  which  is  faid  to  be  {h)  in  the  City  of  Da- 
vid, and  therefore  was   built  either  upon  Mount  Sion^  or 
fome  adjacent  Place.     Let  us  then  enquire  a  little  what  this 
Houfe  of  Millo  might  poflibly  be. 

MILLO t  confider'd  in  its  Etymology,  is  thought  to  heiuBuildh^* 
deduc'd  from  a  Root,  which  fignifies  to  be  full,  and  is  there- 
fore, in  the  facred  Hiftory,  fuppos'd  to  denote  a  large  ca^ 
pacious  Place,  defign'd  for  publick  Meetings,  or,  in  fhort, 
k  Senate- Houfe.  That  this  was  fome  publick  Edifice,  I 
think  may  be  inferr'd  from  the  Notice,  that  is  taken  of  it 
among  fome  other  of  Solomon' %  publick  Buildings,  where 
the  Reafon  of  the  Tax,  which  he  levy'd  upon  his  Subjects, 

is  faid  to  be  this, (7)  That  he  might  build  the  Houfe  of 

the  Lord,  and  his  own  Houfe,  and  Millo,  and  the  Walls 
•f  Jerufalem;  ^c,  for,  fince  we  find  it  join'd  with  the 

Htufe 

•f-  The  Tower,  which  went  under  the  Name  of  Da<vid,  Wa  j 
Jituate  upon  the  utmoft  Angle  of  Mount  Smi,  and  the  Beauty 
and  fine  Proportion  of  this  Fabrick,  as  well  as  the  Ufe  that  was 
made  of  it,  may  be  fairly  inferr'd  from  that  famous  Comparifon 
of  Solomon  %  ;  Thy  Neck  is  like  the  Toixer  of  David,  huilt  for  an 
Armoury,  ^whereon  there  hang  a  Thoufand  Bucklers,  all  Shields  of 
mighty  Men,  Cant.  iv.  4.  The  Tour  of  Furnaces,  which  probably 
had  it's  Name  from  the  many  Fires,  that  were  lighted  up  in  it  at 
once,  anfwer'd  all  the  Ends  of  a  Pharos,  or'WatchToweri 
both  to  Land  and  Sea.  By  the  Advantage  of  its  Situation,  it 
could  not  fail  of  being  an  excellent  Light-Houfe  both  to  the 
Mediterranean,  and  Red-Sea,  and  was  probably  fo  contriv'd,  as 
to  illuminate  a  great  Part  of  the  City  likewife,  and  in  that  Re* 
fpeft,  was  not  only  a  glorious  Ornament,  but  of  excellent 
Ufe.  The  Houfe  of  the  Mighty  was  a  Palace,  erefted  by  Dawid^ 
in  Honour  of  his  Worthies,  or  Chieftains  in  War,  in  which 
they  had  Apartments,  according  to  their  Reputation  and  Merit 
in  Arms,  were  always  ready  at  Hand,  for  Counfel  or  Aid,  as 
the  King's  Affairs  requir'd,  and  at  leifure  Hours,  by  fuperin- 
tending  and  inftrufting  the  Youth  in  their  Military  Exercifes,  an- 
fwer'd all  the  Purpofes  of  a  Royal  Academy,  for  the  Science  of 
War.     The  Hiftory  of  the  Life  of  King  Da^vid,  Vol.  II. 

(^^^  2  Kings  xii.  20.  (/j)  2  Chron.  xxxii.  5.  (i)  \ 

Kings  ix.  15. 


5IO  rhe  Hiflory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.     Houfe   of  the  Lordj   and  the   (Vails  of  Jerufalem,    we 
^t!'chri(t.  *^^""ot  but   fuppofe,    that    it    was    a    Building    of     the 
1023,  &c.  fame  publick  Nature  ;    and    fince  we  find    farther,  that 
From  aSam.  ^^j  jj^g  Servants  of  King  Joalh  arofe^  and  made  a  Confpi- 
Kiiigsviii.    ''^O'*  '^nd  flew  him  in  the  Houfe  <?/ Millo,  very   probably. 
ifcaiiK"!!—  !■?  when  he  was  come'thither  to  debate,  and  confult  with  his 
Princes,  and  other  chief  Men,  the  Thing  feems  to  be  in- 
conteftable,  that  this  Houfe  of  M\\\o  was  ereded  for  a  pub- 
lick  Senate- Houfe ^  tho'  there  is  fome  Reafon  to  imagine, 
that  it  was  employ'd  likewife  for  other  Purpofes. 

In  the  Reign  of  Hexekiah^  when  Sennacherib  came  a- 
gainft  Jerufalem  with  a  Purpofe  to  beliege  it,  the  King 
took  Counfel  with  his  Princes,  and,  among  other  Things, 
that  were  thought  proper  for  his  Defence,  'tis  faid,  {I)  that 
he  built  up  all  the  Wall  that  was  fallen^  and  repaired  MlWo, 
and  made  Darts  and  Shields  in  Abundance.  From  whence 
we  may  infer,  that  this  Millo  was  a  Place  of  great  Confe- 
quence  to  the  Strength  of  ferujalem,  and  was,  very  pro- 
bably, made  to  ferve  two  Purpofes,  /.  e.  to  be  both  a 
parliament-  Houfe,  and  an  Arfenal. 

The  Palace,  which  Z>^z;/V/  built  for  himfelf,  (to  which 
was  adjoin'd  that  which  his  Son  built  for  the  King  of  Egypt' % 
Daughter)  muft  needs  have  been  a  very  magnificent  Struc- 
ture, fince  he  had  both  his  {m)  Workmen  and  Materials 
fent  him  \  from  Tyre,  which,  at  that  Time,  furpafs'd  all 
other  Nations  in  the  Art  of  Building:  But  of  this,  we  can 
give  no  other  Account,  than  that  it  flood  wefiward  from 
the  Temple,  and  confifted  of  a  large  fquare  Court,  defend- 
ed by  Flankers,  from  one  of  which  v/as  the  Defcent  by 
Stairs  into  the  Gardens,  which,  in  all  Probability,  were 
water'd  by  the  Fountain  of  Sibam. 
JtsFouatains,  This  Fountain  of  Siloam  rifes  juft  under  the  Walls  of 
Jerufalem,  on  XhQUaJi  Side  thereof,  between  the  City  and 
the  Brook  Kidron  ;  and  in  all  Probability  was  the  fame  with 
the  Fountain  Enrogel,  or  the  Fuller's  Fountain,  whereof 
we  find  Mention  (nj  in  Jojhua,  and  in  the  Books  of  <Sa- 
muel,  and  the  Kings,     Some  Travellers  will  have  it,  that 

the 
(k)  2  Kings  xii.  20.  (t)  2  Chron.  xxxii.   5.  (tn)  I 

Chron.  viv.  i. 

•j-  This  muft  be  underftood  of  the  Old  Tyre,  which  was  fltu- 
ate  upon  the  Coutinent,  and  where  the  Temple  of  Hercules  ftood, 
of  whofe  Antiquity  Herodotus  talks  fo  much ;  and  not  of  the 
■Ne<vj  Tyre,  which  flood  upon  a  neighbouring  Ifland,  but  was  not 
built  until  the  Days  of  Solomon.  Calmefs  Didtionary,  under  the 
Word. 

(n)  Joih.  XV.  7.     2  Sam.  xvii,   17.  and   i  Kings  i.  9, 


Chap.V;    from  the  KrsitVites  entering  Ca.n3.a.r\,  ^c.     511 

the  Water  of  this  Fountain  is  Irackijh,  and  has  not  a  good    A.  m. 
Tafte  ;  but  the  Prophet  IJaiahy  when  he  utters  the  Com-  A„t' cSift. 
plaint  of  God  againft  the  jews,  (0)  forasmuch  as  this  Peo- 1023,  6  c/ 
pie  refufeth  the  Waters  0/ Shiloah,  which   go  foftly,  ^c.'^^omzSzm. 
fecms  to  denote  the  contrary.     However  this  be,  St.  Jerom  j  ^^g  vjij. 
himfelf  affirms,  that  the  Waters  of  this  Fountain  made  the  v...-y*«J 
Valley,  through  which  they  ran,  (as  watering  the  Gardens 
and  Plantations  that  were  there)  very  pleafant  and  delightful. 

The  Fountain  of  G'thon^  which  fprings  very  probably 
from  an  adjacent  Hill  of  the  fame  Name,  was  on  the  weji 
Side  of  "Jerufalem ;  and  as  King  Hezekidh  (p)  order'd  the 
vpper  Channel  of  this  Fountain  to  be  convey'd  into  Jerufa- 
leWy  that,  when  the  City  was  befieg'd,  the  Enemy  might  not 
have  the  Benefit  of  its  Waters ;  fo  we  need  not  doubt,  but 
(f )  that  that  other  Spring  of  Siloam  was,  in  like  Manner, 
convey 'd  into  the  City,  and  that,  for  the  Convenience  of 
its  Inhabitants,  they  were  both,  in  feveral  Places,  diftribu- 
ted  (r)  into  Pools ;  tho'  fome  make  that  of  Siloam  to  be 
without  the  Walls. 

The  Brook  Kidron  runs  in  the  Valley  of  Jehofaphat, 
©n  the  Eajt  of  Jerufalem,  between  the  City  and  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  It  has  ufually  no  great  Quantity  of  Water  in  it, 
and  is  frequently  quite  dry  ;  but,  upon  any  fudden  Rains, 
it  fwells  exceedingly,  and  runs  with  great  Impetuofity.  It 
Was  indeed  of  fingular  Service  to  the  antient  City,  as  it  re- 
ceived its  Common-Sewers,  and,,  upon  every  fuch  violent 
Flood,  empty'd  them  into  the  Dead- Sea. 

T'he  Mount  of  Olives,  which  doubtlefs  had  its  Name  ^^^^o""'"'"* 
from  the  great  Quantity  of  Olive-  Trees  that  grew  there,  was 
fituated  to  the  £a^  of  ferufalem,  and  parted  from  the  City 
only  by  the  Valley  of  Jehofaphat.,  and  the  Brook  Kidron  ; 
for  which  Reafon  it  is  faid  to  be  a  Sabbath- Day^s  Journey^ 
i.  e.  about  a  Mile  from  it.  It  was  on  this  Mountain,  that 
Solomon  built  Temples  to  the  Gods  of  the  Ammonites,  and 
of  the  Moabites,  in  Complaifance  to  his  Wives,  who  were 
Natives  of  thefe  Nations ;  and  for  this  Reafon  it  is  likewife 
called  in  Scripture,  [s)  the  Mount  of  Corruption,  becaufe 
fuch  as  follow  vain  Idols,  are  frequently  faid  in  Scripture  ta 
corrupt  themfelves.  [t)  Some  indeed  have  imagin'd,  that  this 
Jidount  of  Corruption  was  a  diftinft  Place,  but  the  Matter 
of  ¥d£t  is,  that  Mount  Olivet  had  three  Summits,  or  was 

made 

(»)  Ifaiah  viii.  6.         {p)  2  Chron.  xxxii.  30  [pj  2  Chron. 

(a)  xxx3.i0.yi           Lw/s   Introduftion,  lib.  I.  c.  3.          {rj 

John  ix.  7.           (s)   2  Kings  xxiii.   13.  {e)  Wells' h  Geo- 
graphy of  tlie  Old  TdlamcHt. 


512  .  ^e  Wpry  of  the  BIB  L  E,    Book  Vj 

A.  M.  made  up  of  three  feveral  Mountains,  rang'd  one  after  ano- 
^t'chri'ft.ther,  from  North  to  South.  The  Middle  Summit  was  that, 
1023,  er-c.  from  which  our  Lord  afcended;  towards  the  South  was  that^ 
^!"l*  f^™'  whereon  Solomsn  («)  fet  up  his  Abominations  ;  and  towards 
the  North  was  the  higheft  of  all,  (*■)  which  was  commonly 
> called  Galilee. 

Mount  Calvary,  which,  in  all  Appearance,  had  its 
Name  *  from  the  Similitude  it  bore  to  the  Figure  of  a  Skull, 
or  Man's  Head,  was  to  the  f^e^  of  the  antient  Jerufalemy 
juft  without  the  Gates :  And,  as  our  Saviour  fufFer'd  there, 
we  may  prefume  it  was  the  common  Place,  where  Crimi- 
nals of  all  Kinds  were  generally  executed. 
IttVallies.  T HE  Valley  of  HinnoHy  or  of  the  Sons  of  Hi nnon,  lay  to 
the  South  of  the  City,  and  was  remarkable  for  the  cruel  and 
barbarous  Worfhip  of  Moloch,  where  Parents  made  their 
Children  pafs  thro'  the  Fire,  or  be  burnt  in  the  Fire,  by 
Way  of  Sacrifice  to  that  Idol ;  and  where  it  was  ufual  to 
have  mufical  Inftruments  (from  whence  it  obtain'd  likewife 
the  Name  of  Tophet,  the  Hebrew  Word  Toph  fignifying  the 
fone  as  Tympanum  in  Latin,  and  Timbrel  in  Englijh)  to 
drown  the  lamentable  Shrieks  of  the  Children  thus  facrific'd* 
In  this  Place  there  was  afterwards  kept  a  perpetual  Fire,  to 
confume  the  dead  Carcafles  and  Excrements,  which  Were 
brought  from  Jerufalem  ;  and  therefore  our  Saviour,  allu- 
ding to  this,  calls  Hell  by  the  Name  of  Ge-henna,  or  the 
Valley  of  Hinnon. 

The  Valley  of  Jehofaphat,  which  is  likewife  called  ihi 
Valley  of  Kidron,  becaufe  of  the  above-mention'd  Brook 
which  runs  through  it,  lies  on  the  Eajl  of  Jerufalem,  be- 
tween the  City,  and  the  Mount  of  Olives,     Our  Saviour 

indeed 
(»^  2  Kings  xxlii.  13.  [x)  Vide  iJ^/aw/s  Palasft. 
*  Some  formerly  have  been  of  Opinion,  that  this  Mount  was 
called  Calnjary,  becaufe  the  Head  of  the  firft  Man  in  the  World 
was  bury'd  there,  and  that  our  Saviour  was  crucify'd  in  the  fame 
Place ;  that  his  Blood,  running  down  upon  the  Body  of  this 
Perfon,  might  reftore  him  to  Life,  and  procure  him  the  Favour 
of  a  Refurreftion.  To  fupport  this  Tradition,  they  tell  us, 
that  Noah,  having  prcferv'd  Jdam%  Body  in  the  Ark,  diftributed 
the  feveral  Parts  of  it  to  his  Children,  and,  as  a  particular  Fa- 
vour, gave  the  Skull,  or  Head,  to  Shem,  who  was  to  be  the 
Parent  of  that  holy  Stock,  from  whom  the  MeJJias  was  to  come  ; 
and  that  Shem,  with  a  Spirit  of  Forefight,  bury'd  the  Skull  in 
Calvary,  where  he  knew  the  MeJJias  would  be  crucify'd.  But 
neither  the  antient  Fathers,  nor  any  modem  Authors,  that 
mention  this  Tradition,  were  ever  perfuaded  of  its  Truth  ;  and 
(without  any  Difrefpeft  to  them)  we  may  look  upon  all  this  as 
mere  Fiftion.     Calmefi  Dictionary,  under  the  Word  Cahary^ 


Chap.  V.     frcm th  Ifradkes  entering  Canaan,  ^c.    513 

indeed  afcended  from  this  Mount ;  but  the  Notion  is  very    A.  m. 
extravagant,  that,  when  he  returns  again,  he  will  judge  the  An?,''ch[frt. 
World  in  this  Valley,  merely  becaufe  the  Prophet  y*?^/ hath  1023,  ®''^«  * 
faid,  (y)  /  will  gather  all  Nat  ions  ^  and  will  bring  them  into^\°^'^^^^' 
the  Valley  of  jthoh^hzt^  and  will  plead  with  them  for  my^^^^^Yii. 
People  ;  for,  what  is  there  called  the  Valley  of  Jehofaphat^  ■    ~,~  -^ 
is  not  a  proper.,  but  an  appellative.  Name,  and  denotes  no 
more,  than  the  Judgment  of  God. 

There  is  another  Valley,  that  the  Scripture  makes  ear- 
Jy  Mention  of,  and  that  is,  (z)  the  Valley  of  Shaveh,  which 
is  likewife  called  the  King's  Dale,  where  Melchifedeck  met 
Abraham,  in  his  Return  from  the  Slaughter  ofChedorlaomer. 
According  to  Jofephus,  it  was,  in  his  Time,  but  about  two 
Furlongs  diftant  from  Jerufalem,  and  for  this  Reafon,  per- 
haps, it  has  been  thought  by  fome,  to  be  no  other,  than  the 
Valley  of  Jehofaphat ;  tho'  others  make  it  different,  yet  fo, 
as  to  come  up  near  to  the  faid  Valley,  and  to  lie  on  the 
South-Eafi  Part  of  the  City,  not  far  from  the  King's  Gar- 
dens, {a)  Why  it  obtain'd  the  Name  of  the  King's  Dale^ 
whether  it  was  from  its  near  Situation  to  the  King's  Palace 
and  Gardens,  or  from  its  being  the  Place,  where  the  Kings 
were  wont  to  exercife  themfelves,  or,  at  lead,  to  entertain 
themfelves  with  feeing  others  perform  their  Exercifcs  of 
Running,  Riding,  and  the  like,  is  not  agreed,  and  ver/ 
Jikely  will  never  be  determin'd. 

There  were  feveral  Gates  belonging  to  the antient  7^- /«  C^i/m. 
rufalem,  that  are  mention'd  in  Scripture,  but  it  is  no  eafy 
Matter  to  difcover  where  their  particular  Situation  was. 
There  is  Reafon  to  believe  likewife,  that  their  Names  have 
been  vary'd,  or  that  one  and  the  fame  Gate  has  gone  under 
tiiffcrent  Appellations ;  and,  as  there  were  feveral  Circuits 
of  Walls  in  the  City,  which  had  their  refpedive  Gates,  it  is 
more  than  probable,  that  fome  of  thefe  Gates  did  not  lead 
out  of  the  City  into  the  Country.  The  Gate  of  the  Valley, 
which  doubtlefs  had  its  Name  from  leading  into  fome  Valley, 
(and,  *as  Travellers  will  have  it,  to  the  Valley  oi  Jehofa- 
phat) was  fituate  on  the  Eafl  Side  of  the  City. 

The 

(j;)Joeliii.  2.         (z)  Gen.  xiv.    17,    18.         (a)  Wells's  Geo- 
graphy of  the  Old  Teftament,  Vol.  III. 

*  Our  Countryman,  Mr.  Sandys,  is  of  Opinion,  that  the 
Gate  of  the  Valley  was  formerly  the  fame  with  what  is  now 
called  St.  Stephens  Gate,  not  far  from  the  Golden  Gate,  or 
great  Gate,  which  leads  into  that,  which  was  formerly  the  Court 

Vol.  m.  '  K  k  "^ 


514  7'/&tf  Hijiory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,    Book  V. 

A-  M.  The  Dung-gate y  which  feems  to  have  taken  its  Nam* 
^nt!*Chrift.  ^o"^  ^^  Dung  and  Filth  of  the  Beafts,  that  were  facrific'd 
T023,  &c.  at  the  Temple,  being  carried  out  of  if,  was  probably  the 
fromaSam.  fgj^g  with  wHat  is  now  fo  called,  and  ftands  on  the  ^o/t 
Kings  viii.    Side  of  the  City  likewife. 

Ci  m^mmmJ  The  JVoter-gote,  which  took  its  Name  from  its  Ufe, 
becaufe  thro'  it  was  the  Water  brought  to  ferve  the  City 
and  the  Temple,  was  {b)  on  the  fame  Side  ;  and  fo  was 

The  Gate  of  the  Fountain,  (fo  called  from  its  Nearnefs' 
to  the  Fountain  of  Siloam)  only  inclining  a  little  towards 
the  South. 

Th  e  Gate  of  Ephraim,  which  open'd  to  the  main  Road, 
leading  to  the  Tribe  of  Ephraim,  and  from  it  deriv'd  its 
Name,  flood  on  the  North  Side  of  the  City,  becaufe  on 
that  Side  was  that  Tribe  feated  j  (c)  tho'  others  had  rather 
place  it  on  the  Pfe/f, 

The  Horfe-gate,  Sheep-gate,  and  Fijh-gate,  are  fup- 
pos'd  by  feme  to  have  had  their  Denominations  from  the  fe- 
vferal  Markets  of  thefe  Creatures,  that  were  kept  there* 
The  Horfe  and  Sheep-gates  were  both  on  the  Eaji  Side,  not 
far  from  the  Palace  and  the  Temple ;  and  the  Fijh-gate 
was  on  the  North,  tho'  feme,  who  think  it  had  its  Name 
from  the  Fi/h  that  were  brought  from  the  Mediterranean- 
Sea,  had  rather  place  it  on  the  fVe/i  Side. 

Lastly,  The  High-gate,  or  the  Gate  of  Benjamin,  fo 
called  from  its  Situation  towards  the  Land  or  Tribe  of  Ben- 
jamin, is  fuppos'd  by  fome  to  have  been  the  principal  Gate 
of  the  Royal  Palace ;  but  from  what  we  read,  (d)  concern- 
ing Jeremiah's  being  grofsly  abus'd  near  this  Gate,  it  ap-, 
pears  to  have  been  fituated  by  the  lioufe  of  the  Lord. 
In  royal  St-      Thus  We  have  pafs'd  through  moft  of  the  Gates  of  this 
fukhrtt.      antient  City ;  aiKJ  on  the  North  Side  of  it,  (without  the 
Walls  now,  but  then  probably  within  them)  we  meet  withi 
{ome  fubterraneous  Chambers,  that  are  wonderfully  magni- 

iicent) 

«f  the  Temple.  He  likewife  fuppofes,  that  this  Gate  of  St.  Ste- 
pienswas  formerly  called  the  Sheep-Gate ;  but  into  this  Opinion 
perhaps  he  might  be  led  by  the  Nearnefs  of  St.  Stephen  %  Gate 
to  the  Vool  oi  Bethe/da,  where  the  Sacrifices  were  wafh'd,  be- 
fore they  were  brought  to  the  Prieft  to  be  ofFer'd ;  And  tliere- 
fore,  fmce  the  Valley-Gate,  and  the  Sheep-Gates  are  diftinftly 
mention'd  by  Nehemiah,  we  cannot  but  think,  that  they  muft 
have  been  diiFerent  Gates.  Wetlsh  Geography  of  the  Old  Tcf- 
tament.  Vol.  III.  -  .   - 

(b)  Nehem.  iii.  /6.      .    ( c)  Explication  du  nouveau  Plan 
dei'ancienne  Jerufalmy  par  M.  Caivtet.         (d)  Jcr,  xx,  2. 


Chap.V.   from  the  UratVites  entering  Canaan,  ^c,        515 

ficent,    and  at  prefent  called  the  Sepulchres  of  the  Kings^    A.  m, 
{e)  of  which  fome  late  Travellers  give  us  a  Defcription  to  int.*  c^Jj, 

this  EfFed , **  When  you  come  to  the  Place,  you  pafs  102^,  &c.' 

«*  through  an  Entry,  hew'd  out  of  a  Rock,  which  admits  ^5°""  "^"'• 

•«  you  into  an  open  Court  about  twenty  fix  Feet  fquare,  all  jc^glVii. 

«'  cut  out  of  the  Rock,  which  is  of  folid  Marble,  and  ferves '    -^-luj 

•*  inftead  of  Walls.     On  the  Left-Hand  of  this  Court  is  a 

«*  Portico  nine  Paces  long,  and  four  broad,  (with  a  Kind 

*'  of  Architrave  running  round  its  Front)  cut  out  of  the 

«•  fame  Rock,  as  are  likewife  the  Pillars  that  fupport  it, 

**  At  the  End  of  this  Portico  there  is  a  Paflage  into  the  Se- 

**  pulchres,  which  (when  you  have  crept  through  it  with 

**  fome  Difficulty)  lets  you  into  a  large  Chamber  of  above 

**  four  and  twenty  Feet  Square.     Its  Sides  and  Cieling  are 

**  fo  exa6Hy  fquare,  and  its  Angles  fo  juft,  that  no  Archi- 

•*  te£l^  with  Leveh  and   Plummets^  could   build  a  Room 

"•*  more  regular.    From  this  Room  you  pafs  into  fix  more, 

•'  one  within  another,  and  all  of  the  fame  Fabrick  with  the 

*'  firft,  except  that  the  two  innermoft  are  deeper  than  the 

"  reft,  and  have  a  Defcent  of  about  fix  or  feven  Steps  into 

*'  them.     In  every  one  of  thefe  Rooms  (except  the  firft) 

**  were  Coffins  of  Stone,  plac'd  in  Niches,  along  the  Sides 

**  of  the  Room,  and  amount  in  all  to  about  fifty." 

This  perhaps  is  the  only  real  Work  that  now  remains  of 
the  Old  Jerufalem,  and,  what  makes  it  juftly  look'd  upon  ' 

as  a  Wonder,  is,  that  the  Cieling,  the  Doors,  as  well  as 
all  the  reft,  their  Hinges,  their  Pofts,  their  Frames,  bfc. 
are  all  cut  out  of  the  fame  continu'd  Rock.  It  may  there- 
fore be  worth  our  enquiring  a  little  in  what  Manner  thefe 
Stru(Stures  were  employ 'd,  and  vvho  poffibly  might  be  the 
Perfons,  that  werp  repofited  in  them. 

That  thefe  fubterraneous  Stru6tures  were  not  the  ^e-  Andnba 
pulchres  of  the  Kings  of  Judah,  the  Generality  of  thofe  that  T^"""  *"'>'' 
bave  infpefted  them  are  agreed,  becaufe  the  Scripture  tells""""- 
us,  that  David,  and  Solomon,  and  moft  of  their  Succeflibrs 
were  (/)  buried  in  the  City  of  David  ;  and  yet  thefe  Grots 
lie  without  the  Gate  of  Damafcus  (as  it  is  now  called)  at  a 
confiderable  Diftance  from  the  Cit'^  of  David  :  But  how  far 
this  City  of  David  did  formerly  extend,  or  where  we  fhall 

find 

(«)  Vid.  The'vemt's  Voyages,  Part  I.  lib.  ii.  c.  4.  and  Maurs" 
iirelfs  Journey  from  A/eppo  to  JerufaUm,  \^f)   \  Kings  v^ 

to.  aid  xi.  43, 


5 16  Thi  Hiftory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  V. 

A.  M.  find  any  other  figns  of  *  the  Places,  where  David^  and  the 
^nt!'cht[ft.  other  Kings  his  Succeflbrs  were  buried,  we  have  no  hints 
1023,  &c.  given  us.  The  Reverend  Mr.  Maundrell^  from  this  Paf-' 
FromzSam.^^ge  [^  Scripturc,  (g)  and  Hezekiahy?^/)^  with  his  Fathers, 
Kings  viii.  ^^d  they  buried  him  in  the  chief ejl  of  the  Sepulchres  of  the 
Sons  of  Davjd,  is  of  Opinion,  that  this  was  the  Place, 
where  Hezekiah,  and  the  Sons  immediately  born  to  David, 
that  were  not  repofited  in  the  Royal  Sepulchres,  were  buried: 
But  it  is  much  more  pfobable  (and  what  both  the  Syriack 
and  Arahick  Verfions  feem  to  confirm)  that,  by  the  Sons  tf 
David  here,  we  are  not  to  underfland  his  immediate  Sons, 
properly  fo  called,  but  the  Kings  rather,  that  fucceeded  him. 
This  is  a  Form  of  Speech  frequently  made  ufe  of  by  the  fa- 
cred  Writers :  And  therefore  the  Senfe  of  Hezeiiah's  being 
juried  in  the  Sepulchres  of  the  Sons  of  David,  muft  be,  that 
Jie  was  buried  in  the  Sepulchres  of  the  Kings  defc  ended  from 
David. 

The  more  probable  Opinion,  therefore,  is  that  of  Le 
Bruyn,  who  fuppofes,  that  thefe  Grots  were  the  Sepulchres 
of  Manajfeh^  his  Son  Amon,  and  his  Grandfon  Jojiah, 
JCings  of  Judah,  Of  Manaffth  the  Scripture  tells  us  ex^ 
prefsly,  that  (h)  he  was  buried  in  the  Garden  of  his  own 
Houfe^  in  the  Garden  of  Uzza  j  and  of  Amon  it  is  faid, 
that  he  was  buried  in  the  Garden  of  Uzza,  which  Garden 
Manajfeh  might,  very  probably,  purchafe,  and,  being  taken 
with  the  Pleafantnefs  of  it,  might  there  build  him  an  Houfe, 

which 

^  Benjamin  of  Tudela^  who  wrote  about  the  Year  1173,  ^^- 
lates,  that  not  above  fifteen  Years  before,  a  Wall,  belonging  to 
Mount  Sion,  fell  down,  and  the  Priefts  fet  twenty  Men  to  work 
upon  it.  Two  of  thefe  Workmen,  being  one  Day  left  alone, 
took  up  a  Stone,  which  opened  a  Paffage  into  a.fuhterraneous 
Place,  into  which  they  enter'd.  There  they  found  a  Palace, 
fupported  by  Marble  Pillars,  and  crufted  over  with  Gold  and 
Silver.  At  the  Entrance  was  a  Table,  and  upon  this  Table  a 
Golden  Crown  and  Sceptre.  This,  fay  the  Jews,  was  Da'vid'% 
Monument,  and  oppolite  to  it  was  Solomons,  adorn'd  in  the  like 
Manner.  As  they  were  attempting  to  penetrate  farther,  they 
were  overfet  by  a  Whirl'wind,  and  remain'd  fenfelefs  till  the 
Evening,  when  they  heard  a  Voice,  bidding  them  arife,  and  be- 
gone. Bmjamin  affures  us,  that  he  had  this  Story  from  the 
Mouth  of  one  Abraham,  a  Pharifee,  who,  as  he /aid,  h^d  been 
confulted  about  this  ;Event  by  the  Patriarch  of  Jerufaletn,  and 
declar'd,  that  this  was  Davias  Monument.  But  the  whole  of 
this  Account  has  fo  much  the  Air  of  a  Fable,  that  it  is  needlefs 
to  confute  it.     Calmeth  Diftionary,  under  the  Word  Daiiid. 

{g)  2  Chron.  xxxii.  33.  {h)   2  Kings  xxi.  18,  26. 


Chap.V.  from  the  \Ci2ie\\tt5  entering  Canaan,  ^c.       517 

which  is  here  called  his  own  Houfe,  in  Contradiftinaion  to  _^  A.  M.^ 
the  royal  Palace,  which  was  built  and  inhabited  by  his  An-  Ant/chrift. 
ceftors  on  Mount  Sion.     Of  Jojiah  indeed  the  facred  Hif-  1013,  &c. 
tory  does  not  fay  exprefsly,  that  he  was  buried  here  ;    all  ^J^""^^  ^'™* 
that    it  tells  us  is,    that  he  (i)  was  buried  in  the  Sepul-  icings  viii, 
fhres  of  his  Fathers,  but  whether  in  the  City  of  David,  or  <»»■  "v— -^ 
in  the  Garden  of  Uzza,  it  makes  no  Mention :  And  there- 
fore, fince  both  his  Father  and  Grandfather  were  buried 
in  this  Garden,  there  is  Reafon  to  think,  that  Jofiah  was 
here  buried  like  wife ;    efpecially  confidering,  that,  in  one 
of  thefe  fubterraneous  Rooms,  fas  Le  Bruyn  tells  us)  which 
feem'd  to  be  more  lofty  than  the  reft,  there  were  three 
Coffins  curioufly  adorn'd  with  carv'd  Works,  which  he  took 
to  be  the  Coffins  of  thefe  three  Kings. 

But  of  all  the  Buildings,  that  antient  JervfalemhiA  toI»'^(-p'i- 
boaft  of,  the  Temple,  which  David  defign'd,  and  Solomon 
perfe£led,  was  the  moft  piagniftcenf,  We  are  not  how^ 
ever  to  imagine,  that  this  Temple  was  built  like  one  of  our 
Churches  j  for  it  did  not  confift  of  one  fingle  Edifice,  but 
f  of  feveral  Court?  and  Buildings,  which  took  up  a  great 
deal  of  Ground,  The  Place,  whereon  it  was  ereded,  was 
the  Top  of  Mount  Moriah,  and  the  Building  all  toge- 
ther made  an  exaft  Square  of  eight  hundred  Cubits,  or  one 
thoufand  four  hundred  and  fixty  Feet  long  on  each  Side, 
exactly  fronting  the  Eaft,  Weji,  North,  and  South. 

[k)  To  make  this  Building  more  firm  and  fecure,  it  was 
found  necefTary  to  begin  the  Foundation  at  the  Bottom  of 
the  Mount ;  fo  that  the  Sides  were  three  hundred  and  thir- 
ty-three Cubits,  or  about  fix  hundred  and  eight  Feet  high, 
before  they  were  rais'd  to  the  Level  of  the  Temple-,  and 
this  afforded  a  moft  noble  Profpeil  towards  the  chief  Part 

of 

(/)  2  Chron.  XXXV.  24. 

■f  Thefe  feveral  Parts  of  the  Temple,  the  Greeks  are  very 
careful  to  diftinguifh  by  different  Names.  What  was  properly 
the  Temple,  they  called  5  ^^.hc ;  and  the  Courts,  and  other  Parts 
of  the  Temple,  ^h  Upov  Thus  when  Zacharias  is  faid  to  have 
gone  into  the  Temple  to  burn  Incenfe,  Luke  i.  9.  (which  was 
done  in  the  SanSlurn)  the  Word  is  v*o?  ;  but  when  it  is  faid,  that 
Anna  the  Prophetefs  departed  not  from  the  Temple,  Luke  ii.  37. 
{i.e.  liv'd  in  that  Vzxtoi  the  Court  of  the  Ifraelites,  which  was 
appropriated  to  religious  Women)  the  Greek  Word  is  ;spdi/-  And 
this  Obfervation  holds  good  all  through  the  new  Teftament. 
Lamy,  de  Tabern.  lib.  v.  c 


tmy,  ae  laoern.  lib.  v.  c.  c. 

{i)  Bedford^  Chronology,  lib.  iv.  c. 


5- 


5i8  the  Hijtory  of  the  B  I  B  L  E,     Book  \ , 

A.  M.  of  the  City,  which  lay  Wejiward.  It  is  impoffible  to  com- 
Am' Chr'ft.P"^^  the  Labour  of  laying  this  Foundation,  becaufe  it  is 
1023,  .-^.r.  impoffible  to  tell  how  much  of  the  Mountain  muft  in  Tome 
f"f°"^^^^^™' Places  be  rem ov'd,  and  in  others  filled  up,  to  bring  it  to 
an  exa<5t  Square  for  fo  great  a  Height :  But  when  we  con- 
ifider,  that  there  were  180,000  Workmen,  for  feven  Years 
and  an  Half,  conftantly  employed,  we  cannot  but  admire 
what  Bufinefs  could  be  found  for  fo  many  Hands  to  do  j 
and  yet,  when  we  refleft  on  the  Vaftnefs  of  this  Fahricky 
it  would  make  one  no  lefe  wonder,  how,  in  fo  fhort  a 
Time,  it  could  poflibly  be  compleated.  *'  For  the  Foun- 
*'  dation  (as  Jofephus  tells  us)  was  laid  prodigioufly  deep^ 
*'  and  the  Stones  were  not  only  of  the  largefc  Size,  but 
"  hard  and  firm  enough  to  endure  all  Weathers,  and  be 
*'  Proof  againft  the  Worm.  Befides  this,  they  were  fo 
*'  mortis'd  into  one  another,  and  fo  wedg'd  into  the  Rock, 
*"  that  the  Strength  and  Curiofity  of  the  Bafts  was  not  lefs 
*'  admirable,  than  the  intended  Superfiruiiure,  and  the  one 
•*  was  every  Way  anfwerable  to  the  other.*' 
•  The  Ground-Plot,  upon  which  the  Temple  was  built, 
was  a  Square  of  fix  hundred  Cubits  every  Way.  It  was 
encompafs'd  with  a  Wall  of  fix  Cubits  high,  and  the  fame 
in  Breadth,  and  contain'd  feveral  Buildings  for  different 
TJfes,  furrounded  with  Cloyfters  fupported  by  Marble  Pil- 
lars. Within  this  Space  was  the  Court  of  the  Gentiles  fifty 
Cubits  wide,  and  adorn'd,  in  like  Manner,  with  Cloyfters 
and  Pillars.  To  feparate  this  Court  from  the  Court  of  the 
Jfraelites,  there  was  a  W^jj  of  five  hundred  Cubits  fquare. 
The  Court  of  the  Ifraelites  was  an  hundred  Cubits.  It 
was  pav'd  with  Marble  of  different  Colours,  and  had  four 
Gates,  to  every  Quarter  one,  and  each  riling  with  an  Af- 
cent  of  feven  Steps.  To  feparate  this  Court  from  the 
Court  of  the  Priejls^  there  was  a  Wall  of  two  hundred 
Cubits  fquare ;  and  the  Priefts  Court  was  an  hundred  Cu- 
bits, encompafs'd  with  Cloyfters,  and  Apartments,  where 
the  Priefts,  that  attended  the  Service  of  the  Temple,  were 
us'd  to  live.  This  Court  had  but  three  Gates,  to  the  Eajf^ 
to  the  North,  and  to  the  Souths  and  were  approach'd  by 
an  Afccnt  of  eight  Steps.  Thefe  Courts  were  all  open^ 
and  without  any  Covering,  but,  in  cafe  of  Rain,  or  other 
bad  Weather,  the  People  could  retire  under  the  Cloyfters, 
that  were  fupported  with  Rows  of  Pillars,  and  went  round 
every  Court.  In  the  Ifraelites  Court,  over-againft  the  Gate 
of  the  Priejls  Court,  was  erefted  a  Throne  for  the  King, 
Cwhich  was  a  magnificent  Jko%>e)  whefc  he  feated  bimfelf 

Vfhm 


Chap.  v.    from  the  Ifraelkes  entering  Canaan,  G?f.        51^ 

When  he  came  to  the  Temple.     In  the  Pr lefts  Court  was    A.  m^ 
the  Altar  of  Burnt-OfFerings,  a  great  deal  larger  than  that  Ant.  chrift. 
oF  the  Tabernacle^  having  ten  brazen  Lavers,  whereas  the  1023,  (^c. 
Tabernacle  had  but  one,  and  a  Sea  of  Brafs  C which  the  ^""'^f  ^'»- 
Tabernacle  had  not)  fupported  by  twelve  Oxen.  1  Kings  viiu 

On  the  Wejl  Side  of  the  Altar  of  Burnt-Offerings , 
there  was  an  Afcent  of  twelve  Steps  to  what  we  may  pro- 
perly call  the  Temple  ;  and  this  confifted  of  three  Parts,  the 
Porch,  the  SanSfuary,  and  the  Holy  of  Holies.  The  Porch 
Was  about  twelve  Cubits  long,  and  twenty  broad,  at  the 
Entrance  of  which  flood  the  two  famous  Pillars  Jachan  and 
Boa-x.,  whofe  Names  import,  that  God  alone  was  the  Sup- 
fort  of  the  Temple  ;  and  its  Gate  was  fourteen  Cubits  wide. 
The  SanSiuary,  or  Nave  of  the  Temple,  was  forty  Cu- 
bits long,  and  twenty  broad,  wherein  were  the  Altar  of 
Incenfe,  and  the  Table  of  Shew- Bread  \  but  becaufe  the 
Temple  was  larger,  and  wanted  more  Light,  than  the  Ta^ 
lernacle,  inftead  of  one,  it  had  ten  golden  CandlejHch. 
The  Holy  of  Holies  was  a  fquare  of  twenty  Cubits,  where- 
in was  plac'd  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  containing  the  two 
Tables  of  Stone,  wherein  God  had  engraven  his  ten  Com- 
mandments, but  inftead  of  two  Cherubims  (as  were  in  the 
Tabernacle)  in  the  Temple  there  were  four. 

Round  about  the  Temple,  and  againft  the  Walls 
thereof  fas  fofephus  tells  us)  were  built  thirty  Cells,  or 
little  Houfes,  which  ferv'd  in  the  Way  of  fo  many  But- 
treffes,  and  were,  at  the  fame  Time,  no  fmall  Ornament 
to  it  3  for  there  were  Stories  of  thefe  Cells  one  above  a* 
liother,  whereof  thefecond  was  narrower  than  the  fr/f, 
and  the  third  than  the  fecond,  (o  that  their  Roofs  and  Ba- 
lujlrades,  being  within  each  other,  made  three  different 
Terraffes  (as  it  were)  f  upon  which  one  might  walk  round 

the 

■\  The  Temple  itfelf,  ftridlly  fo  called,  had  two  Stories,  the 
upper  of  which  was  rais'd  quite  above  thefe  little  Houfes,  and 
their  Roofs ;  for  their  Roofs  reach'd  no  higher  than  the  Top  of 
the /r/?  Story.  The  fecond  Story,  which  had  no  Building  ad- 
joining to  its  Side,  made  a  large  Room  over  the  San£}uary,  and 
the  Holy  of  Holies,  of  equal  Dimenfions  with  them  ;  and  'tis  no 
improbable  Opinion,  that  this  was  the  upper  Chamber,  in  which 
the  HolyGhofi  was  pleas' d  todefcend  upon  the  Apojiks  in  a  viiible 
Manner.  This  upper  Room  was  appropriated  to  the  pioiis  Laity, 
as  a  Place  for  them  to  come  and  pay  their  Devotions  in  j  and 
therefore  it  feems  very  likely,  that  the  Apojiks  were  here  with 
Other  devout  Perfoiis^   while  the  Temple  was  full  of /f <wj  of 


5  2o  ^ht  Hifiory  of  the  BIEL  E,    Book  V. 

A.  M.  the  Temple.  Within,  thefe  little  Houfes  wereaVW  with 
^t!  Chritt.  ^^^^^^  their  Walls  were  wainfcoted  with  the  fame,  and 
1023,  &c.  embellifh'd  with  Carving,  and  Fretwork,  overlaid  with 
From2Sam.  Qqjj]^  which,  with  their  dazzling  Splendor,  made  every 
Kings  viii.   Thing  about  them  look  glorious. 

Upon  the  Whole  then,  we  may  obferve,  (/)  that  the 
Glory  of  this  Temple  did  not  confift  in  the  Bulk  or 
Largenefs  of  it,  ( for  in  itfelf  it  was  but  a  fmall  Pile  of 
Building,  no  more  than  an  hundred  and  fifty  Feet  in 
Length,  ^nd  an  hundred  and  five  in  Breadth,  taking  the 
Whole  of  it  together  from  Out  to  Out,  and  is  exceeded 
by  many  of  our  Parijh  Churches)  but  its  chief  Grandeur 
and  Excellency  lay  in  its  Out-Buildings  and  Ornament?, 
in  its  Workmanfhip,  which  was  every  where  very  curi- 
ous, and  its  Overlayings,  which  were  vaft  and  prodigious  ; 
for  the  Overlaying  of  the  Holy  of  Holies  only  (which  was 
a  Room  but  thirty  Feet  fquare,  and  twenty  high)  amount- 
ed to  fix  hundred  Talents  of  Gold,  which  comes  to  four 
Millions  three  hundred  and  twenty  Thoufand  Pounds  of 
our  Sterling  Money. 

To  conclude  this  Diflertatlon  then,  (w)  in  the  Words 
of  the  fewijh  Hiftorian,  *'  The  whole  Frame,  in  fine, 
**  fays  he,  was  rais'd  upon  Stones,  polifti'd  to  the  higheft 
**  Degree  of  Perfection,  and  fo  artificially  put  together, 
"  that  there  was  no  Joint  to  be  difcern'd,  no  Sign  of  any 
"  working  Tools  being  upon  them,  but  the  whole  look'd 
*'  liker  the  Work  of  Providence,  and  Nature,  than  the 
'*  Product  of  Art,  and  human  Invention.  And  as  for 
**  the  Infide,  whatever  Carving,  Gilding,  Embroidery, 
*'  rich  Silks,  and  fine  Linen  ceuld  do,  of  thefe  there 
**  was  the  greateft  Profufion.  The  very  Floor  of  the 
"  Temple  was  overlaid  with  beaten  Gold,  the  Doors 
'*  were  large,  and  proportion'd  to  the  Height  of  the 
"  Walls,  twenty  Cubits  broad,  and  ftillGold  upon  Gold." 

In 

all  Nations,  who  were  come  to  celebrate  the  Feaft  of  the  Pente- 
cojl,  and  that  thereupon  they  below,  hearing  the  Noife,  which 
was  occafion'd  by  the  Shaking  of  the  Place,  ran  up  to  fee  the 
Caufe  of  it,  and,  to  their  great  Surprize,  found  the  Apofiles 
diftinguifh'd  from  the  other  Jenxjs  about  them,  both  by  the  cloven 
Tongues,  ixihkhfat  upon  each  of  them,  and  by  the  feveral  different 
Languages,  that  they  fpake.     iaw)i's  Introduction,  lib.  i.  c.  4. 

(I)  Prideaux's  Connexion,  Part  I.  lib.  iii.  [m]  Jfwijh 

Antiq.  lib.  viii.  c.   z. 


Chap.  V.     from  the Ifraelltcs  entering  Canaan,  ^c.      52 1 

In  a  Word,  it  was  Gold  all  over,  and*  nothing  was  want-    A.  M. 
ing,  either  within  or  without,  that  might  contribute  to  the'^ll^' ^{^^ 
Glory  and  Magnificence  of  the  Work.  1023,  ere' 

From  iSam.' 
*  It  is  not  to  be  doubted,  but  that  Solomon  made  all  the  ^i"' "  ^. 
Utenfils  and  Ornaments  of  the  Temple  proportionable,  both  in .  '"^_^  'j^' ' 
Number  and  Richnefs,  to  that  of  the  Edifice  ;  and  yet  Jofephus 
feems  to  have  carry'd  his  Account  beyond  all  Credibility,  when 
he  tells  us,  that  there  were  10,000  Tables,  befides  thofe  of  the 
Shew-Bread  j  1 0,000  Candlefticks,  befides  thofe  in  the  holy 
Place;  80,006  Cups  for  Drinlc-OfFerings ;  100,000  Bafons  of 
Gold,  and  double  that  Number  of  Silver ;  When  he  tells  us, 
that  Solomon  caus'd  to  be  made  1 000  Ornaments  for  the  fole  Ufe 
of  the  High-Prieft  ;  1 0,000  Linen  Robes  and  Girdles,  for 
that  of  the  common  Priefts ;  and  200,000  more  for  the  Le'vites 
and  Muficians :  When  he  tells  of  200,000  Trumpets,  made  ac- 
cording to  Solemou\  Direftion,  with  200,000  more,  made  in  the 
Faftiion,  that  Mofes  had  appointed,  and  400,000  mufical  In- 
ftrum^ntsof  a  mixt  Metal,  between  Gold  and  Silver,  called  by 
the  Ancients  EleSirum.  Concerning  all  which,  we  can  only  fay, 
that  the  Text  is  either  filent,  or  contradifts  this  prodigious  Ac- 
<punt.    Univerfal  Hillory,  Lib.  i.  c.  7. 


^i  E  ND  of  the  Ibird  VO  L  UME, 


^>.M